“I feel much better, now that I’ve given up hope.”
This is a quote by Ashleigh Brilliant, a rather clever chap. I think I’ll find more of his wee one-liners and look more carefully at them in the future. Now, about this one….
Firstly, it’s amusing.
Secondly, there’s a ring of truth about it. Once we accept there is no hope, no immortality, that we are merely mortal animals, then at least we know where we are, and we can start to deal with the insanity (or rather, the absurdity) of looking for meaning in life, creation.
Do I have any hope? None for my own death-filled fate. I will die, I will rot and be eaten , incorporated in life also doomed to death. Our cycle of life is strictly matter based, we are animals like the countless billions, trillions on this planet. We are born, consume and grow, excrete, die and decompose.
Knowing this does not fill me with despair, instead it makes life easier. There is no meaning, so I need not worry about one, search for one, try to fulfil any created destiny. If I have a destiny, it is my own, as an organism among others. I gain pleasure from life, from my experiences and interactions. Maybe I’ll find more, but here and now, I don’t need it.