In life there are many things that occur, or so we believe, but out of all this chaos that surrounds us what can really be said to be true? If I were to ask you: "Do you think you are alive?" I believe you would surely respond yes, and wonder why I was asking such a strange question, and you would be right in doing so. But then what if everything in this world is nothing but a figment of my imagination? Then of course your answer to my question would be that you were alive because I want you to say so. So by asking you if you are alive I am no closer to my answer then before I asked. It could indeed be said that I am now farther from the truth than before I asked because now I must also wonder not only if you are alive but if I am also dreaming.

The idea of a dream and what we call reality are two very similar yet very different ideas. If someone were to ask you if you had a pleasant dream last night you could respond with many answers like it was a good dream or bad dream, but one thing that is true is that it was definitely a dream. Or so you think. When we are dreaming everything seems quite normal and ordinary; however, as soon as we awake from said dream we can clearly identify at least something that was abnormal about it. Maybe you saw your friends and family within this dream and you took a cruise across the stars on a giant blue whale, while in this dream you are too distracted by the dream itself to realize how different it really is. Once you wake from this slumber you are immediately aware that cruising through space on a whale is absurd, but this is only because you have woken up.

Now let us assume that we are in all actuality dreaming right now. Does it feel like a dream? Does anything seem abnormal? No. Why? Because you are dreaming. Who is to say that in this dream walking on two feet is an abnormality, if you said that the people in the dream would call you mad and insane. But what if we could awaken from this dream and realize that not only is walking on two feet absurd, maybe people have never even had feet. The idea of feet and many other things could simply be figments of yours, or my, imaginations.

It can be said that because you think you exist, but how do you know for sure that you are indeed thinking. Didn't you just think that the idea of having feet is a solid fact, when indeed you were awoken to the knowledge that that was foolish. So who is to say that you exist? Who is to say I exist? No one can be qualified to make such a claim, because we all believe in our own two feet. Until we know we can assume, we cannot assume to know.

In the Meditations by Descartes, Descartes has decided to examine: whether or not. He is examining if everything he knows is true, or if everything he knows is a lie. He begins his Meditations by first deciding that it can only be accomplished by becoming truly free from bias. Although he accepts that this is a difficult challenge, he is trying to clear himself of all preconceptions about this world.

It is a daunting task indeed. For in order to truly be without bias one must have never had any form of contact with the world. Although he does desire to become without any preconceptions about life, death, or reality, I believe it to be a foolish errand, because he has experienced so much in this world but yet withes it all away without a second glance. I believe that in the end his worldly biases will outweigh his desire to separate himself from them, ultimately making his mission for naught.
Although the pursuit of ultimate truth of life and death is probably a goal for almost every living being, the ultimate end is, I believe impossible to achieve complete knowledge of. Many people may disagree with me and say that truth itself can be found and that knowing whether we exist or not can be known. As for myself I will seek to understand what I can, and although I might not find any truth at all, I can at least say I tried to find the ultimate answer to the question: what is.