A: 42. Q: What do you get when you multiply six by nine?
[ Answer and question, from the "Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy" series, by Douglas Adams. ]

There is this idea about the meaning of life, about there being a purpose to life. There have been questions about why everything is the way it is. It has been looked at seriously and humorously. I think the concept of questions and answers gets in the way.

You have to have the right question, you have got to phrase the question in a way that leads to a useful answer. What is useful will be what makes sense to you, therefore other people's questions will not necessarily be useful. We pretty much have to come up with our own questions because of our own unique set of experiences and our interpretations of them. A culture helps reduce that issue within its bounds, yet increases the issue with other cultures.

These questions about meaning or purpose of life, and the specific aspects such as the role someone has in the community or universe, may not be an issue at all for someone. It depends on their culture, their influences, that person.

I have been considering this from many angles, including so-called artificial intelligence, abortion and when does life begin, when or whether self awareness occurs, and so on.

Oh, and it does depend upon the concept of time, unfortunately. The concept of time is something I have not been able to successfully set aside. [2024 May 23: striked paragraph, because of new entry for time [words--general.htm].]

I think the answer is the question. I think the question is not answerable absolutely, else existence [perspective.htm#1] would not continue, yet is answered all the time.

Why is life? What is life? What is the purpose or meaning? Why do we think? Why did that happen? Why or how do we know anything at all? What is good or evil? What is right or wrong? All of these questions are superficial, they overlook the basis of everything.

None of them come close because they are based on something absolute. If a goal is reached, it is done, everything is over, there is nothing more to do. There is no need for life to continue. There would not be life, a universe, an existence, with such absoluteness at the base.

Such questions seek an excuse. An excuse for life, an excuse for thought, an excuse for existence, an excuse to harm someone (right/wrong, good/evil), an excuse to love, an excuse to blame. Excuses are understanding.

Before understanding something, there must be acceptance: it is. Then we wonder about the excuse for it being.

There is no real excuse for what simply is. It is. There it is. The excuse for it becomes the understanding. The understanding for what is is just a rationalization, just an excuse for what simply is.

Beneath all of those questions is acceptance. If you question something, you have accepted it. That is not the same as believing or understanding. Questioning can bring into existence that which was not. I am not saying materially. What I am saying is, real or fiction, we cannot question what is not known, what is not accepted.

So, what is beneath all the excuses? Acceptance. Fine. So what is the basis of life, the universe, everything? What is with existence? Why is there existence? Again, such questions seek excuses.

If there was going to be a question, it would have to be its own answer. One that does not seek excuse, or rationalizations, or understanding. One based on basic acceptance.

The question, the answer to everything, is simply the motivation:
“What is different?”