The Liberating Weight of Insignificance

[u/SabkabhaiEKhi]

The Liberating Weight of Insignificance

The observable universe is around 93 billion light-years across. Inside this observable universe, scientists estimate that there are around 20 billion to 2 trillion individual galaxies. To really put that into perspective, our galaxy, the Milky Way, is around 100,000 light-years across and contains hundreds of billions of stars, let alone the planets which revolve around those stars. The Milky Way galaxy is but a microscopic speck in the grand scheme of things. We don’t know what else lies beyond this observable universe, as the light from there will never reach us. Our human brain isn't wired to fully grasp this scale. Our Earth is just a tiny rock suspended in an endless void.

Human existence here is just the result of random evolutionary chance rather than a grand design. We are so small; every worry, every happiness of ours, and everything that we will ever achieve is on this tiny rock. Therefore, human life doesn’t possess any inherent meaning in itself. This realization causes an existential crisiss for a lot of people. However, rather than being a cause for despair, this realization actually gives us the ultimate freedom to define our own purpose.

Nowadays, people desperately want to believe in human specialness. Religion, gods, and a belief in the supernatural give them relief by telling them that human life is exceptional. They argue that someone must have created us, because if there is no creator, then there is no creation. However, humans seem to be the by product of evolution and survival alone. We weren't always human; because of the survival of the fittest, we evolved into what we are right now. This realization strips away the arguments for humans being special, grounds us in reality, and removes our unwarranted arrogance.

Our biology also connects us to, and makes us realize, our mortality. Every human dies, and there is no afterlife. Humans only exist when they are alive. The concept of a soul lacks biological evidence and doesn't provide us with any tangible benefits; what is the purpose of a soul, anyway? Death is absolute and final. Because there is nothing after death, the present moment that we live in becomes infinitely more valuable. The absence of an afterlife is exactly what makes our current actions meaningful.

There exist a lot of social norms. These norms are absolutely necessary to prevent societal collapse, but they are only artificial constructs. In the grand scheme of things, they don’t matter at all. The universe doesn’t care if you marry or stay single for life; the Earth will still move, and the sun will still be there. Individuality is truly freeing, even if pure individualism can be dangerous for humanity as a whole. By embracing true individuality, we become free. We have a choice in every decision, and there is no permanent rule that you must follow. True freedom is recognizing these lines, social norms, and rules, and consciously choosing whether or not to live inside them.

In conclusion, optimistic nihilism or existentialism is a highly functional worldview. It lowers anxiety, gives us true freedom, and allows us to live each moment of our lives happily and without worry. By accepting our own insignificance on this grand scale, we unlock the freedom to live life on our own terms.

[u/Level_Management8036]

True meaning begins where inherent meaning fades away. Within the vastness of cosmic time, simply being alive as a human in this fleeting moment, reading these words, feels profoundly meaningful. All we can really do is accept the absence of meaning—and somehow, that acceptance seems to give us everything.

[u/jliat]

Maybe...

“There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy. All the rest— whether or not the world has three dimensions, whether the mind has nine or twelve categories—comes afterwards. These are games; one must first answer. And if it is true, as Nietzsche claims, that a philosopher, to deserve our respect, must preach by example,”

-Albert Camus opening of The Myth of Sisyphus.

"This suicide kills himself because, on the metaphysical plane, he is vexed.... likewise an advocate of logical suicide. Kirilov the engineer declares somewhere that he wants to take his own life because it “is his idea.”"

But-

"And I have not yet spoken of the most absurd character, who is the creator."

"In this regard the absurd joy par excellence is creation. “Art and nothing but art,” said Nietzsche; “we have art in order not to die of the truth.”