Some questions are so profound that most people will only stare back at you with a deer-in-headlights look if you ask them. Things like, what is love? If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound?
And if you ask the super computer from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, of course the answer to the ultimate question to life, the universe, and everything is 42 - of course, it would help if you knew what the question was to begin with.
However, when Cosmos host Neil deGrasse Tyson was posed the very difficult question of "What is the meaning of life?" by a 6-year old, instead of sidestepping his way out of the conversation, he replied with the most appropriate, thought-provoking response that answered the question, not only for a kindergartener, but for all of us as well.
The astrophysicist, who is director of the Hayden Planetarium, was asked the question during an event at Boston's Wilbur Theatre. Jack, the young boy in a striped blue shirt, who told everyone he was 6 and three quarters years old, showed no hesitation when he stood in front of the audience to ask, "What is the meaning of life?"
Unphased, Tyson told Jack that asking a question like that now would make him a very deep-thinking adult when he grows up. Obviously proud at the boy's sense of wonder, he goes on to connect how every day in life is about learning and filling yourself with more knowledge about the world and the universe.
The impossible-to-answer question also provided Tyson the opportunity to encourage all people, no matter what age, to always maintain their sense of wonder. To always seek and thirst for more things to explore, whether in outer space, in another country, in your backyard, or even just in your kitchen sink. There is always something to be discovered.
Therefore, according to Neil deGrasse Tyson himself, the meaning of life is exploration -- getting your clothes dirty and occasionally jumping into puddles even when your parents don't want you to.
