In many ancient human civilizations there were small circles of curious individuals who did not just temporarily wonder about life, but instead concentrated on finding answers for the fundamental questions we all sometimes ask.
Their answers were all imperfect, but those found most valuable by large numbers of individuals still survive, half-obscured at the base of each successful human culture.
Over the millennia, many such human cultures have risen and fallen, the temporary shared consensus, sometimes of millions, of how to pursue happiness. But always with dissenting voices too, expressing out loud the doubts most keep hidden.