Mark Mason is the great author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck (very good book if you have not read it yet) and is invited to Google Talks to talk about his new book and his view on meaning in our today’s world. He says:

Having a certain struggle and challenge in life is what makes our lives meaningful. It’s this sort of overcoming of this obstacle that gives us that sense of pride and purpose. So much of our economy and innovation today is about removing those barriers and obstacles between us and what we want…As we remove those frictions from our goals and desires though, those goals and desires loose their meaning…

I like his trail of thoughts that he presents in the podcast and can very much recommend you to listen in (45min).