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(This Page was last revised: September 28, 2001)
So, you wanna know the meaning of life, huh? Forget the trivial details, like why the sky is blue, or why the moon is made of green cheese - you're after The Answer! The ultimate answer, to the ultimate question, of life, the universe, and everything! The answer that tells us why we are all here, on this little ball of mud that we call home; the answer that tells us what our true purpose is in this vast and intriguing universe; the answer that tells us where mankind's destiny lies. And, incidentally, the answer that also covers (in passing) the colour of the sky and the composition of the moon. The Answer!?
Are you sure you wouldn't prefer a nice soothing cuppa tea?
No? I can't talk you into changing your mind? I can't convince you to leave without getting the answer? Well okay - but you're not going to like it! The answer, to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is, as I'm sure some of you are already aware, 42!
The answer, 42, has of course been painstakingly calculated over a period of ten thousand years. The answer was revealed to we mere humans in Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. More importantly, Mr Adams teaches us (in a roundabout, non-obvious sorta way) that finding the answer is not necessarily as important as asking the right Question! Oh, and for those of you who may doubt the fidelity of Douglas Adams' writings, consider for a moment that the Answer has been validated by the unimpeachable duo of Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee! Well, more or less anyway; check out the Rama books for more information...
While on the subject of books, there is another source available which almost reveals the secret of life! Almost,
because at a crucial moment, someone opened the door to the freezer... The novel is Men at Arms, a Discworld story by
Terry Pratchett - and in it, a superconducting troll
scrawls the Question across a wall, but never quite gets around to providing the answer. As one of his rescuers was
subsequently heard to say: Equals what?
[Not only is Terry Pratchett able to make you laugh (well, okay, make
me laugh!) at the drop of a hat, he also manages to make his laughable situations surprisingly, believably logical...
Perhaps the same could be said of Douglas Adams - sometimes! :)]
Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Maybe laughter is the meaning of life...?
There are, of course, two (at least) differing widely-accepted views as to the true meaning of life! Religions - all religions - offer one view, although they may not quite agree between themselves on a few of the minor details; and science is trying desperately to provide the other view, the Grand Unified Theory, the one equation which provides all of the answers! In many ways, especially when espoused by those few zealots from either side who are truly unable to accept any view but their own, these two points of view are mutually exclusive...
I, on the other hand, am known far and wide for my exceptional fence-sitting abilities. I'll quite happily accept parts of each view, after chewing on them a while, and breaking them down to their basest forms. However, I am rather fond of the view that the Meaning of Life is, well, life itself. With, perhaps, a dash of humour thrown in for good measure!