The Meaning of Life
I’ve had quite a few experiences in my life that have proved to me that something else is going on in the background.
One of my earliest memories of this is when I was 14. At the time I was doing my very best Jim Morrison impression, and getting stoned in the woods near my house, pontificating (and boring) my friends on the meaning of life.
I was always asking questions like
“Why are we here?”
“What are we supposed to be doing?”
“What is consciousness?”
and it confused me that no one else seemed interested in this stuff.
We were sitting by a river which separated us from a horse racing course when a Land Rover raced past on the other side. Music was blaring and the guy in the passenger seat was holding a shotgun out the window.
Now that sort of stuff didn’t happen every day, but we were stoned, so we shrugged and carried on with the conversation. I remember turning to my friend and saying
“Yeah, but what’s the meaning of life?”
And at that exact point, there was a massive bang, and a few seconds later a woman screaming. We ran to a higher point and saw the Land Rover on its roof, smoke pouring out, and people covered in blood.
We turned to each other and knew we had to get help. This was before mobile phones, and my house was the closest so I turned around and started running home to get help. I ran in the front door, found my Mum and Dad in the garden, and now realising I’m really stoned, put on my best “I’m not stoned face”, and explained the situation. Then called an ambulance, and ran back to the scene.
When I got there my friends had waded through the river to help, and that was too good an opportunity to miss, so I did the same, feeling very heroic. The ambulance and police arrived, and we got a pat on the back. But we never did find out what the hell they were doing driving around a racecourse with a shotgun.
It was all very dramatic, and mind-blowing.
I’d asked “What’s the meaning of life” and got an answer “To help people”.
Now, this is the part of the story where I say
“And that’s why I became a doctor”.
But, that’s not what happened. I’m an animator, but I do want to help.
