The meaning of life in my eyes is to be a matchmaker. It might sound funny to say that to most people but its true. What I mean is that the goal in life is to make a new life. Being a matchmaker is not always that easy but if it’s perfected, can result in happiness or even the ability to create a baby. The start of this whole process begins with two separate individuals. One of them being the sperm, and the other is the egg.
The story begins with the female. Almost every female human is born with about 1 to 2 million eggs and by the time she will hit puberty, only 300,000 to 500,000 are left in the ovaries. One of these fully matured eggs is released once a month in order to unite with “Mr. Sperm”. Each released egg or “Miss. Egg” is matured has undergone a process of cell division that gives it 23 chromosomes. That is the same number of chromosomes that the sperm will have. Miss. Egg, upon leaving the ovaries is then pulled into the fallopian tubes eventually leading to the uterus. Miss. The egg will sit and wait patiently in the fallopian tubes for 24 to 36 hours for Mr. Sperm to arrive (Fichner-Rathus 2005).
The life of Mr. Sperm begins inside tubules in the testes. Mr. Sperm is not alone! He along with an average of 100 million to 300 million of his brothers is born with him every day. From day one Mr. Sperm is a prima donna. He needs to be in a nice air-conditioned room with a cool 94-degree temperature or at least three to four degree cooler than normal body temperature. In order for Mr. Sperm to stay healthy, he will need those types of conditions. Each Mr. Sperm will come equipped with the required 23 chromosomes, a head, and a tail to allow the smooth jet propulsion. After waiting 72 hours to fully develop, Mr. Sperm is ready to go. He will start his journey through a 20-foot long tube called the epididymis. This ultra-thin tube will act like a swimming school and get him well prepared for the jagged road ahead (Rathus, 2005).
When ejaculation occurs during sexual intercourse, Mr. Sperm rapidly rushes from the epididymis into the urethra and out the penis. From the urethra of the penis, if all goes well, he will land in the vagina near the outside of the cervix. The role of the penis and the vagina is very important in this process. Here, he can only last 5 days before he will perish, so he must be strong. With the “survival of the fittest” state of mind, he must make his way through these obstacles and to the fallopian tubes before Miss. Egg perishes. Obstacles that may be encountered are the normal acids from the vagina and the cervical mucus. Millions of sperm will be killed by not making it past the cervical mucus. After propelling his way through the urethra, the cervix, and to the right fallopian tube, Mr. Sperm will finally reach Miss. Egg.
Just because Mr. Sperm has reached Miss. Egg does not mean they are united. Mr. Sperm’s battle is not quite over yet. Once he reaches her, Mr. Sperm will begin to change again. He will make a change that will allow him to fully connect with Miss. Egg and unite for good. Along with thousands of his brothers, Mr. Sperm will begin a process called the acrosome reaction. Special enzymes will be released from their heads, which act like a drill bit to open a tiny door to enter the egg. As soon as Mr. Sperm enters the final layer of the egg, the last chemical reaction of the journey happens. This chemical reaction will allow Miss. Egg to close her door and say no more. The journey of the sperm to the egg is finally complete (Nevid, 2005).
Now that Mr. Sperm is united with his match, his tail will come off. After that happens, the fertilized egg will divide into two cells and then double every 16 hours. As soon as they are together for three to four days, an embryo is created and drops into the uterus. The embryo will float for several days until it attaches to the uterine lining and begins to develop into a fetus.
This long journey is one that will continue to happen for years and years. The sperm has a difficult task to make it to the egg that waits in hopes that they will be united. Therefore, my theory of the meaning of life makes sense. Being a matchmaker is not an easy job but somebody has to do it.