This question has echoed in my mind for weeks, leading me down familiar paths: the devout's call to serve or worship God, the naturalist's embrace of oneness with nature, the atheist's stark acceptance of being mere "dust in the wind." Yet, while pondering these grand philosophical questions, I find myself pulled back, almost violently, by the urgent realities of our present world. Is the pursuit of existential meaning truly the most critical question when faced with the pervasive ills of our society?

My confusion stems not from dismissing these existential questions as irrelevant, but from struggling to understand how they are seemingly twisted to excuse, or even encourage, unimaginable cruelty. The atrocities in Gaza, the dehumanization of Palestinians reaching the point where influential figures casually discuss their potential "removal" to turn their land into a resort, fill me with a profound sense of disquiet. How can such blatant disregard for human life, particularly the suffering of starving children, coexist with any semblance of moral conscience?

This moral bankruptcy extends beyond the global stage. I see it in administrations built on blatant lies intended to degrade entire peoples and countries. I see it in the cynical acceptance of corruption and bribery, the disregard for laws protecting citizens, the attack on vital social safety nets while enriching the already wealthy. These actions, seemingly devoid of empathy or guilt, are deeply disturbing on their own.

What baffles me most is the fervent support these actions receive from some who claim to be morally superior. Why do some people cheer on policies that inflict suffering on those who "don't look like them," even if it means harming themselves in the process? This willingness to prioritize hatred and division over basic human decency is something I desperately struggle to comprehend. How can someone be willing to tear down entire systems that would help everyone simply to hinder a specific group of people?

This brings me back to the question of purpose. No matter how one answers the question of "what is our purpose in this life," I am certain that the ethos of the MAGA movement, with its divisive rhetoric and policies rooted in exclusion and resentment, is not it. But what I find truly baffling, and deeply unsettling, is that some of these people believe they are acting on divine mandate, receiving their marching orders from their "god."

This is where my confusion intensifies. What kind of god would demand or condone such behavior? How can people reconcile the concepts of love, compassion, and justice – often considered foundational to religious belief – with the active infliction of suffering on innocent people? Who would want to serve a god like that? This is not a question of faith versus atheism, but a question of fundamental human decency. I may not have all the answers, but I know that a god who demands hatred cannot be a god worth serving."