My life has meaning because people will still read my poem a hundred years from now or because my kids and grandchildren will still be around. The meaning of life is thus a bit like playing with a live hand grenade. Once you pass it on to somebody else, you are safe.
In 2016, despite wars in Syria, Ukraine and several other hot spots, fewer people died from human violence than from obesity, from car accidents, or from suicide. This may well have been the greatest political and moral achievement of our times.