The true nature of the universe may never be comprehensible to such a thing as a life form but attributes of it which are especially relevant to humans are worth exploring. The title essay in the work is concerned with subjects such as the nature of time and the purpose of life, two attributes of the universe which are very much related, as well as such subjects as the nature of god, and, of course, the nature of humans. The second essay is concerned with the nature of art and attempts to offer a depiction of those elements of which it is comprised so that it can be better understood. The third essay delineates a succinct definition of the nature of art which enables a definition of tragedy to be derived which the author believes is more satisfactory than the classical one provided by Aristotle.