The desire to delve into the intricate subject arises from the profound wisdom passed down by my father, which can be symbolized as a theoretical equation:

“Research is equivalent to Meaning & Purpose”

Taking it a step further and defying grammatical conventions, I dare to modify the equation to:

“Life is equivalent to the quest for Meaning & Purpose”

This leads me to the initial inquiry: What is the essence of our existence?

The pursuit of meaning in one’s life is not a recent phenomenon but dates back several decades. The earliest school of thought traces its origins to ancient China in the 5th century BC, manifested in Daoism or Taoism, which advocates for living in harmony with the Tao (or the Way). Over time, various theories gained popularity, ranging from Hedonism, which posits that humans are naturally driven to seek pleasure and avoid suffering as life’s ultimate purpose, to the idea of Pragmatism. Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition that originated in the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century. It emphasizes the practical consequences and usefulness of beliefs, ideas, and actions. Pragmatism rejects the notion of absolute or fixed truths and instead focuses on the value of ideas and theories in guiding human actions and solving practical problems.

After a plethora of setbacks to find the common thread, that unites the different schools of thought, I stumbled upon a simple quote – Unity in Diversity! Instead of pursuing homogeneity among these various perspectives, it became clear that emphasizing the inherent value and strength derived from their differences was more meaningful. This realization prompted me to delve into another aspect of the life equation i.e. purpose. What importance will diversity hold if the theorems do not have a purpose? In the words of Mark Twain, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why”

What purpose does a mortal human have? The goal to see mankind progress comfortably is undoubtedly the universal theme but on a much more granular level, the purpose seems to be localized and short-term in nature. It can be a daily purpose, like finishing a presentation at work or it can be a purpose with a slightly longer time horizon, say owning a house. Some purposes can be selfless and last life-long, such as that of Martin Luther Kg Jr, who dedicated his life to advocating for racial equality, nonviolence, and social justice, or Swami Vivekananda, a 19th-century reformer, who played a key role in the revival of Hinduism by promoting spiritualism, education for all and eradication of social evils.

All the purposes- be they short-term, long-term or life-long act as the building blocks in the quest to find the meaning of our life. As a house, that is built brick-by-brick, the philosophical understandings that we attain, knowingly or unknowingly, while fulfilling the purposes serve as the foundation in our quest to discover the essence of the meaning of our life.

As the article began with an equation, it’s only fair that an equation marks the end of it. Thus, “Life is equal to the sum of the meanings associated with each purpose from purpose 1 to purpose n”. In mathematical form, the equation of life can be expressed as:

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