Does Death Give Life Meaning?

For centuries, people have searched for the meaning of life, but the exploration has proved fruitless. In truth, the meaning of life has no universal application and depends entirely on the person being asked. A young woman may say that the meaning is to raise children, a middle-aged man may say it is to build a monopoly, and an elderly couple may determine that it is to live to the fullest.

However, despite one’s interpretation of “the meaning,” there is a singular event that all humanity experiences: death. While modern Americans attempt to avoid addressing death as a reality, it is a subconscious truth, and without the eventual release, what would life be?

Without realizing it, promised death inspires humans to improve themselves, take opportunities, and seize love. To elaborate, if humans were to live forever, there would be no reason to explore, understand, or be part of the world. There would be no reason to have a child, form a business, or find a soulmate, as “there is always another time.” Fortunately, immortality and its imprisonment are hypothetical; humans have a biological ticking clock that fuels their advancement.

Thanks to guaranteed death, humans seek to produce offspring, explore the unknown, and find a partner to wait the time out with. In short, humans live to establish a legacy and enjoy the gifts of the present because it is known that life will eventually end. As represented in Buddhist dharma, death provides an ultimate liberation that is not to be feared but embraced.