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?
