There’s something beautiful about nihilism – something that can make it optimistic.
Nihilism is a philosophical doctrine that suggests the lack of belief in one or more reputedly meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism, which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value.
You’d think that such an ethic would be inherently depressing, and a lot of folks seem to see it that way.
But.
The thing is, so many of us have been constrained, limited, and actively hurt by the constructs of modern life. Religion, political ideology, gender roles, and so many more beliefs have been imposed on us without our consent.
Not only have we been forced to believe, we’ve been forced to maim ourselves.
And suddenly those painful, harmful beliefs are just… gone.
When you reject the reality of those harmful things, then suddenly there’s room for purposeful growth and self-expression.
Sure, there may not be any inherent meaning or intrinsic value in the ethos that you end up developing yourself.
But finally, at least, you’re living your most authentic and fulfilling life.
Featured Photo by kevin laminto on Unsplash
Amen!!! People should always take into consideration that their beliefs weather religious or political are purely opinion. I'm teaching my daughter that as her mother and I disagree both with politics as well as religion or philosophy but at the end of the day, we still love each other and agree to disagree. Living in Utah we have quite a bit of all of the above forced on us.