Discovering Purpose

Cody Schultz

Although it was not until 2014 when I bought my first “professional” camera, I believe a part of me has always loved photography. I remember constantly taking pictures around the house, of my family, of our vacations, and especially of Jazmine, my family’s dog. At first, I had thought that landscape photography was boring, not understanding why someone would want to wait hours on end in a single location, just to end up going home empty-handed. Yet in 2016, I found myself doing exactly that. I found myself going on long hikes with my girlfriend, sweating and panting as we walked up steep hills to various waterfalls, often coming home only to realize that none of the photographs I took were portfolio-worthy. The memories shared, however, made it so much more worthwhile than any photograph ever could. And that, I truly believe, is why landscape photography is so special.

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When you find something at which you have talent, you do that thing until your fingers bleed or your eyes pop out of your head. ~Stephen King

What is the Meaning of Life?

Ah - the ultimate question. The singular ask which has led to more wars, more conflict in the world than any other question man has ever conceived. What, my dear reader, is the meaning of life?

According to the most intelligent computer in the universe, "Deep Thought" (https://amzn.to/3BRYwAK), the answer is simply 42.

Perhaps a better question than this, however, is why we as a species are so overtly concerned with the meaning of our lives. Personally, I have never witnessed my dog attempting to figure out the meaning in life; nor do I believe a fish swims in its bowl, pondering how it arrived there, wondering why it exists in the first place. And yet we often find ourselves wondering these such questions, and more, all of which revolve around the meaning of our lives.

The disappointing reality is that we are but a blip in the cosmos, something which the universe will quickly forget even existed. To be blunt, it won't take long before most people in the world forget about your existence, even. Simply think about the millions of people who lived just a hundred years ago; save for a few who built a sort of legacy for themselves, their names are largely forgotten.

So, if this is the case and we are not living in some sort of simulation, what is the point of trying to find the meaning of life?

In one word: purpose.