We are not born to die. Does a book begin just to end? Does a song open with a beautiful chord just to end? Yes, we are born with the inevitable fate of death, but that is merely the final act of the play. Life is inherently painful, yet beautiful. In fact, there could be no beauty without the scars to get there. But imagine a dull life, full of gray and mediocrity. There is no risk, but there is no reward – where there is no sacrifice but no glory, either. That is the world of nihilism.
Nihilism is the belief that humanity has no other purpose than to exist, unlike that of an animal. It believes that morality and religion are meaningless and that the ideas argue against both concepts. The most nihilistic generation was not the time of Nietzche, but rather ours, or Gen Z. Though our material conditions may be considered the best throughout history, there happens to be a spiritual and social fabric that could be described as rather empty or missing. This emptiness could be described as Nihilism.
The belief in nothing seems like a horrible way of looking at things. If we believe there is no purpose within our lives, why be alive? We in our society constantly gush about mental health, yet cannot seem to comprehend that one of the major issues is that many people feel a complete lack of purpose. These beliefs reject faith, structure, fatherland, or discipline.
The nihilists only know that everything has an end, and because nihilists believe nothing matters, these people will be content staying in mediocrity as they see no drive for self improvement. That is why we see many people living in the here and now, falling into vices like addiction and selfishness. Nihilism states that while it believes in nothing, it is humans that should make their own purpose as well, and yet, many don’t. Humanity without purpose is no different from an animal, simply following one’s desires and nothing more.
Another issue is that within Nihilism, what is exactly stopping someone from just following their innate and darkest desires? People often use excuses that they would just be following common sense, or in modern terms, “being a decent human being”, but what actually constitutes that? Human’s as designed are always inherently flawed, our definition of morality always seems to shift. Without a solid bedrock foundation, what is stopping even the most disgusting criminals from committing crimes such as murder or assault as long as they have enough justification? If the ends justify the means, then it can be used to excuse just about anything without any solid reasoning against it.
At the same time, however, the philosophy is self-defeating if not for the nature of humanity. Human’s drive for purpose, and if nobody believes in anything, nobody will believe in anything against a set of foundations to be taken over. Think of the nonsensical nature of anarchism, for example. In politics, anarchism is argued against, saying that anarchism can not last due to the human thirst for power. Anarchist societies, whether it is the Catalonians in Spain or the protestors in Chaz, have devolved into either a warlord state or overtaken by a greater force, whether it be a man more armed than anybody else or a greater national force. Now, what does that have to do with nihilism? Anarchism is merely nihilism as a political system. And just like the fact that anarchism has no state to protect its citizens causing it to fall, if you believe life has no purpose, why would you care to be motivated enough to fight against a new unjust morality?
Here is my advice to the people listening in. You must believe in something, but just as you have to believe in something, you have to believe against the opposite of that something as well. Make sure that in this time of confusion that you deepen your faith, acknowledge right and wrong and get closer to the community around you. In the beginning, the article compared life to a beautiful song, and in the end, we will end off with a final verse. Each melody is unique, and each jingle with a spirit of it’s own. And in the end, remember that the final verse only belongs to you, so sing your heart out.
