The meaning of human life is the meaning of the universe. Although there are other planets in our solar system besides the earth, no human beings or organisms have been found on other planets. Scientists are still looking for life on other planets. According to the Bible, the place where God put life is earth. The earth is the center of God’s attention because man, who was created by God, is on the earth. Hence, the center, the focus, of the universe is man. If there were no human beings on earth, the earth would have absolutely no meaning. The lions and the tigers are powerful, but they are unable to accomplish anything meaningful. Everything that is meaningful on the earth is accomplished by man. Man is the meaning of the universe. The meaning of human life is the meaning of the universe. On a smaller scale let us use Taiwan as an example. Taiwan would have no meaning if no one were living on it. Taipei would have no meaning if no one were living in Taipei. A school would have no meaning if there were no students in it, and of course, a family would have no meaning if there was not even one person in the family.
The meaning of the universe is the meaning of human life. The meaning of the universe is centered on man. This means that if human life is void of meaning, the universe is also void of meaning. For this reason we must know the meaning of human life, which is God entering into man so that He may be expressed through man. The meaning of human life is for man to express God and to represent God. If we do not express or represent God, our human life is void of meaning.
Some young people feel that as long as they study, their future is secure. However, what will they do after they finish their studies? Some young people may say that they will make money. Money is not a good thing; it is an evil thing. The young people need to consider what they will do with the money they make. Will they spend it on eating, drinking, and being merry, as the rich man did in Luke 12:19? If this is their intention, they are studying in order to become slaves to eating, drinking, and being merry. They are getting a college education in order to make money so that they can eat, drink, and be merry. This means that they will become slaves to eating, drinking, and being merry.
Within every person there is a sense of vanity and emptiness. While they are in school, they feel empty, and when they begin working, they still feel empty. I believe that every young person has had this feeling. When you were in elementary school, you studied diligently, and your parents supported you. You might have felt that entering junior high school was an achievement. Then you continued to study in order to enter high school. When you were in high school, you probably began to feel a sense of vanity. You continued to study diligently in order to finish high school and enter a university. When you entered the university, the sense of vanity within you might have deepened. Before entering the university, you thought that passing the entrance examination was something wonderful; hence, you worked hard. After you achieved this goal, you felt only vanity. From this time onward, young people experience the vanity of human life again and again. After graduating, some young people continue with graduate school and earn a master’s degree or even become a doctor of philosophy. I have met many people with a Ph.D. who told me that their degree gave them a sense of vanity, of emptiness. If they did not have their degree, they would not feel as empty. When they obtained their degree, their sense of emptiness increased. The more education a person receives, the emptier he feels. Eventually, when he graduates from the university and begins to work, the sense of emptiness within him becomes stronger.
Some young people look forward to getting married. They think that once they are married, they will be satisfied. They do not know that every married person says that marriage is vanity of vanities. Many people wonder why they are married. What can they do when they are married? They can do nothing but taste emptiness. It is the same with those who are successful in their careers and become wealthy. The higher their position, the emptier they feel, and the more money they make, the emptier they feel.