Where did life go wrong? On a personal level, the answer stares back at me in the mirror every morning as I get ready. But what about on a macro, universal level? I’m sure that it’s far too complicated to succinctly answer with any semblance of certainty. In fact, it’s an unanswerable question that has plagued humanity for eons. Why are any of us here, and why is suffering such an integral part of life?

When I think of how we came to be, I can’t help but imagine an infinite, enveloping darkness— an abundance of nothing, no one, and nowhere. But, miraculously, the universe came to be, and with it came life. I envy those who subscribe to religious beliefs, for it must be comforting to have a definitive answer to the “why” of it all. Those of us who overthink these things and feel the need to question the nature of everything are not so lucky. We can’t just glide through life without that ever-present, parasitic unknown stored in the back of our over-active brains. Purpose and intention elude us, yet we grasp for meaning in everything we do, inevitably being disappointed by our own lofty expectations.