The Philosophy of Optimistic Nihilism
Written by Imogen Eynon-Cooke
The Philosophy of Optimistic Nihilism
How to Find Meaning When the World is Falling Apart Around You.
So. Hello! I’m assuming you’re reading this during the time of the COVID-19 Global Pandemic. What a time to be alive. If you’re like me, you’ve probably started wondering when this will all be over and things will return to ‘some sort of normal’; a phrase we’ve all heard a bit too much of. Maybe you’ve recently started making a lot more banana bread than usual? You’re writing in a journal a lot? You watch Netflix obsessively? Asking for a friend...
Or, maybe, if you’re even more similar to me than I thought, and you’ve considered that life doesn’t really have a purpose and that we’re all just going to die anyway, so why should we obey these laws and rules when there’s nothing that will end up happening because eventually the planet will be destroyed by the looming consequences of climate change or a particularly cantankerous meteorite? Sounds familiar? I didn’t think so. I’ve learnt recently that many people don’t accept this theory, or even really consider it. And honestly? I applaud them. Whether this stems from religious beliefs about there being an afterlife, or simply your values within morality and how you should live your life to put good out into the universe. Or maybe you just believe there’s more to life than womb-to-tomb. This is probably the best way to go about life. Ignorance is bliss, right? See, I agreed with this too, until I delved a bit too deep into the dark side of Youtube. And by the dark side, I mean hour-upon-hour of ‘Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell’ videos. A particular one, titled ‘Optimistic Nihilism’, sparked my attention. Now, to understand Optimistic Nihilism properly as a theory, I realised you must first understand the concept of Nihilism itself. So I’ll try and explain that now:
Humans learn a lot over our lifetimes since we gain more and more knowledge as we grow older. Sounds simple, right? However, as we gain more knowledge, the universe becomes more confusing and significantly scarier. But considering this, it is too big for us to truly comprehend, making it almost impossible to conceptualise it in our minds. An example of this is a newborn baby who will theoretically live to one hundred years of age: it has a total of 5200 weeks at its disposal, which might seem like a lot of time. But once other factors come into play, such as sickness and other health issues, or maybe just genetic predisposition, the weeks that are left start to shrink. This can be torturing for humanity, since we have no way to find out when exactly we are going to die, which can lead to some people rejecting all religious and moral principles, in the belief that life is meaningless. This theory is known as Nihilism. If that went entirely over your head, I’ll put it simply: Nihilism is the mentality that we’re all just going to die anyway, so there is no point to anything. This might hit a little close to home.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Why is this girl with barely any life experience at all going on and on about how meaningless everything is? Well, Nihilism might not be the most positive theory, per se. Nihil does, in fact, literally mean ‘nothing’. However, I choose to see a sort of simple beauty in this concept. Yes, the world is probably going to implode at some point - whether that’s literally or figuratively, we don’t quite know yet. And we’ll never know. But that’s just it. There are many things that we don’t know about the world. There’s probably more we don’t know than we do. But by accepting this, there will always be truth in that saying - ‘life is what you make it’. You have the freedom to live without being bound by a comprehensive set of morals. And that’s just what Optimistic Nihilism is.
Optimistic Nihilism acknowledges this lack of meaning and purpose. It’s understanding that the universe doesn’t care about you and you’re just a speck of dust in the cosmic vastness of the galaxy and that you weren’t assigned any meaning at birth. But it also acknowledges that this is doesn’t have to be depressing, and on the contrary, it can be rather liberating. It opens you to find a meaning for yourself, it allows you to choose your own meaning. Optimistic nihilism gives you the liberty to choose what you want to do with your life without the superficial boundaries of fundamental purpose. By creating your own life, you are truly able to live it. And that positivity rubs off on other people as well.
For example, you decide to write a letter to your best friend telling them how much you value them and your friendship. You do this because you believe it’s a nice thing to do, and you aren’t doing this to get some ‘good points’ above your head or make that person do something nice for you in return. By releasing the burden of doing things for the sake of morality itself, you can live freely and appreciate the simple pleasures of life, and ultimately, live by your own rules.
Now, please. I cannot specify this enough. Wear a mask. Physically distance yourself from others. Some rules are crucial for the benefit of the population, much of these being legal rules. But next time someone tells you off for leaving them on opened, ask yourself why this is the way it is. You shouldn’t have to live your life to impress the unconscious insecurities of others. Make yourself proud every day. Don’t worry about having a good Snapscore, unless that truly makes you happy and feels meaningful. Because why live your own life for others? Live your life how you want to, instead of how other people suggest you do. And that, my friends, is how you find your meaning of life. And now? Go out and live it.