An evening walk at Pasir Ris Park on 2026-05-05 turned into a lesson on life when a 15-year-old girl told her father the meaning of life is: “Just live lah, daddy. Enjoy it.” [1]
The remark drew a link to Douglas Adams’ 1979 novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, which gave 42 as the answer to life and framed it as “To Be.” Google has explained the number as the sum of the alphanumerical values in “TO BE” — 20, 15, 2 and 5. [1]
The father said he took his daughter’s answer to mean the need to be fully present and to live intentionally. He also pointed to James Bailey’s 2024 book The Meaning Of Life: Letters From Extraordinary People And Their Answer To Life’s Biggest Question, which grew out of letters Bailey began sending in 2015 after a hard period in his own life. [1]
In those letters, Bailey asked famous people what gives life meaning. Canadian author Monica Heisey said it lies in contentment and simple pleasures, including friends’ laughter and reading at the bar. English philanthropist Dave Fishwick said people should not have too much envy when they think about life’s meaning. [1]
The father’s account ended with the daughter’s brief answer from the park walk, a plain reply that put the focus back on daily living rather than theory. [1]