Once upon a time, there was a world that had been conquered by the Army of Death.
The way it had happened was this: the people often argued with each other. When they weren’t arguing, they were working. When they weren’t working, they sought out entertainment. They were always so busy, they started to forget what Life was.
The Army of Death saw an opportunity, so all its different soldiers went to work. Death’s messengers whispered into people’s ears when they argued, sowing contempt within families and hatred between friends. Death’s wizards gave people magic that made it easier to work, but that poisoned their bodies, the air, the water, and the earth. Death’s jesters provided entertainment that amazed and delighted people’s senses, while sowing confusion and discord in their souls.
Over time, the people grew dissatisfied. They did not realize they were forgetting Life, but they sensed that something was wrong. Many of them often felt fearful and sad for no reason they could name. So, the Army of Death’s bards separated the people into groups, and blamed each group’s sadness on the others. They were accompanied by wizards with magic potions that numbed pain, and heralds with ideas they said would solve everyone’s problems. But the stories, the potions, and the ideas were all in the service of Death.
As years passed, the Army of Death grew stronger and stronger. Its messages, its magic, its beliefs – they took root in the hearts of the people and grew there, crowding out even the faintest echoes of Life.
Once people had completely forgotten Life, once they had gotten so used to the fear, the sadness, and the potions that they could not remember ever having been free of them, once they spent every waking moment either working or being entertained, they began to believe that there was no reason to live. In a thousand different ways, they embraced Death.
So Death became king, and darkness fell on the land.
How does this fairy tale end? I don’t know, because that’s as far as we’ve gotten. The world is our world. We are the sad, busy people, poisoned inside and out. And the Army of Death is made up of the anti-human systems, ideologies, institutions, and technologies that dominate our society.
But the story is not over. There’s still time to write a happy ending; one that reveals an Army of Life that has gathered in secret to overthrow the reign of Death.
To write that happy ending, we must begin by remembering what we have forgotten: the meaning of Life.
Meaning vs. Purpose
When people talk about “the meaning of life,” they are often referring to “the purpose of life.” That is, what we’re supposed to do with our lives. But purpose is easy to hijack; countless people have been convinced to devote their lives to terrible ends. If we want our purpose to align with Life, we need to know what we’re talking about.
So what, to borrow a phrase from Prince, is “this thing called life”?
The scientific definition of life is based on biological functions like growth and excretion. The dictionary definition says life is the period between birth and death, and suggests that it’s a synonym for “existence.”
But, to quote an older song, “Is that all there is?”
Intuitively, we know the answer is “no.” When we think of life, speak of life, wish long life to someone, or raise a glass with the Hebrew toast, “L’chaim” (which means “to life”), we are thinking of something more than mere existence and biological functions.
In those contexts, “life” means health, happiness, peace, fulfillment, freedom, and connection with family, friends, and community. It is something akin to “flourishing” – existence, yes, but one characterized by thriving, not just surviving. In biological terms, we are envisioning growth, but narrowly: in the sense of a forest that grows by supporting life, not a cancer that grows by destroying it.
In other words, when we speak of life, what we mean is a life worth living. Not a perfect or carefree existence (because there is no such thing), but one motivated by love rather than fear. Not grasping for pleasure and dominion, but striving for purpose and fulfillment. A way of being that strives to create, nurture, share, and protect – flourishing, like a forest, neither through self-erasure nor self-indulgence, but by and with the flourishing of others.
A Life Worth Living
This “meaning of life” is not an academic or semantic issue. It is a vitally important one. Because once we understand that life means a life worth living, we can determine whether any given set of ideas, behaviors, or technologies is compatible with it. Without getting bogged down in the what-ifs, the maybes, the fringe extremes, or the theological or political implications, we can simply ask: does this usually contribute to a life worth living?
For example:
Does marriage usually contribute to a life worth living?
Does casual sex usually contribute to a life worth living?
Does gathering with friends usually contribute to a life worth living?
Does scrolling through social media usually contribute to a life worth living?
Does spending more time in nature usually contribute to a life worth living?
Does spending more time watching TV usually contribute to a life worth living?
Opinions may differ to some degree, but usually it’s not that difficult to gauge whether something is more likely to support a meaningful life or to undermine it. And undermining Life means supporting its opposite: Death. Not small-d death in the sense of the inevitable conclusion to life, but capital-D Death in the sense of the mythic force of anti-Life. Anti-being as opposed to being.
Spiritual Warfare
Peel back the dogma and ritual of every wisdom tradition, strip the euphemisms from the policy debates, and you arrive at an understanding that is both cosmic and material: we can either serve Life – striving, creating, and nurturing; or we can serve Death – stagnating, harvesting, and exploiting. The conflict between these two sides is not abstract or theoretical; it is spiritual warfare, invisible to our instruments, but as real as anything that can be seen, heard, or felt.
Yes, there is nuance, gray area – especially when individuals or groups are in competition for the resources required for life. But, when our attention is continually diverted toward these gray areas, we lose sight of the broader battlefield; we can’t see the forest for the trees.
This is important, because once we recognize that the conflict is happening, we also recognize that neutrality is not an option. You don’t have to believe in God or religion to recognize that, knowingly or unknowingly, we serve either Life or Death through the choices we make and the ideas we support. The proof is all around us.
In mythic terms, we each have a part to play in this cosmic struggle – a position, if you will, in the fairy tale Army of Life; a position determined not by physical prowess or social status, but by innate tendency. Some are warriors, some are messengers, some are wizards; some are kings and queens. All can either choose to support Life, or have their talents harnessed to support the forces of Death.
Instinctively, we all want a life worth living. The choices we make can either align with that goal or not. In alignment with Life, we support our own flourishing and that of others. Misaligned, we support the opposite.
How does the fairy tale end? It’s up to us. The Army of Death has seized control, but there’s still time for us to take our places in the Army of Life.