Does life have a purpose?

How do we find meaning beyond the mundane? In this new series, Bruce Miller attempts to answer some of the questions that people most often ask the internet about God 

“The dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had.” These haunting lyrics from Tears for Fears’s 1982 hit ‘Mad world’ capture a sentiment that resonates with many of us during our darkest moments. We hope that there’s a reason for our existence but sometimes, in the quiet hours of the night, we wonder if life truly has any meaning at all. 

Whether triggered by crisis, fatigue or the monotony of daily routine, the question of life’s purpose eventually surfaces for most of us. What’s remarkable is that one of the most honest explorations of this topic comes from an unexpected source: the Bible. 

The book of Ecclesiastes, traditionally attributed to King Solomon, opens with a shocking declaration: “Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” This isn’t the warm, comforting message we might expect from scripture. Instead, Solomon sounds remarkably like the contemporary artists who question life’s purpose. 

Consider Tupac’s raw confession in ‘Changes’: “Wake up in the morning and I ask myself, ‘Is life worth living?’”