"The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it." -- William James
Though I have been writing of the value of doing nothing, the truth is we are almost all compelled to do something, architects at least as much as anyone. When architects do something, they generally make things that are big, physical, and very visible. They take an abstract idea, a vision for a particular space, and convert it into something that can be experienced. This is a very obvious act of creation. Something has been created where nothing was before.
I believe the need for creation is embedded in us all. In my most cynical moments, I can almost believe that our individual lives boil down to just a few steps. We are born, we live as best we can, we die. That is cold calculus I suppose, but I also do not believe it is the whole truth. That may perhaps be the arc of an individual. The full arc, however, is comprised of many individuals, many species, perhaps many worlds. If you don't consider yourself as an individual alone in the universe, then the idea of making an impact beyond yourself provides meaning.
Creation is the vehicle to make this impact. For most species, mankind included, the primary act of creation has been procreation. This one act of creation is what all the living has traditionally been for, to keep the species going.
To the extent that mankind is special, it is because we are aware enough to know that procreation is not the only means of creation available to us. It is not the only way to create things that extend beyond ourselves, beyond our species, beyond our lifetimes. We can make things. We can write things. We can make art. We can imagine powerful ideas. Granted, the raising of children might be the most exhausting and rewarding act of creation many of us will ever do. It is, however, not the only one available, nor required, nor even the most vital.
This idea of creation, of investing ourselves into something that is beyond our individual selves, is the one powerful motivating force that can give a greater meaning to our lives than mere existence. It is both a duty and a right for all of us. It is why parents raise children. It is why entrepreneurs start companies. It is why artists make art. And it is why, in the end, architects build.