UCSD - University of California - San Diego

06/11/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/11/2026 06:03

An Experiment in Living Prompts Students to Consider the Meaning of Life

Published Date

June 11, 2026

Article Content

Professor of Philosophy Samuel Rickless presents a unique challenge to his students each year. For at least one month during his course, called "The Meaning of Life," students are asked to engage in an experiment of living. The activity chosen must be something personally novel with the potential to create meaning in their life.

The popular course presents perspectives from a wide variety of scholars who pose diverse answers to the enduring question - from the pursuit of beauty to the concern for the well-being of others and enjoying the present with childlike curiosity. Following their experiment, students evaluate whether the activity they chose represented a meaningful experience based on three theories they had learned.

The assignment was transformative for many students. We connected with three of them to learn about what they pursued and how their concept of meaning evolved throughout the process.

Chase failure intensely

Aekta Kallepalli describes herself as a people-pleaser who overthinks every social situation. Needless to say, her heart was pounding as she walked on stage to perform her first stand-up comedy set - the project she chose for her experiment in living.

"This has been the craziest thing I've ever done in my entire life," said Kallepalli, a junior studying philosophy. "Nobody laughed, it was not funny. I was just up on the mic, jabbering at a bunch of people who were scratching their heads."

The fear and uncertainty Kallepalli felt was consuming. As a dedicated student, she had become accustomed to pursuing excellence in every endeavor. And if she couldn't master a new challenge swiftly, Kallepalli would move on. But then something surprising happened downtown under the colorful stage lights - fright turned into freedom.

"I look around at my peers and I see a lot of the same thing, this really intense aversion to failure - which makes sense; it's really motivating," Kallepalli said. "The biggest lesson I've learned is to get comfortable with failure; it's not something to avoid, it's something to chase intensely. I've never had someone tell me to live my life this way before. It's been a huge mental shift."

Even though the project is complete, Kallepalli plans to continue to hone her humor. Beyond what she describes as "failure exposure therapy," she has been embraced by a supportive community of comedians. Kallepalli describes the warmth she felt as they lauded her courage and offered their perspectives on the craft. "All of the funniest people that I admired were just so excited that I was trying my best," she said.

Reflecting on the meaning of life, Kallepalli believes the answer is living wholeheartedly. "I want to feel the absolutely broadest of human emotions as possible. I'm never going to regret the things that are outside of my comfort zone. Even when I get off stage and I think - that was terrible, and I kind of want to throw up - that's something I want to chase, because that's the core of my humanity."

Pursue acts of selflessness

At the start of her philosophy course, Nathaly Maldonado believed the meaning of life was to be happy. But one of the first lessons she learned was happiness does not necessarily lead to significance. "My minor in philosophy has changed the way that I think," shared Maldonado, a fourth-year double majoring in literature and political science. "I question things more deeply; the humanities teach you to appreciate life more."

After contemplating the assignment, Maldonado decided to pursue an act of selflessness. She signed up to volunteer at the San Diego Food Bank, and her first role was to support visitors at the Client Choice Pantry - a food pantry designed as a grocery store model for individuals to walk through and select their own items.

The experience became more meaningful when Maldonado began conversing with customers in Spanish, the primary language spoken by pantry visitors. "Spanish is my first language, and I grew up hearing how much of an asset being bilingual was" explained Maldonado. "It meant a lot to me to be able to make the experience a little more comfortable for the people I interacted with that day, all by simply engaging in casual small talk in my first language."

In addition to the pantry, Maldonado also spent time assembling bags of food at the warehouse that would stock the pantry. She described meeting people that she would likely have never interacted with otherwise, from high school students completing community service hours to retired adults looking to give back.

The experience has changed her perspective on volunteering and generosity. "I had an interest in volunteering prior to my experiment, but I never took the initiative because I believed I didn't have the time," said Maldonado. "Volunteering helped me decenter my own wants in order to help people in need. This project has had a long-lasting effect on me that will lead me to actively seek out more opportunities to volunteer in the future."

Create with a purpose

Dulce Chavez Medrano has always been good with her hands, from sewing to painting and playing musical instruments. When contemplating what to pursue for her class project, she decided to channel her artistry into something that would impact the lives of others - creativity with a purpose.

Using a method she'd never tried before - crocheting - Chavez Medrano began making beanie hats and blankets for distribution through the nonprofit organization Knots for Love. The handmade products are designed for premature babies in neonatal centers and patients who are receiving treatment for cancer.

"Hope is my product," said Chavez Medrano, a senior studying philosophy. "To create something for a baby whose first moments of life are a battle, a long-lasting gift that extends from myself to everyone else in that baby's life."

The first blanket she crocheted was based on a pattern from the organization's website that involved two colors woven into three hearts. Infusing care into every stitch, Chavez Medrano made two blankets and two hats, each ranging four to eight hours to complete. Although the assignment is finished, she's decided to continue the project with a goal of producing one blanket a month.

The experience changed her perspective on the meaning of life. Chavez Medrano enrolled in the philosophy course with one answer - to be a good person. But her understanding evolved, "I've realized it's so much more than that. I think it's building something that's lasting, to leave a legacy."

It's a lesson she'll hold onto. "As college students we often worry about lectures and exams and don't give ourselves the freedom to try new experiences. You may find something you enjoy that also helps someone else. This is something I'm going to keep in the back of my mind, even after I graduate."

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