Life is not a story.

Life is not a story. 


Who am I?


What should I do in life?


What is the meaning of life?


Humans have been asking these questions since time immemorial. Every generation needs a new answer. Because what you know and what you don't know are constantly changing. Given what you know and don't know about science and God, politics and religion, what is the best answer you can offer?



When people search for the meaning of life, they want a story that will explain what reality is and what is their role in the drama of the universe. This role defines who I am and gives meaning to all my experiences and choices.


The stories that humans have been craving for meaning have been told for thousands of years, all of which are part of a cycle. Each being has a unique function to fulfil in that cycle. To understand the meaning of life is to understand a unique function, and to live a good life is to fulfil that function.


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In the great cosmic cycle, it is said that each being has its own dharma and that it is a path to be followed and a duty to be fulfilled. When you realize Dharma, you will enjoy peace of mind and freedom from all doubts, no matter how difficult the road may be. It doesn't make any difference what the set length is. You just have to follow that path. Everything is connected and everyone depends on each other.


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The circle of life presents the cosmic drama of a cyclical story. It is the eternal repetition that gives the story its power, and this is the natural order of things.


If you believe in the story of the circle of life, it means that you have a fixed true identity that determines your duties in life. You may doubt or not know its identity for years, but one day you will understand its role in the cosmic drama as it reveals itself at some great climax.


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Other religions and ideologies also believe in a unilinear cosmic drama. Nationalism also takes the structure of a linear story. Communism shows a similar story structure. But if you look at all the examples of stories that try to define true identity and give meaning to actions, you will find that, surprisingly, the size of the story doesn't matter much.


All stories are incomplete. However, to build a realizable identity and give meaning to life, it is not necessary to have an impeccable story without any blind spots or internal contradictions.


To give meaning to life, a story only needs to satisfy two conditions.


First, I have to give them some role to play, and second, a good story doesn't have to extend indefinitely, but it has to go beyond the current horizon. Stories give identity and meaning to life by placing themselves in something bigger than themselves.


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A good story should extend beyond my horizons, giving me a role, but it doesn't have to be true. A story can be pure fiction, yet it can give me an identity and make my life feel meaningful.


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All stories are merely human inventions. Still, why do people believe this fiction?


One reason is that personal identity is built on stories.


By the time they reach intellectual maturity, independent of many teachings, people have already invested so heavily in stories that they are far more likely to use their intellect to rationalize rather than question them. Most people who continue to search for their identity are like children on a treasure hunt. They only find what their parents have hidden for them in advance.


Second, not only individual identities but also collective institutions stand on the story. As a result, they are extremely afraid to doubt the story.


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Most of the stories are kept intact thanks to the weight of the roof rather than the strong foundation.


Once an individual's identity and the whole system of society are built up for the story, it becomes unthinkable to question the story. Not because of the evidence to support it. Because when it collapses, the personal and social upheaval will occur. Looking back on history, sometimes the roof is more important than the ground.


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Even if many stories, such as history and religion, are fictions created by the minds of mankind and individuals, there is no reason to be discouraged. The reality is still there.


Humans conquered the world thanks to their ability to create and believe fictional stories. Therefore, human beings are particularly bad at knowing the difference between fiction and reality. Ignoring the difference was a matter of survival. If you still want to know the difference, the starting point is pain. The most realistic thing in the world is pain.


After various reasons such as faith, justice, sacrifice, and salvation, the result was suffering. Pain is 100% real.


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If you want to get close to the truth about the universe, the meaning of life, and your identity, the best starting point is to first observe pain and explore what it is. A story can never be the answer.

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