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On Nihilism
8 months ago
thinkin' bout it lately
dark little pit so easy to get trapped in
if i could travel back in time and plant a seed in a younger leopard's mind
it would go something like:
“Life has no objective meaning, so nothing matters.”
Meaning is emergent, like consciousness—it doesn’t exist until it does. You are the meaning-making creature, the only known being in the universe capable of asking the question of meaning.
Your *responsibility* as a thinking animal is to craft meaning from ambiguity. Your answer to this question defines who and what you are.
Do you believe you are nothing?
“But if meaning is subjective, then it’s not real.”
Is consciousness real? Is the color red real? These things don’t exist objectively—they exist because we experience them.
This is Descartes' Cogito in action: You *are*. The things you create *are*. The meaning you craft *is*.
If love is subjective, does that mean it's not real?
“But the universe is cold and indifferent.”
And beautiful! Vast galaxies, shimmering starlight, supernovae that seed new worlds.
Look at where you are: Trillions of galaxies, ~100 billion stars per galaxy, and *one* star with *one* planet that has precious, ephemeral Life.
You are the most complex and interesting object in the universe. A rare, low-entropy fluctuation in a cosmos that trends toward equilibrium.
The universe may be indifferent to you, but I see you. A miracle of creation, crafted by 14 billion years of cosmic alchemy.
“In the grand scheme of things, I’m insignificant.”
That’s what it means to be human, isn’t it? But “apes together strong.” Look around—we built this world together.
You are a link in a chain of 100 billion humans who lived before you—one that has been forged since Prometheus first brought us fire. You didn’t ask for this torch, but it’s been handed to you regardless.
And it doesn’t end with you. No one will ever know the full extent of their actions on the cosmos. A careful phrase left with a stranger could change their life. We’re all just tiny butterflies flapping our wings—but even small vibrations can become hurricanes.
“But everything ends. Why bother?”
Life is a verb. A process. Not a static thing, but something lived.
Impermanence is what makes it precious. The Japanese call it "mono no aware"—the beauty of things that fade.
Buddhists believe suffering comes from rebelling against impermanence.
What if you embraced it?
dark little pit so easy to get trapped in
if i could travel back in time and plant a seed in a younger leopard's mind
it would go something like:
“Life has no objective meaning, so nothing matters.”
Meaning is emergent, like consciousness—it doesn’t exist until it does. You are the meaning-making creature, the only known being in the universe capable of asking the question of meaning.
Your *responsibility* as a thinking animal is to craft meaning from ambiguity. Your answer to this question defines who and what you are.
Do you believe you are nothing?
“But if meaning is subjective, then it’s not real.”
Is consciousness real? Is the color red real? These things don’t exist objectively—they exist because we experience them.
This is Descartes' Cogito in action: You *are*. The things you create *are*. The meaning you craft *is*.
If love is subjective, does that mean it's not real?
“But the universe is cold and indifferent.”
And beautiful! Vast galaxies, shimmering starlight, supernovae that seed new worlds.
Look at where you are: Trillions of galaxies, ~100 billion stars per galaxy, and *one* star with *one* planet that has precious, ephemeral Life.
You are the most complex and interesting object in the universe. A rare, low-entropy fluctuation in a cosmos that trends toward equilibrium.
The universe may be indifferent to you, but I see you. A miracle of creation, crafted by 14 billion years of cosmic alchemy.
“In the grand scheme of things, I’m insignificant.”
That’s what it means to be human, isn’t it? But “apes together strong.” Look around—we built this world together.
You are a link in a chain of 100 billion humans who lived before you—one that has been forged since Prometheus first brought us fire. You didn’t ask for this torch, but it’s been handed to you regardless.
And it doesn’t end with you. No one will ever know the full extent of their actions on the cosmos. A careful phrase left with a stranger could change their life. We’re all just tiny butterflies flapping our wings—but even small vibrations can become hurricanes.
“But everything ends. Why bother?”
Life is a verb. A process. Not a static thing, but something lived.
Impermanence is what makes it precious. The Japanese call it "mono no aware"—the beauty of things that fade.
Buddhists believe suffering comes from rebelling against impermanence.
What if you embraced it?
