What is the Point of Life?

'What is the point of life?' is a question everyone wants answered. It is a very human question and right at the heart of what you are. To answer it you first need to understand what is behind the question. The question is a linguistic construction arising from a thought process. Language is introduced to you early in your life and gives you a more sophisticated form of communication than is possible with signalling and body language alone. Along with language comes a formal structure and ideas of logic and understanding. Early in your life you discover the words 'what' and 'how' as a way of understanding the world better. Language and thought are attributes that distinguish you from other life forms such as plants and animals. You also need to understand that you are designed to survive, grow and reproduce and have many chemical, physiological and mental systems working in support of these aims. In its simplest form the answer to the question 'what is the point of life?' is survive and grow to reproduce and perpetuate the species. For some this can be enough and in fact all other answers must be distilled down to this simple answer.

Let's go further to see if there is more. Along the thought and language dimension the question arises quite naturally. When it does there is a very natural assumption that there has to be a 'point' to life. You are highly trained to understand as much as we can as part of your protection mechanism. Parenting and schooling is all about making sure you understand how everything works and training you how to find out if you do not understand. Thus 'what is life about?' presents itself as this big important question you instinctively feel it is important to answer. The simple answer to grow and reproduce seems far too simple for such a complex and beautiful subject as the life you live. Maybe it is but once again your mind suggests life is complex and it is just as possible that life is very simple. Life experienced watching thoughts flow by like a Buddhist becomes much simpler and straightforward than the complicated structures and constructions your mind presents to you. It is only a thought is a powerful intervention when your mind takes you down a long and tortuous line of argument. Pursue it for your pleasure but let it go if it does not help you.

There is also the physiological side of your existence and the pains and struggles that often go with being human. This also naturally feeds in to the thought processes seeking answers to what you can do about it and then what is the point of it all? Again just thoughts which if they lead to an answer enjoy them or if not helpful let them float away.

The point of life for me is to survive, grow and reproduce. I am interested to know what you think.

Len Williamson invites you to visit his web site at http://www.theowlpartnership.com for more information on how he coaches individuals and teams. If you have a major challenge and see obstacles to progress then Len can help.