The Meaning of Life
by Maya Angelou
the Dalai Lama

Since age two I've been waltzing up and down with the question of life's meaning. And I am obliged to report that the answer changes from week to week. When I know the answer, I know it absolutely; as soon as I know that I know it, I know that I know nothing. About 70 percent of the time my conclusion is that there is a grand design. I believe that the force that created life is betting that human beings will do something quite wonderful—like live up to their potential. I am influenced largely by Blaise Pascal and his wager. Pascal advises us to bet on the toss of a coin that God is. If we win, we win eternity. If we lose, we lose nothing.

I'm looking out a large window now and I see about 40 dogwood and maple and oak and locust trees and the light is on some of the leaves and it's so beautiful. Sometimes I'm overcome with gratitude at such sights and feel that each of us has a responsibility for being alive: one responsibility to creation, of which we are a part, another to the creator—a debt we repay by trying to extend our areas of comprehension.

Next: The meaning of life according to Elie Wiesel
 
 


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