I was searching the other day for article ideas from the news, Google Trends for Search and other fountains of information, or at times misinformation, and came to the conclusion that the most popular topics at that time was life, love and insurance. A fascinating collection of words that can in some ways sum up the entirety of the human condition. Life purpose, love giving meaning to life and insurance in case it all goes wrong!

The search for the meaning of life, whether that be the concept of life itself or a genuine desire to discover the reason for one’s own life, is something that drives us all. It is as if with each passing millisecond we are making choices that hope to reveal the great mystery of our life and perhaps by chance manipulate out life path through our decisiveness or reveal great darkness through our indecisiveness. We all want to know why we are here, even if the after life is meaningless to us we still want to know moment by moment in which direction our life should face.

I decide to have a coffee. That is the meaning of life for me at that moment. Life has become a steaming beverage with its promise of warmth and comfort. Life now has purpose and life now has instant meaning; though not instant coffee please! Now the next big life question, shall I have a cinnamon roll with my coffee? Oh my, now the life choices are starting to become more complicated and my life purpose now includes the guilt of breaking a diet or the guilt of spending that extra amount of money or perhaps the wondrous sense of indulgence that brings meaning to my life at that point. So now my life is suddenly very complicated and I have just started the day! What else can I use to bring stability to my life?

So onto love. We find our breakfast trauma far too overwhelming and now hope to find life meaning through the simplicity of love. The love of my cappuccino perhaps? Well, I think we as humans need a little extra feedback and I don’t just mean the heartburn I get when I have too many cappuccinos. Love becomes a driving force on our life path and so we hope to be loved and search for someone to love. This makes our choices less bothersome for we have regressed to the beautiful innocence of first love where all is wonderful and even my heartburn becomes a thing of joy as my beloved comforts me with antacid tablets and yes, another cappuccino!

Life is sweet for love has entered the stage and meaning is flowing from every pore and from every circumstance. Yet what if it all goes wrong? Now the demonic force of insurance evokes itself within the spectacle of our life. What would I do if this happened or that happened? If she left or I left or the waiter left when I want more coffee? How can I protect myself from this endless stream of possible devastation? A review of all those insurance commercials runs through my mind. Images of horrific accidents that lead to insurance settlements and big payouts. Of course if I don’t win I don’t pay; though I am left with a broken leg.

I really should express my undying love and well, order another cappuccino as insurance in case the waiter goes on his break. Insurance thus becomes a big part of life, whether that be house insurance, life insurance, financial insurance or the insurance that the waiter will come back! We have life we have love and we hope to insure that the good stays and the bad does not show up. A thought though. Why is the box marked “fragile” always the one I drop? Why can’t I drop the box of pillows or sweaters? Is my insurance thus becoming a self fulfilling prophecy?

So life is full of possibilities and self fulfilling prophecies and loving,tender comfort hugs and steaming heated coffee cups. Wow the poet is really coming out of me here! I’d better insure he doesn’t escape. Oh just let him go. If my inner poet was meant to be he will soon be coming back to me.

So life and love and insurance. Is that really it? How should I know I’m only going by Google. Hmm I wonder if Google is the meaning of life? I’d better order another coffee while I think about that.