Friday, October 21, 2016

The meaning is... meaning

The hardest realization humans face is-- we know we're going to die.
And in some ways, that seems to destroy all our meaning. What does it matter if I do this or that, achieve this or that, if I'm just going to die anyway?
This is easy enough to ignore-- it might even be a spur to achievement-- when you have decades yet to go. After all, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy your achievement and reap the rewards.

But mortality isn't a distant existential anxiety at this point. It's a reality. We've had parents die, even siblings. We've tried to help friends through dread diseases, seen them fight and struggle, only to lose in the end. We've seen older people linger, their bodies going on long after their minds have deteriorated.
We know what the end might look like.
And we know that what we do now, we might not have decades to enjoy.

Do it now....

What? What would give meaning when it seems sort of meaningless?

Helping others
Leaving a legacy
Doing what you want to do
Discovering new aspects of the world and you
Improving
Getting over some personal flaw that has always bothered you


No comments:

Post a Comment