Day 313: Guest

Calories: 597

This evening Theo asked me to read and correct an essay he had to hand in at school the next day.  I told him that I could only do that if he wrote my blog.  So today's blog is courtesy of a guest speaker: Theo.

At dinner tonight, Louis asked “What is the point of life?”. No one had a satisfying answer, at least in my eyes. However, I believe, my 16 years on this planet, allow me to contribute an answer.

Some might say society provides purpose by making our lives seemingly more interesting through objectives such as earning money, going to work, acquiring objects… However what would be left of our societies in the advent of a “natural” catastrophe (such as global warming) what would be the point of our lives then ?

In the old ages people relied on religion to give meaning to their life. But now (except in Trump's America) science has replaced it. So how about science? Science is based on testable and justifiable explanations of how the universe works. In a way it is there to find an explanation to everything. Yet how many of us can really feel the effect of quarks or electrons on our day to day lives.

So if society, religion and science are all illusions I ask once again: What is the point of life ?
As I will learn next year in Philosophy, Descartes said “I think therefore I am”. The fact that we can ask ourselves this question is what makes us different. And the fact that we can articulate that thought allows us to also consider that possibly there is no point to life. This might seem a depressing answer however I find it quite beautiful. Because if there is no point to life that means we can choose our own “point” whether it be to help future generations be born in a beautiful world, to make people smile, to have fun or to work incessantly.   If there was a point to our lives we would be governed by an ordained objective with no hand in our own fate. We would be just like a tree growing fruits year in, year out with no choice in the matter. So in the end the answer to the question is that each of us can choose our own!

Thanks Theo. 

Those of you who wish to appear as guest speakers can send your contributions to my regular e-mail.