Life doesn't have meaning

Alex’s death was so sudden, it made our entire team question the meaning of life. I knew Alex (name changed) as I was one of the interviewers who evaluated him for the job. Alex always greeted others with a warm smile. I couldn’t meet him after the 30-day training as he was moved to the night shift.

We met a week before his accident to say goodbye to a team member. We had a pleasant conversation; he was showing me videos from his motorcycle trip to the Himalayas. It was only a week later that I learned of Alex’s passing in a tragic road accident. I was at a loss for words. I was in my cubicle, stunned.

That’s when a new team member, a young guy, asked me, “Why did this have to happen to him? Why does he have to leave us so soon? If this is life, then what’s the point of it all? What happens to all the hard work and struggle that went into creating one’s career, future, etc. if it all ends in a split second?” I wasn’t able to answer it at that moment. I said, “I don’t know.”

Thinking about it now, I feel that life has no meaning; it is only our perception that gives it one. We are the only species capable of reflecting on our thoughts, which has caused us to exaggerate life’s simplicity; it is merely a linear process that begins at birth and ends at death. We cannot accept this, as it goes against the values we were taught about life.

The passing of Alex and others whom I have come across in my life has taught me a valuable lesson. We shouldn’t overthink the meaning of life. Life is too short to think too much.