I've often struggled with the question: "What is the meaning of existence?" This is a question that mankind has been trying to answer ever since we became a sentient species. Many of our religions are based on trying to find the meaning of life. My question isn't a unique one but it is a very important one nonetheless. It may be THE most important question, second only to "are we alone in the universe?"
I ask this question in the context of our current knowledge of how the universe will end. I'll get to that in a bit, but if our universe will one day end and all traces of our civilization is wiped away then what meaning did our lives have? How does the existence of intelligent life mean anything when there will be nothing left to show that it was ever here?
I'm not a theist so I don't think there is another life waiting for me or any of us after death. When my time comes I will lose consciousness and enter an eternal, dreamless sleep. The memory of who Tony Polanco was will live on in the minds and hearts of those who love and care about me. Eventually, those people will die and then their loved ones will die too. My name and the names of countless others will be forgotten as the years, decades, centuries and millennia roll onward. This has already happened to the billions of people who have come before us and will happen to the billions who will die after us.
If you take the big rip theory into account, things seem even bleaker. This theory says that our expanding universe will eventually rip itself apart. I won't get into the nitty gritty here (watch this video) but suffice it to say that even if our species becomes a space faring one and we inhabit many worlds and many galaxies, we will all eventually die as will ALL intelligent life in the universe. When there is nothing left in this universe but stray photons, what would our lives have meant? When all that we have built is ripped apart, what was it all for?
One of my heroes, Dr. Michio Kaku, has a personal belief that I kind of like. He believes that trillions of years from now when the universe is dying that an intelligent civilization may have the power and technology to leave this universe and find a habitable one. By this point in time, there may be a civilization that has gone beyond the Kardashev Scale, a type IV class civilization that can harness the power of the universe. A civilization with this type of power could have the means to open up a gateway to another universe; one that isn't on the verge of dying. It sounds far fetched but if you know about the many-worlds interpretation then it's not out of the realm of possibility.
I highly doubt that humans will be around when the universe nears its end. Mammalian species don't tend to survive for more than a few million years. However, if our species makes some kind of contribution that leads to a future alien civilization finding a way to leave this universe and save whatever life is left, then our existence would have meant something. If an intelligent species is able to expand life beyond this universe then the existence of ALL previous universal civilizations wouldn't have been in vain. We'll never see or know for certain if this will come to pass but it's something that gives me hope and is theoretically possible.
We should keep in mind that this is one POSSIBLE way that the universe will end. Science is an ever evolving thing so in time we may discover something that was previously unknown. What we do know is that the universe, as it exists today, WILL end in one form or another.
Realizing how small we are in the grander scheme of things is frightening and can make one feel insignificant. I think the best thing to do is to acknowledge that our universe won't last forever but not to think about it too much. We humans are here during THIS time. Our race may or may not be around during the end of the universe but we individuals are here NOW and we should make this time mean something to us.
As far as we know, this is the only life we get so it's best to not dwell on things that will happen in a distant, possible future. We should instead focus on our present lives. If you can find something personal that gives meaning to your life then that is really what matters. Your name may not be remembered million or trillions of years from now but if you can have a positive impact on those around you then your life isn't and wasn't meaningless.
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