Atheism and the meaning of life - what drives you?

[brewer]

But how do we give meaning to experience itself? To “I”? Some people leverage that experience for its own sake is the meaning, but I just don’t follow. I’m missing something.

I think I see what you're getting at, and now I'm confused too.  It's one thing to say "that was a meaningful experience," but what's going on under the hood?  What is the mind actually doing when it perceives meaning?  Is it a particular kind of neurological connection, for instance, between certain brain regions?

---

Put into context of reproduction and evolution, all life has meaning. But something tells me you guys want something more personal.

Yes, "my meaning" as opposed to a generic one.  Evolution seems to operate fine without it, but individual human behaviour often benefits from having goals, plans, purpose.

I don't think your daughter is generic, but I understand. Maybe you and LFC want some overall grand purpose, I'm not sure. For me, I get enough meaning from the little things, often quite mundane. If I'd get to much 'in the head' over meaning of life I'd probably make myself depressed.