[jebarker]

I spent a long time on this question in my 30s. For me the ideas of Albert Camus are what stuck. Essentially we're in an absurd situation as humans where we have brains that want to find purpose and meaning in a universe that seems to be devoid of meaning (in a universal sense). But the silver lining on that is that it means finding purpose/meaning is actually simple - you get to choose what feels meaningful to you and can pursue that without worrying about what any external parties think is meaningful. That won't get rid of the instinct to search for meaning, but at least you can be mindful of it and not let it stress you out all the time.

For me, it feels meaningful to play with and educate my daughter. But also it feels very meaningful to find ways to help others through philanthropy and to just spend time learning more about the natural world. Before learning all this I looked for meaning in more egotistical places like career prestige and "achievements" but they just felt empty to me.

I now think that the search for meaning/purpose from an external source is a futile trap that you can burn large chunks of lifetime on.

[swed420]

> Essentially we're in an absurd situation as humans where we have brains that want to find purpose and meaning in a universe that seems to be devoid of meaning (in a universal sense). But the silver lining on that is that it means finding purpose/meaning is actually simple - you get to choose what feels meaningful to you and can pursue that without worrying about what any external parties think is meaningful.

This description reminded me of the excellent film "I Heart Huckabees" which I appreciated during the drying out phase that OP is going through.