Life, a puzzle

Here we are again, Philosophy Club.

Life feels suspiciously like a puzzle.

There always seems to be something we are trying to figure out.

Who am I? What do I want? What matters? Why did that happen? What am I supposed to do next? Have I finally learned the lesson? Wait, why am I taking the same class again?

Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Which was perhaps an unfortunate thing to tell humanity, because some of us have been examining the damn thing ever since.

We solve problems. We learn things about ourselves. We achieve things we were certain would change everything. We fall in love, fall out of love, change careers, change beliefs, acquire wisdom, lose wisdom, find wisdom again in the refrigerator at 2am.
And still there is that persistent feeling.
There’s something else...

But what?

What are we actually trying to solve?
Is there an answer? A purpose? A correct way to live?
Are we trying to understand ourselves? Become ourselves? Transcend ourselves? Or just get ourselves through Thursday?

Kierkegaard observed that life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.
Rude design feature, Soren.
Maybe the puzzle is real.

Or. Maybe there is no puzzle and our pattern-biased brains simply cannot encounter existence without trying to assemble it into something.

Or. Maybe Douglas Adams had it right and we've spent all this time searching for the answer without being entirely sure what the question was.

At least he got an answer.

So come join us, enjoy Barriques fine selection of refreshments, and help me investigate.

Why does life feel like there is something to figure out?

No answers required. Strong opinions encouraged. Existential crises should be kept to a manageable size.

Come talk philosophy with us- no background required. 🧩