meaning of life: balance between work, play, love

In the absence of the threat of absurdity and nihilism, issues regarding the meaning of life arise when the three realms of love, work, and play conflict. For example, couples with young children often experience severe conflicts between love and work, when the intense needs of children compete for time and energy with the demands of career development. Young adults need to figure out how to render compatible the delights of playful pastimes such as sports and music with the imperative to get a job and support themselves. One of the few advantages of growing older is that the reduction of family responsibilities and the satisfaction or diminishing of career goals can make conflicts between the realms of love, work, and play much more manageable.

- Paul Thagard