"Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone - we find it with another"

Thomas Merton’s words suggest that the core purpose of human existence is love, presenting it as an innate calling rather than a mere emotion or choice. He frames love not just as something we experience, but as the essential reason behind why we exist. Destiny, in this context, implies something inevitable or fundamental to our being, the idea that love is woven into the fabric of what it means to be human.

Rather than presenting life’s meaning as a solitary pursuit or an individual revelation achieved in isolation, Merton emphasizes the relational nature of our journey. He argues we cannot uncover the full depth and richness of existence alone; the quest for life’s meaning is inseparable from our connections to others. Human beings are inherently social; our sense of purpose, fulfillment, and identity emerges most clearly in relationships, romantic, familial, or simply empathetic connections with other people. Merton’s words carry the implication that isolation, while sometimes necessary for reflection, cannot provide the final answers to life’s profoundest questions. The search for meaning ultimately compels us beyond our own boundaries and into communion with others.

There is also a gentle challenge embedded in his statement, a call to openness and vulnerability. To “find it with another” requires trust, mutual recognition, and a willingness to share oneself authentically. Love, as destiny, is both a gift and a responsibility. It asks us to be present, to witness others, to give and receive, and to recognize the ways our personal narratives are intertwined with those around us. In so doing, we step into a dynamic exchange where meaning is not static but emerges through shared experience and connection. Merton affirms that the meaning of existence is discovered less in isolation and more in the transformative power of love that binds us together.