Philosophically, two of the greatest questions are 

                 "What is the Nature of Reality? " and 

                  "What is the Meaning of Life?"  

Is there purpose to our existence and if there is what is it?  These questions are linked together because  the answer to one of them will inform the otherr.  

We all have these question.  Our personal identity and purpose feel inevitably linked to these answers.

We are driven by these questions.  We desire our lives to have purpose and meaning.  We want to spend our days charting a course that is valued.  Ultimately, the basic question of this website is rooted in these two philosophical questions.  

At the same time, it is rather audacious to believe that this website can answer questions which have been debated for centuries by some of the greatest intellects of mankind.  Debate without conclusion has leads to a life of confusion.  Can a conclusion even be found?

Ultimately, could we be asking the wrong question?

These questions start with two basic assumptions.  To be intellectually honest, we need to state these up front.  

What is the nature of reality?  One of the first questions that a philosopher has to answer with this question is if reality is subjective or objective.  If reality is subjective, than every person has their own reality and there is no shared reality.  If it is objective, than there is one reality which we all see in different subjective viewpoints.  

This website assumes there is one objective reality.  There are worldviews that say differently, but they are wholly unsatisfactory when tested in the crucible of real life.

What is the meaning of life?  This is even trickier on several levels.   For it to be objective, the most basic assumption is there is a design to life.  For how can there be meaning if life was totally random.  And this leads to an obvious second question, if there is a design to life, then who created it?

Let's use scientism as an example.   Science will say that there is one objective reality that is found through logical thought and testing.  This would agree with assumption one.

 Generally, scientism would also say that creation was spontaneous and entirely by chance.  This would disagree with assumption number two.  

Given that scientism would say there is no design to life, the next typical conclusion is that the meaning of life is subjective, that every person creates their own meaning.  This is a common philosophy in the cultures around me.  

Interestingly, some people are content to live in this dichotomy because they don't explore their doubts and are unwilling to consider alternatives.  In reality, they are typically content in the world as they perceive it and are unwilling to rock the boat.  

I wasn't content.  The terror of death hounded me.  What if we are asking the wrong question?

I agree that reality is objective -- that we all live in one reality though we all perceive it differently. 

I agree that the way that people live out meaning is subjective.  The meaning of life has many different meanings depending upon the person, their personality, their experiences, and their position in society.  

And yet, the real question was right before my eyes.  What if the key is "what is the meaning of death"

For even though the meaning of life was very subjective, death is very objective.  Throughout the centuries,  throughout the various cultures, death has carried the same weight to every individual.     Rich or poor, educated or illiterate, Indian or Icelander, young or old, we all experience death similarly.  

The manner of death changes across different individuals.  Some people live life with such gusto that they finally lose to the odds.  Other people want to die for a cause and place themselves in harm's way.  Others always choose the safest options possible to extend their life as long as possible.  In all of these cases, people are still trying to live their life a certain way, their manners of death are driven by their believe of what the meaning of life is.  Yet, death still comes.  There is no denying it, there is still all of the loss and uncertainty which accompanies it.  Death is still death.

The manner people treat other people's death varies greatly, too.  Some bodies are burned up, others buried, some tossed into the sea.  There are elaborate funerals and great pyramids, while others die namelessly in the streets.  But again, this is about how the living treat death, not the actual facts of our own deaths.  Death is still death.

The question of death leads to many other questions,  Intellectual ascent doesn't change the experience, it just provides ways to cope with the reality of the experience.  Death is still death.

Death impacts everyone equally.

If there is a designer, then death was created for a purpose.   And if there is a purpose, it is meant for every single person from the beginning of time.  Because death is very humbling as it no respecter of position or wealth or power or fame or any trapping of life.  The Pharoah in Egypt ends up in the same state as the Jew in the Nazi gas chamber.  

Is there anything in life that has had a such a singular impact throughout all of history?  Is there any greater universal experience?

Death is final.   It is the door that everyone passes through and very few come back.  Currently, there are several books about people who have gone through near death experiences, but this is not the same.  The moment of life's passing has a level of mystery and loss unlike anything else in life.

Unquestionably, there is great significance to death.  Human society puts great importance on funerals and the associated grief.  If there is a creator and if death is intentional, then it would probably be key to unlocking truth and reality

o if there is something behind this existence, death could be the key that unlocks meaning. 

Death forces humans to look beyond our materialistic existence.  Most people probably would become caught up in their little worlds and never look beyond them without the interruption of death.  You probably wouldn't have gone this far into this website, if death hadn't motivated you!

Death is the great hiccup upon each of our own perceptions of reality.  Whether this death comes from a great war or from dying in our sleep, it impacts the people around the dead in monumental ways.  Death forces the rich to look beyond their money, the powerful to look beyond their strength, the downtrodden to look beyond their suffering. 

Death (and the decay which occurs with time) is very humbling.  It prevents everyone from occupying a position of superiority over their fellow man throughout a full life.  Again, this pulls us out of our perceived realities and self focus into something bigger and shared.  

Death helps us to make the most of life and motivates us to consider other realities beyond our own.  It exposes our weaknesses in a way that humbles us greatly.  Death forces every human being to concede that they are not superman, that there are some battles which cannot be won. 

In the end, without death, I question if a human beings would develop as meaningful existences.  For this reason, death could be one of the greatest gifts we are given.  

Could there still be more?  

After all, if there is a designer, than that being has to be the greater, much greater.  As a baby, the only reality we know is the reality we feel and we are not aware of the people around us.  Over time, we develop a greater consciousness of the other individuals in our lives.  But what if we need to move into learning more of this mighty creator?  There would need to be a development and an acceptance of our position with that being.  Death becomes a door for us to come to this understanding.  

 Many people ignore or run away from that door, but at least they were challenged to consider a reality bigger than themselves.  Are you ready, are you brave, enough to pursue reality passionately?

Ultimately, philosophically, if there is a metaphysical reality, that created the universe with purpose, the key question which has stood the test of time, cultures, and individuals, is the question of death.  

The meaning of death is the path of "enlightenment".  Yet, philosophically, the only answers are "theories".  Scientism was the study of the material.  Philosophy at its core is a logical study.  It can provide a pathway, but the answers still need to be tested and proven by objective history.   This leads to the next question, are there events in history which would point us through the doorway?

In the end, I find both the exploration of science and philosophy validating.  After all, if science could prove the metaphysical didn't exist, then that would end my search.  If philosophy showed that death was meaningless, then that would end my search.  In fact, both point to the possibility of something greater.  What credible evidence might be out there?

  So where does the trail of thought crumbs take us......look at the page Truth Crumbs.