This is it. The big one. This is how we beat terrorism, solve crime, keep governments in check. This is how we become happy, and live meaningful and purposeful lives, forever.

  The meaning of life, when I found it, was a life-changing experience. And it led to some decisions, some changes, and a great sense of power immediately. It was as if the one missing piece of my personal philosophy clicked into place. But oddly, it turned out to be both smaller and larger than I expected it to be.

Smaller, because the Meaning of Life as I understood it relates to the specific societal context you're part of; it's not some big metaphysical understanding about the universe, just a riff on your own tiny place in it. But at the same time it's bigger, because this realisation necessitates a huge change in your behaviour. Redefining your perspective on existence. Redefining your life.

The meaning of life is:

You accept the survival of civilisation as your personal responsibility.

That's it. That's the basic thought. It means you don't expect governments to provide, or police to protect, or the public to act on your behalf. It means that if you experience behaviour by someone or something that damages the prospects of civilisation's continuity - anything from a hoodie scrawling graffiti to a Prime Minister waging war to help a buddy in the White House - you take whatever actions you can to stop it.

It means understanding that if you want to get something done, you have to DO SOMETHING, even if it's not 'your job'.

Accepting that everything is YOUR PROBLEM drives down the power of those who seek to control us, reduces the incentives for crime and terrorism, increases the risks for those who'd commit crimes against you. Imagine a billion people taking genuine responsibility - not only for their own security, but for the security of civilisation itself. We may disagree on what civilisation is, but most of us agree on what is uncivilised.

Understanding the meaning of life leads to a great contentment with your own life.

  It means you feel enpowered, ready to act and help civilisation, in any of a million little ways. It's amazing how few disagreeable people will hit out at those who stand up for themselves, how many tough kiddies turn into snivelling cowards if you're not afraid. If you're proud of your civilisation, you understand it's strong enough to back you up.

  It leads to behavioural changes that improve you: keeping yourself fit and healthy to maintain the strength you might need. You've suddenly got a reason to watch what you eat, maintain a gym schedule, keep a lid on your alcohol intake. You're part of civilisation, and committing crimes against your own body detracts from that civilisation.

  It means you never feel poor. Think of any third world dictator or Big Man: their huge villas, expensive cars and pools... and outside, streets of squalor and disease. Their wealth ends precisely at its own edges. But with your understanding, you 'own' every clean street that leads somewhere, every shop at the end of a supply chain, every billion-dollar tunnel that lets commerce flow between two communities. The spoils of civilisation are ... all yours.

( Best of all, your infinite wealth doesn't stop anyone else owning and enjoying the same wealth. The wealth is in the understanding, not the physical thing.)

  It leads to a thirst for knowledge, to understand how things work and why things are the way they are. You've got to interact with your environment and challenge the established order to make sure it has value and keep civilisation strong. Why is that door marked Private? Why can't I park here? Why should I move to that table? You get permission to question things when you understand the Meaning of Life. And you feel secure in your environment, ready to make the most of it.

(And when you value things this deeply, you want to protect them. Wouldn't a mugger think twice - wouldn't a victim be less afraid - if they knew that every other person nearby would instantly regard it as their obligation to step in and civilise the situation?

That's the Meaning of Life for me. An understanding that this tiny part of existence .... has value. And that I have a duty to protect the valuable parts, and fight against the rise of uncivilised behaviour.

I don't know whose idea this interpretation of the Meaning of Life is; it's unlikely to be original. If so, so be it. I'm not calling it anything but my personal philosophy. When I first discovered it, I wanted to close my business and just start wandering this land, spreading the message. But it isn't some drop-everything-and-put-on-a-loincloth thing; after all, I'm not running away from anything.

I accept the survival of civilisation as my personal responsibility.

And that's the Meaning of Life.

Try it!