All living things start out  with an instinctual desire to live.  They don't have to think about it, and they don't question it.  The baby's first cry is a quest for breathe, and then food and warmth, and soon - love.  The baby "knows" it wants to live, and it knows what it needs to do that.

But sooner or later, often as early as the teenage years, the questions arise "Why am I here?", "What am I living for?", or generally "What is the meaning or purpose of life?".

Fortunately nowadays when we have a deep question we can ask Google! And if it's really deep, then google will refer us to Wikipedia. So, Wikipedia, "What is the meaning of life?"

Surprisingly, or maybe not surprisingly, the answer is not simple (and it certainly is not "42")!  The full Wikipedia answer, not including hyperlinks and of course the contents of the works in the extensive bibliography, runs to 40 pages.  But good news, cycling fans, I am not going to ask you to read 40 pages. Still, whichever committee came up with the entry did a very good job.  It seems that life has to do with a lot of philosophical stuff, maybe with religion, maybe with physics, maybe biology.  One thing is clear, people have been wondering about it for a long time and have come up with many answers, mostly all different.

Fine, so what has this to do with Grampies and cycle touring?  Well, read on...