The meaning of life

The word “meaning” is irrelevant to life. Life is neither meaningful nor meaningless. But for centuries, our minds have been conditioned to believe that life has great meaning. All that meaning was arbitrary. Hence only in this century, for the first time in the whole history of humankind, has the question, “What is the meaning of life?” become one of the most important, because all old lies are exposed.

Life was meaningful with a God. Life was meaningful with a life beyond death. Life was meaningful because churches, synagogues, temples and mosques were continuously hammering the idea in our minds. A certain maturity has come to us.

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I am an existentialist. And I say to you that life is neither meaningful nor meaningless. The question is irrelevant. Life is just an opportunity, an opening. It depends what you make of it. It depends on you what meaning, colour, song, poetry or dance you give to it.

Life is a creative challenge. And it is good that it hasn’t any fixed meaning, otherwise there would be no challenge. Then it would be just a readymade thing: you are born and the meaning of life is given to you and you carry it your whole life; this is the meaning of your life. No, existence is far more profound than any meaning.

Existence is just a challenge to creativity. It allows you all the space that you need — and you think it is empty? …Existence is so spacious that it allows you absolute freedom to be whatsoever you want to be, whatsoever you have the capacity to be.

It allows you an unhindered space to grow and to blossom. It does not impose anything on you.


"Osho"