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Full Idea
If no one's life has any meaning in itself, how can it acquire meaning through devotion to the meaningless lives of others?
Gist of Idea
If our own life lacks meaning, devotion to others won't give it meaning
Source
Thomas Nagel (The View from Nowhere [1986], XI.2)
Book Ref
Nagel,Thomas: 'The View from Nowhere' [OUP 1989], p.217
A Reaction
This is one of the paradoxes of compassion. The other is that the virtue requires other people to be in need of help, which can't be a desirable situation.