Meaning of life

When Woody Allen says "How can I possibly find the meaning in this finite world, given my shirt and waist size", he is not just being funny, he means it.

His point is, Life is inherently and utterly meaningless, So, instead of discovering and creating real meaning/value for our lives, the best we can do is, distract ourselves from this awful truth by all means(through love, relationships, art, career... what not).

While it may seem as the pinnacle of cynicism, at some level, its true. The universe is fleeting, its all random, it exists aimlessly out of nothing, and eventually it ceases to exist. So, nothing is permanent, since everything is part of the universe. If there is a real value/meaning, it has to be enduring/eternal. Since the universe is not eternal, and you are a part of it, your life is likewise ephemeral and so, meaningless.

I now understand why people believe/want-to-believe in God. Belief in God, creates some meaning and purpose to our lives. It makes you believe that you can exist in some form or another for an eternity. Thus the things you do in life would have some meaning. As Allen describes in "The purple rose of Cairo", Without God, our lives are like a accidentally made movie, with no intention/purpose behind it, with a series of random and chaotic scenes which don't mean anything and don't go anywhere. We might as well commit suicide if we know for sure that god doesn't exist. A seemingly funny line in "Love and Death" tells, "I'd hate to blow my brains out and then read in newspapers that they found something up there".

Anyway, now I started to believe that this question is beyond our understanding, and I do not want to waste my time worrying about it.

So, the next time I miss a deadline and my boss wants an explanation, or somebody gives me an advice on my lifestyle, I would quote the young Alvy Singer in "Annie Hall", "Whats the point, the universe is expanding, so one day it will break-apart, and thats the end of everything" and get-away with it :)

PS: This is a summary of the first essay in "Woody Allen and Philosophy" and now I'm scared to death reading this book any further :(