We have to live as if we have free will and that life has some meaning. Many scientists do not believe in free will or in the possibility that life and suffering may have meaning.
Of course, they may be right. You are born somewhere, and you will die somewhere, and that's it. If you are convinced that life is meaningless and that you do not have free will, these ideas will make you depressed and miserable.
However, if you are deeply convinced that life is important and meaningful, this conviction makes you feel stronger and more focused.
If it turns out that when you die, nothing happens, that there is no afterlife, you will not be disappointed. You are not there to notice.
