A Question of Meaning

GENIE:  You have freed me from my lantern!  I will now grant you three wishes!

PETE:  I only have one, really.

GENIE:  Well, that’s just fine with me.  What is it?

PETE:  I wish to know the meaning of life.

GENIE:  Well, that’s a vague question.  I’ll try my best to answer it, but you’re going to have to clarify.  Whose life are we talking about here?

PETE:  No, that’s not what I meant!  I mean what is the meaning of life IN GENERAL?

GENIE:  You’re starting to lose me again.  By “life in general” do you mean the biological phenomena of cells that replicate themselves? 

PETE:  No, that’s not what I mean either!  Okay, maybe I did actually mean a particular life.  What is the meaning of MY life?

GENIE:  Alright, now we are getting close to something I can answer.  Now, in relation to whom do you want to know the meaning of your life?

PETE:  I’m not sure I follow.

GENIE:  You can’t mean anything to a rock, a galaxy, or to anything without a perspective.  Only things with a perspective are things to which you can mean something in relation.  You see, for me, you’re meaning is to ask wishes that I can grant.  That is the role you serve in my perspective.  Of course, it’s not a very interesting and elaborate meaning that you serve in my perspective.  I’m sure you have a different perspective in mind, in relation to which you’ll have a much more exciting meaning.

PETE:  No, that’s not what I want to know!  I can ask anyone what I mean TO THEM, I don’t need a genie for that.  I want to know what I mean IN GENERAL. 

GENIE:  Once again you’ve lost me with your term “in general.”  That question simply makes no sense.

PETE:  Gosh, you’re so picky about language.  How about what I mean in relation to myself?

GENIE:  I shouldn’t even have to point out to you how absurd that question is.

PETE:  It doesn’t seem that absurd to me.

GENIE:  How could you mean something in relation to yourself?  You ARE yourself!  You would have to be outside of yourself and looking in, or inside of yourself and looking out.  Either way, it is as contradictory as a circle being outside of itself or inside of itself.

PETE:  This doesn’t make much sense.

GENIE:  You’re right.  Because we haven’t even gotten to the root of the contradiction yet.  Do you admit that you are yourself?

PETE:  I don’t see what reason there is to doubt that.

GENIE:  You are YOUR self?  You still don’t see the problem?

PETE:  What’s so wrong about that idea?

GENIE:  “Your” is a possessive!  Who’s the one that’s doing the owning, and who’s the one that’s being owned?  You can’t own yourself because you are your—wait, I can’t even say that!  You are just you, not some self, owned by you. 

PETE:  I’m tired of all these technicalities and semantics!  You’re just being silly with me now!

GENIE:  Well, I’m trying to answer your questions the best I can, but they aren’t making much sense.

PETE:  Alright I have a new question then—

GENIE:  This will be wish number two, then.

PETE:  Fine, new wish!  I wish to know what I should do.  Not in relation to anyone, just what I should do.

GENIE:  What should you do?  Hmmm . . . You should realize how stupid that question is and not ask it anymore.

PETE:  Hah!  I got you!  That’s an answer!  You told me what I should do and so you’ve answered my question.

GENIE:  You sound like I was trying to trick you or something.  I’m just happy to be of service.

PETE:  So, you say I should realize how stupid that question is and not ask it anymore . . . how should I go about doing that?

GENIE:  Well that’s essentially the same question, so my answer is still the same as the first time.

PETE:  That answer is pointless then!

GENIE:  Of course it is.  The only way to answer a pointless question is with a pointless answer. 

PETE:  This is just too much for me now!  This whole discussion has just been pointless!

GENIE:  Would it help if I told you that your problem is the fact that you think that’s a problem.

PETE:  No it wouldn’t help!  What about God?  He’s above all of this, so the meaning of life should be to serve him.  And that is precisely what I should do!  That must work, right?

GENIE:  Well . . .

PETE:  You do believe in God, right?

GENIE: Oh, of course I believe in God.  I work for him.  He created me so I could grant his wishes.

PETE:  That’s absurd!  What could God possibly have to wish for that he couldn’t do for himself?

GENIE:  He wanted to know what the meaning of life was.