What is the Meaning of Life?

What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? What is our purpose? What is it that makes living this life worthwhile? There are lots of similar questions, and there are lots of answers.

Look up "Meaning of Life" in Wikipedia, and you can read many of these answers:

The meaning of Life is...

• Plato: ..."attaining the highest form of knowledge"
• Aristotle:... doing the "highest good", or "good for its own sake", or that which brings us happiness
• Cynicism: ... "living a life of Virtue that agrees with Nature. Happiness depends upon being self-sufficient and master of one's mental attitude."
• Epicureanism: "in seeking modest pleasures, to attain tranquility and freedom from fear via knowledge, friendship, and virtuous, temperate living"
• Stoicism: ..."freedom from suffering" through being objective and having "clear judgement"
• Utilitarianism: "whatever brings the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people" 
• Pragmatism: "discoverable only via experience." and "practical, useful understanding of life is more important than searching for an impractical abstract truth about life."
• Existentialism: that "each man and each woman creates the meaning of his and her [own] life." Man must set his own goals, values and purpose.
• Secular Humanism: seeking the well-being of all humanity, but on a personal level. Enlightened self-interest.
• Natural Pantheism: "to care for and look after nature and the environment."
• Mohism: "universal, impartial love"
• Confucianism: "achieving virtue through strong relationships and reasoning"
• Christianity: "to seek divine salvation through the grace of God and intercession of Christ."
• Islam: "to worship the creator by abiding by [his word]. Earthly life is merely a test, determining one's afterlife, either in Paradise or in Hell." 
• Bahá'í Faith: "spiritual growth and service to humanity"
• Judaism: "to elevate the physical world and prepare it for the world to come." 
•  Zoroastrianism: to take an active role in the universal conflict between truth and order, and falsehood and chaos, with good thoughts, good words and good deeds.

The article goes on with Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, scientific perspectives. etc. Several of these have a similar theme: doing good to others/persuing the well-being of humanity/love/relieving suffering. Some are more hedonistic: seeking one's own pleasure and happiness. Some involve seeking knowledge. Some involve trusting that God has a purpose, whether we know it or not, and others state plainly that there is no meaning to life except, perhaps, for whatever meaning we give it ourselves.

The fact that there are so many different philosophies about the meaning of life tells me that it is something that many people have searched for and thought about for a long time. I am grateful that the philosophy I have been taught since birth is one that makes sense, that is comforting and empowering. According to the same article in Wikipedia (a subheading under Christianity):

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) teaches that the purpose of life on Earth is to gain knowledge and experience. Mormons believe that God the Father first created humans as spirits, each with the potential to progress toward perfection. Earth life is considered a crucial stage in this development — wherein a physical body, coupled with the freedom to choose, makes for an ideal environment to learn and grow.

Mormon.org explains this purpose in more depth and clarity. Our existence on this earth is one part of a wonderful Plan that God has to help us achieve our potential. We are here on this earth to gain experience. We are here to gain knowledge about ourselves and about the world around us. We are here to learn to distinguish the good from the bad, and to choose the good. We are here to love and serve one another. We are here to progress to a higher level of existence than we previously had. God's plan for us is simple. It is easy to understand, and yet it is profound in its significance.

So many of the philosophers had a similar idea. We are here to seek the highest form of knowledge. We are here to do good, to seek happiness, to gain experience, to build relationships, to seek truth and order. The understanding that this life is a school developed to help us gain experience, to progress to perfection, makes everything make sense, helps everything fit together in a way that it wouldn't without that understanding. Our existence isn't an accident. We were created by God. We aren't God's playthings, or His slaves, here to do His will for no reason other than that He desires it. We aren't alone; God didn't create us and then abandon us. We are His children and He loves us and is helping us to reach our potential. It does matter what we do in this life, because it effects our eternal progress, just as our grades in high school have an effect on what colleges and occupations will be available to us later on. The trials and difficulties that we experience help us to become stronger, and show us who we are and what progress we have made and are continuing to make. This life does have meaning: it is a stepping stone to a glorious future.