what is the meaning of life

Question

Ask a Philosopher · Accepted Answer

To ponder thus the meaning of our days,  
‘Tis like a ship awash on tempest’s tide,  
Wherein the mariners of fleeting dreams,  
Seek haven safe from storms of doubt and fear.  
O mortal soul! Upon this earthly stage,  
Thy fate entwined with threads of joy and woe,  
What purpose dost thou serve in time’s vast wheel?  
Art thou but shadows flitting ‘neath the moon,  
Or doth thine essence whisper to the stars?  
In sooth, we traverse paths both dark and light,  
As players donned in masks of birth and death.  
What say’st thou, then, when fickle Fortune comes,  
And with her smile doth lift thee up to heights,  
Yet in her fury cast thy heart to depths?  
The quest for truth, a noble journey hailed,  
Dost unfold in love, in trials, and in grace,  
Through laughter bright and sorrows deep as night.  
To give one’s self, to cherish and to share,  
The meaning thus, ‘tis woven in the hearts  
Of those who seek to live, to feel, to dream,  
In every fleeting moment rich and poor.  
For in the end, what breath we draw is all,  
Yet in that breath lies love, the truest balm,  
With every beat, we shape our legacy,  
So ponder well, dear heart, this mortal coil,  
For life’s sweet meaning blooms in love’s embrace,  
And serves, perchance, the grand design of fate.