Meaning Has Nothing to Do With Purpose.
And I’m going to make a bold statement:
Meaning is connection.
If we look at what is meaningful in a human life, it always boils down to what we feel a connection with. If someone has a fond memory of their childhood home, then returning to that place is meaningful because they’re connected to it. If a person lies under a tree looking at the clouds and they feel connected to that moment, it’s meaningful. When a painter is painting, it’s meaningful because they’re connected to their work. When two lovers stare into each other’s eyes, it’s meaningful because their souls are connected in that moment.
Conversely, if we look at any situation where we are disconnected, the experience feels meaningless.
I had a long conversation yesterday with a painter friend of mine who insisted that meaning, for him, comes from purpose. That he finds meaning in purpose. But I disagreed strongly (in theory, anyway). At the moment, his purpose is painting and he finds that meaningful. But I argued that the meaning he felt was from the connection to his painting, not from the purposefulness of it. When I asked him what would happen if he did not have purpose, he said he would cease to exist.
It’s in purpose that he finds connection; but it’s the connection that provides meaning (not the purpose).
I have turned this over countless times in my mind and discussed it with others, and my assertion remains… Meaning is connection. Or stated another way… Connection creates meaning.
And meaning… is what we live for (however we come to find it).
If wealth, status, power, and achievement cannot ultimately satisfy us, then what are we actually building our lives around?
The biblical book of Ecclesiastes strikes me as one of the most honest books ever written. It begins with observation rather than certainty. The Teacher looks at the world and notices that good people suffer, bad people prosper, hard work is often unrewarded, and death comes to everyone.
And, rather than hiding those realities, he confronts them directly.
Traditionally associated with Solomon, it’s written from the perspective of “the Teacher”; a man who has pursued wisdom, wealth, pleasure, achievement, power, and knowledge to their fullest extent and is left asking: “What actually gives life meaning?” And he repeatedly arrives at the same conclusion: “Meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless.”
The Hebrew word often translated as “meaningless” is hevel, which literally means “vapor,” “mist,” or “breath.” It would seem that the point is less that life is worthless and more that life is fleeting, elusive, and impossible to fully grasp or control.
Throughout the book, the Teacher examines various human pursuits: Wisdom, Wealth, Pleasure, Work, Achievement, Status, Knowledge. He discovers that none of them can provide lasting security because death eventually comes for everyone. The wise die. The foolish die. The rich die. The poor die. Generations come and go while the world continues.
One of the book’s most famous observations is: There is a time for everything. Birth and death. Planting and harvesting. Weeping and laughing. War and peace. It becomes clear that human beings live within seasons they do not fully control. Yet, perhaps, the situation is not entirely pessimistic. In fact, after stripping away illusions of control and permanence, the Teacher repeatedly advises people to enjoy simple gifts:
Good food. Meaningful work. Friendship. Family. The present moment.
These aren’t things to possess forever. They’re gifts to be received while they are available.
The book ultimately argues that human beings cannot fully understand God’s purposes. We see only a small part of reality. And because of that, humility, it concludes, is wiser than certainty.
The closing verses summarize the book’s final counsel:
Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of mankind.
In modern language, Ecclesiastes might be summarized this way:
You can spend your entire life chasing money, status, pleasure, knowledge, or power and still discover that none of them can stop time, prevent death, or answer every question. Life is temporary. Control is limited. Meaning is found in living faithfully, appreciating ordinary blessings, and recognizing that we are part of something larger than ourselves.
Ultimately, it’s a book about impermanence, humility, and the search for meaning in a world that often refuses to provide simple answers.
And maybe life isn’t so much about simple answers. Maybe it’s more about simply living.
