A sense of directionlessness

The question that has kept me thinking for the longest duration of time (I assume it's the case with many others) is, "What are we here for?" By "we", I mean humans.

I think all questions that matter, can be simplified into one of three categories- what, how and why. Any question that matters, upon complete simplification and empirification, ends up as a what question, a how question, or a why question.

What?

These are questions that have objective answers- scientific explanations. Questions like, "What's the Earth's core made of?" or "What's the substance that causes a particular emotion in our body?" Of course one may begin questioning these from some other point- One may begin asking how the Earth has geothermal energy of its own even if sunlight is blocked? That upon simplification leads us to question the content of the Earth's core, which is filled with Iron that follows a current because of the rotation of the earth, which in turn was put in motion because of the events that led to the formation of planets. So a 'how' question, upon simplification, can be made a 'what' question.

Similarly, one may begin questioning why people get angry. Upon simplification, we can say that a stimulus triggers the production of a particular hormone in our body, and that hormone- chemical substance causes us to be angry or agitated. So from asking why people get angry, our focus becomes the substance that causes the emotional response within our body. Again, a 'why' question can be made into a 'what' question.

How?

These are also questions that explain a process or a phenomena. Questions like how the sun gives out so much energy, how a hormone is secreted, how that same hormone is carried to different parts of the body, how it attaches with receptors, etc. can be put under the 'how' category. Of course, a 'why' question can be made into a 'how' question, which can mostly be simplified to a 'what' question.

Why?

These are the most daunting type of questions. I have not come across a single 'why' question that can be answered objectively with scientific or absolute evidence with every single person on Earth agreeing to the answer. Let's pick a very easy question for example- why do we worship God? Because we as humans are told that God is above everyone else. But that's not a satisfying answer that has some proof or evidence. You can easily question, "What makes God so perfect?" Even better- "Why has god created imperfect beings if he/she is so perfect, leading to so much suffering and pain and misery?" What answer can we give to that, which absolutely can't be questioned further? What do I mean by absolutely can't be questioned further? Things like which is the largest planet in our solar system? Jupiter. It's obvious because we have absolute evidence to prove that in such a manner that whether people believe it or not, it's the truth. But we don't have such absolute truth-bearing answers to some 'why' questions.

The main question here is, "Why are we here?" You can pick any question- absolutely any question, and you can relate it to this particular question.

I, like many other people (I hope at least some people spend time thinking about such larger questions about life) have spent a great deal of time trying to reach some answer to that question. But, the more time I spend trying to answer that question, the more I realized that sometimes, you don't need an answer to some questions.

The last 8 months have had a toll on nearly everyone- some physical, some mental, some economic, whatever else. But being a 21 year old who is supposed to reap some benefits from social media but ends up knowing more and more about how people around the world are working against humanity, you're left with so much hopelessness that you start questioning everything you have been doing, thinking, learning about, etc.

What's the point in funding companies to go to Mars when we can't even feed the people here on Earth?

What's the point in inculcating smart education in schools when there are still flat Earthers in 2020?

What's the point in rushing with academics for a semester when no student is in the proper mindset to even hear anything, let alone learn anything?

What's the point in competing when there is only us- humans? Whom are we competing against? Why must one have a competing edge- against whom does one need to have a competing edge against?

What's the point in running the rat race and doing multiple courses to just get a job even though commitment and dedication will beat any knowledge and skill?

Over the last 8 months, my mind (and I think I speak for a lot of people) has literally been racing- morning, noon, night. Racing with questions. Not to forget the high levels of anxiety thanks to being crammed within four walls. To add to all this, it's pretty obvious that we are all facing a sense of directionlessness and purposelessness.

I think this is a great time to re-evaluate our choices and see what we want to do, because that alone matters. Whether we choose to do something because it brings some benefit to us and those around us, or simply serves some passed-down purpose- that is the greatest choice we have to make.

Let's take some time to think. Think calmly, and try to find truth and not the narratives that fit our desires or needs or social setup, because if truth and social setup don't agree, changing the truth to meet social needs will lead to catastrophe, as it has today.

Now is a time when we change society and norms to a way that truth agrees with it. If we continue to live like we did a year back, there's clear forecast of what's ahead. And it's not a pleasant picture which scientists, economists and thinkers paint. But, if we change today, we can attempt to have a better version of our world, and hopefully, we shall prevail and thrive.