What is This Dance of Life, and Why Are We Here?

Life. It’s a word that slips off the tongue so easily, yet when you try to pin it down, it squirms like a fish in your hands. What is life? And what’s the point of it all?

These questions have haunted humanity since we first looked at the stars and wondered why we’re here. Today, I wish to wade into this murky pond, not with heavy academic tomes but with a sense of curiosity, as if we’re unraveling a profoundly personal and bewilderingly universal mystery.

Imagine life as a river. It flows, sometimes lazily meandering and at other times crashing over rocks. It represents the heartbeat of a deer sprinting through a forest, the quiet rustle of leaves in a breeze, and the laughter of a child chasing a butterfly. Life is the essence that hums in everything – plants, animals, people, and even the bacteria in your gut. Scientists might describe it as a series of growth, reproduction, and adaptation processes. But that seems like telling a symphony merely as “sound.”

Life is more than mechanics; the spark makes those mechanics dance. Life is a vibrant, pulsing phenomenon, a web of connections that ties us to one another and the earth.

However, that’s only part of the question. The trickier aspect is: what’s its purpose? Why does this river flow, and where is it heading? This is where philosophy comes in, not with a map but with a lantern casting light on the paths we might explore. Some say life’s purpose is happiness, and it makes sense. We chase joy like moths to a flame — through love, success, and a warm meal on a cold day. But happiness is slippery; it flits away when you think you’ve caught it. If life’s purpose is only to feel good, what happens when pain creeps in, as it always does? Others argue that the purpose is growth. Life, they say, is a school where every experience — good or bad — teaches us to be wiser, kinder, and stronger.

Yet, growth for growth’s sake can feel like running on a treadmill- exhausting and directionless.

Then there’s meaning. Perhaps life’s purpose isn’t a single destination but a tapestry we weave from our choices. You help a stranger, plant a seed, tell a story – each act threads purpose into the fabric of existence. This idea twists the question inward: the purpose of life might be to create purpose. It’s a paradox, like a snake eating its tail, but there’s something alive in that loop. It suggests we’re not merely passengers but artists, shaping significance from the raw clay of our days.

But let’s pause. What if life has no purpose at all? This thought can feel like staring into a void. Some philosophers, like existentialists, argue that life is a beautiful and terrifyingly blank canvas. There’s no cosmic script directing your actions. You’re free, but that freedom comes with a catch: you must determine what matters. It’s daunting, yet it’s also a form of gift. If nothing is preordained, every choice you make is a spark in the dark, a tiny rebellion against meaninglessness.

Now, let’s delve deeper into this concept. What if the purpose of life hinges on your perspective? Life might be about reaching for sunlight and establishing deep roots for a tree. For a wolf, it’s about the hunt, the pack, and howling under the moon. For us, it’s more complicated. We’re creatures of stories, weaving narratives to make sense of the chaos. A parent might claim that life’s purpose is raising their children. An artist might argue it’s about creation. A monk might suggest it’s about connecting to something greater — be it God, the universe, or love. Who’s correct? Perhaps they all are. Maybe life’s purpose is like a kaleidoscope, shifting with each perspective turn.

Here’s a twist: what if the question itself is the point? Asking “why” is uniquely human. It’s our way of grappling with the mystery, refusing to let life slip by unexamined.

The purpose of life might not be an answer but a process — a lifelong dance of questioning, stumbling, and wondering. Like a river carving a canyon, the search for meaning shapes us, even if we never reach the sea.

So, where does this leave us? Life is a vibrant, messy thing — growth, connection, a flicker of consciousness in a vast universe. Its purpose? That’s trickier. It might be joy, growth, meaning, or nothing at all. It could differ for everyone or lie in the asking itself. The beauty is that you get to decide. Not with grand proclamations but with every day’s small, stubborn choices — how you love, what you fight for, and where you find wonder.

Life, then, is a riddle wrapped in a pulse. We don’t solve it; we live it. And maybe that’s enough.

©2025 Amil Imani. All rights reserved.