So, I’m going to go out on a limb and say you probably have some social media account. You probably laugh at things like memes, cat videos and nihilism. Pretty dramatic turn in humor, right? Urban Dictionary states that it’s “useless to define it.” Nihilism is basically the philosophical belief that nothing matters because we all die anyway. It’s a really lame way to live. Anyway, you’ve probably told all your friends that you wish you had been hit by a car, murdered in your sleep or something else that results in the cessation of your existence when something as trivial as forgetting to charge your phone has happened to you — because that’s a reasonable reaction.
I get it: These are tumultuous times to live in. 2017 has been nothing but weird, and I certainly understand how one can get stressed out about having to exist in a day-to-day state. Some have to deal with mental illnesses like depression and anxiety, which have been on the rise in teens and young adults over the past few years. So yeah, some people have a hard time seeing the bright side, not because they don’t want to, but mental illness holds them back.
Getting off my mental illness soapbox, to the nihilists out there who have everything going for them but choose to live by nihilism for some unbeknownst reason: Why? Why choose to live thinking that nothing matters? The majority of nihilists I have met in my life are such bummers to be around. Want to ruin a karaoke party? Give a nihilist the mic. “Karaoke is dumb. Why drunkenly sing along to Journey when we are all going to die anyway? Nothing matters.” There goes the mood of the night. Boom, one privileged person who read Poe a few times decides that he gets to ruin everyone’s mood because he has a heightened sense of being and that no one will catch up to him nevermore.
Give your life meaning in some way shape or form other than hating it. A novel idea, I know. Watch sports, take up jogging, pick up the paintbrush or start collecting quarters. Seriously, just find something to be excited about and put some sort of meaning on that. Please, for the love of all that might matter to you, just stop being such a drag. It can’t be a healthy way to live. I’m not a medical professional at all, but even I know basking in self-imposed meaninglessness is bad for you.
But hey, to the people I am trying to reach, my irritation with you doesn’t matter anyway. After all, we just die in the end anyway, so who cares if everyone during your estimated 70-some years hates to be around you?
Chuck Greenlee is a junior studying communication studies at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Is this all pointless? Let Chuck know by tweeting him @chuck_greenlee.
