Children seem to know that if they ask "Why?" five times there will be the ultimate answer.
The answer to most of their questions is "Society expects this from us."
If this answer does not satisfy a child, why do adult find this answer acceptable? Is it because adults "know better"? How did this "knowledge" come about? Did they learn it from their peers?
Adults, it seems, dislike multiple questions. (The game "20 Questions" comes to mind.)
Ultimately, if we accept the answer of "social convention", a few more questions will reveal the nihilism found in us all. We can not escape nihilism, only postpone the realization that human life has no purpose other than what we, as individuals, give it.
Are you overly obsessed with your children? Great. Now your life has meaning.
Are you a workaholic? Fine. Now your life has purpose.
Are you trying to be a moral and upright person? Good. Now your life has a goal.
Are you stating, as a matter of fact, that some people call you the greatest occultist of the twenty first century? OK. Your life has some rationale.
Are you in love? I am always eager to learn. I have not found love in Nature.
The search for meaning in an irrational universe is bound to meet with anguish, futility and resentment. If one does not have the "Will" to impose meaning upon one's life, then ALL of this is for naught. And that is a depressing thought.
With Nihilism knocking at our collective doorstep, it is best to strengthen our resolve and not let it. Lest we mistake our childhood acquaintance for a dear friend.