What’s the Meaning of Life?
Ask anyone what the meaning of life is, and you’ll be sure to get a different answer every time. Few questions are liable to raise such vastly different points of view. In fact, it’s so subjective a topic, that it might seem impossible to ever answer definitively – unless, of course, you’re Douglas Adams, in which case the answer is fairly obvious: ’42’. Or if you’re a nihilist, in which case the answer is: there is no meaning of life.
So, with such wildly differing ideas, just how can anyone figure out what the meaning of life really is? Well, we personally like the old adage – the oldies are the goodies, see – you get out what you put in. Or, if you prefer your sayings with a hint of Lennon-McCartney: ‘in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.’
The philosopher Julian Baggini once broached the subject in an article for The Guardian. He believed that, actually, the question ‘what is the meaning of life?’ isn’t a sensible question. There are too many answers, and more specifically, there are too many silly answers. Better, he thought, to be more specific in questioning precisely what it – life – is all about. What is the meaning of your life?
The answer to that question depends on what it is you want to get out of life. Further to that, how are you going to get it? So first, assess your interests. What do you love doing? Maybe it’s writing blogs, maybe it’s working in accountancy, maybe it’s buying really nice suits and taking holidays in Montenegro. Whatever it is you want to be doing, you’ll want to assess your drive. Do you really want to do what you love? Are you prepared to do whatever it takes, whatever it costs to do it? So long as you have ambition, you’re part way there.
But how do you achieve those dreams, that life which holds all meaning? Certainly ambition can get you far, but you’ll still need an income of some description – and with that comes outgoings. You can want to be an actor, or collect stamps or go sailing, but you’ll still need food, drink, shelter – the core ingredients of life. And who knows, perhaps you’ll even find love along the way, someone to share your life with too; someone that gives your meaning of life even more…meaning.
So what’s the meaning of life? Well… here’s our stab at it:
A – B + C x D / E = Life
A is your Income
B is your Outgoings
C is your Interests
D is your Ambition
E is Time
This blog post was requested by @WA_Accountants, proactive chartered accountants in Preston, providing a fresh modern approach to accountancy.
Thanks for the inspiration guys 😉
