When I was seven years old, I asked my parents if they believed in God and why he allowed evil in the world. They told me that it wasn’t our place to question God’s decisions, and that we should just focus on being good people in the present and hope for salvation in the afterlife. It wasn’t an answer I particularly liked, but at the time, I didn’t know what else to ask or how to find answers to my questions on my own.

The Beginning

Gurulex life began in Gludio, a quaint fishing village on Lake Tyr. He was born to two parents, Relgard and Jacene Gurulex and his young, wide eyed mind started to become curious about all things around him. Life was great as a child here said Gurulex recalling his childhood fondly. There wasn’t much work to do as a kid but I remember being quite happy running along the shoreline watching my father fish or playing with other children my age in town. Gurulex fondly remembers spending time at sea with his father fishing from dawn till dusk each day learning all about how their little community lived by harvesting off their natural surroundings.

The First Revelation

The first time I realized I needed to change my life was when my 18-year-old cousin, not even out of high school, suffered a debilitating stroke. She had been watching too much TV, and eating way too many french fries. After seeing her lying on a hospital bed in a state of paralysis—she couldn’t speak or move—I felt guilty about all those nights I sat at home watching TV and eating junk food myself. My worst fears were confirmed as doctors told us she would never be able to walk again and her future quality of life would be poor. From that moment on, everything changed for me; until then I hadn’t cared much about my lifestyle choices or habits.

The Second Revelation

I walked out into my backyard to contemplate my next move, feeling a surge of confidence. I closed my eyes and made a wish: I wish that every human on earth will live together in peace and harmony. In that moment, it didn’t matter if it was a silly childhood fantasy or not; I had found what I wanted to do with my life. I would help make that wish come true. There were just a few problems: First, no one actually wanted peace and harmony (or even thought it possible). Second, everyone had their own version of what an ideal world should look like. And third…well, there was no such thing as actual magic wands so how could anyone hope to change everything at once?

The Third Revelation

My life changed forever when I had a third revelation at age 33. This revelation—or spiritual awakening, if you will—happened after years of seeking meaning in religion and other philosophies that had helped me to make sense of my existence. After a lifetime of searching I finally realized that if I wanted to find real meaning, there was only one place left to look: inside myself. Only by facing my doubts about God’s plan for me could I begin to find answers within myself, as hard as it may be.

The Final Revelation

It’s clear to me now. The meaning of life is… Love. Not some contrived, sappy love like you see in romantic comedies; but real, genuine love: Love between a parent and child, a husband and wife, siblings and friends—you know: unconditional care. The drive to make someone happy. To build upon their well-being. If we all treated each other with that level of respect and regard, our world would be a much better place; it would feel more like home and less like an arena where people fight to prove they’re better than others.

Closing Thoughts

What is meaning in life? That’s something I’ve struggled with since my early twenties, when I first realized that many people in our society are deeply unhappy. Not surprisingly, there are a few different answers to that question. At twenty-one years old, I had been raised in a religious household and was more than willing to believe that God had given us life for a reason. My lifelong search for truth led me down a spiritual path to seek purpose within religion. It wasn’t until I was thirty-five years old and found myself beginning to embrace atheism as an answer to what meaning is, that I started exploring alternative answers…