In Plato's Apology, Socrates on trial stated: The life which is unexamined is not worth living.

The Apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:15: Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who
asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.

These statements allude to a universal principle: We desire meaning for our lives. In fact, the wisdom of Solomon includes an understanding of this principle, expanding its fullness to recognize that we do not feel like finite beings. We know we had a beginning point (birth) and that we will have an ending point (death), yet within us is a sense of eternity, and Solomon recognized this in Ecclesiates 3:11, writing: He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but man cannot discover the work God has done from beginning to end.

As human beings, we seek meaning, desire freedom, believe in justice... all because there is a code that has been "written on our hearts" (Romans 2:14) from our conception.

That code, a moral code, being infringed and violated at times in our lives, when not yet seared causes us to reflect. We feel guilty for violating our conscience and we look for understanding.

Many religions and philosophies seek to guide us in our introspection. Here you will find many of man's search for meaning, some extremely misguided, some quite accurate.