When faced with the long uncertainty of adolescence or the confusion of a midlife crisis, many will ask themselves or the heavens, "What is the meaning of life?" There is no standard answer to this question, and no one can provide a definitive response.

The meaning (or purpose) of life is not "found" but "created" through the process of enduring suffering. Life's meaning is not a finished product hidden somewhere waiting to be discovered; it is an unfinished product, perhaps even "nothing" initially, much like a raw stone buried in the ground. Even if you rest on it, you wouldn't think you've found something extraordinary.

Meaning is shaped over time by daily choices and actions. This is a slow process, so young people will inevitably "not find" it initially. Even if they are convinced they have found it, without continuous action and effort, that certainty will gradually be eroded by unforeseen events. When you stop, the lessons life gives you will be seen as "accidents."

Life is like a massive sculpting project. Everyone is given raw materials at birth, some large, some small, some jade, some wood. Everyone's materials are different initially. The goal is to use a lifetime to sculpt it into an art piece without regrets. We need to find suitable tools, sometimes even create our own, and practice until skilled.

Sculpting involves gradually removing material, sometimes even cutting off large chunks, which is akin to suffering. To achieve art, one cannot avoid being chipped and ground down. But we must consciously choose what kind of suffering to endure, rather than hacking away randomly and destructively. We must also protect the unfinished piece from malicious defacement. Besides learning how to sculpt, we must learn how to repair. Be cautious before making a cut; there will always be times when you cut too deep. Adjust the design to accommodate irreversible damage, or skillfully repair the details.

No two people have the same materials. If you have bigger ideas, you can find matching materials during the creative process, but this requires learning more techniques.

While materials won't be exactly the same, if you select the materials initially, then do uniform cutting or chemical treatment, you can send them to a factory for mass production of identical products to be delivered to the owner. This method saves the owner effort and worry, but they can only choose from the factory catalog.

Some semi-finished products in the factory may wonder what else they could become. If there are no satisfactory options in the factory catalog, this question can only be answered when it chooses to become an artist. Someone else's answer would be like choosing one from the catalog.

No two life paths are identical. Even if they are, the feelings and realizations will differ. Walking the same path, no one can walk it for you. Meaning is created while walking, not at the benchmark triangulation point on the mountaintop.