If you had asked me a year ago, or a few months ago, or even a of
couple weeks ago, why we are here, I would have told you "for no
reason."
There is no reason for us to be here. Our planet is excruciatingly
insignificant in the universe. Think about this - light travels at
about 299,000 miles per second, or roughly 5,878,000,000 miles per
year. Quite the distance, right? As it turns out, the Milky Way galaxy
(which we of course live in) is 100,000 light years across. And on top
of that, the Milky Way is only one of an unimaginable number of
galaxies that fill the universe. We are very, painfully, small.
Back to our planet - about 90,000,000 people are born every year. If I
remember correctly, our planet is now inhabited by 6,700,000,000
people. So why are you here? Why am I here? What makes us different,
unique, or "special"?
Last week, I probably would have told you "nothing". We are here for no reason other than to reproduce. Kind of like bugs.
A very reliable source lists that:
Nihilism (from the Latin nihil, nothing) is a philosophical position
which argues that Being, especially past and current human existence,
is without objective meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth, or
essential value. Nihilists generally assert some or all of the
following:
there is no reasonable proof of the existence of a higher ruler or creator,
a "true morality" does not exist, and
objective secular ethics are impossible; therefore, life has, in a
sense, no truth, and no action is objectively preferable to any other. "
Now while I certainly was not a true nihilist, those made sense to me.
The only problem is that that’s not right. Now, I’m not sure exactly
how humans came into existence, but the other day I noticed something.
I was walking home, when I saw some worms. It had been raining, and you
know how when it rains all of the worms leave the ground and end up
drowning in puddles? Well, I was walking past these worms when I
realized- and it may sound stupid, but...we are not worms. All other
organisms fuction in the same way, with every single action working
towards survival.
We are different from any other organism because we have so much more.
We have a desire for self expression, and art, and music, and
literature. We have imaginations, religion, and philosophy, language,
values, and self-reflection.
What I’m getting at is that we have the ability to absorb life and live
it to our individual potentials. No other person or creature has ever
had the exact same experiences as you have, and probably never will. We
are unique and have the ability to understand the blessings of life. A
worm doesn’t have that ability. A worm functions on basic functions
while we can question our own existences.
This is why I think that it is not only our right, but also our
responsibility to enjoy ourselves and live our lives with purpose.
Nothing else can do that. We should also find something to do that
expresses who we are. This is how you create yourself. Some people
write, or play music, or paint, or act, or play sports, or whatever.
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