Optimistic Nihilist

Life is strange. We're born into a world we didn't pick, stick around a short while, then go back to the void we came from. A lot of us spend that whole time looking for meaning and purpose, hoping this absurd existence will finally make sense. But what if, in the grand scheme of things, nothing we do matters?

Optimistic nihilism takes that meaninglessness and finds joy in the small moments that make life worth living anyway. It admits life has no built-in meaning or purpose and we're specks in an endless universe. Instead of feeling lost or hopeless, optimistic nihilists feel free. Since nothing we do ultimately matters, we are free to make our own meaning and purpose. We can chase what makes us happy and fulfilled, even if it means nothing bigger than that.

Then there's the absurdity of existence. It's the idea that life has no built-in meaning and the world can't be fully understood by human reason. The word also names the clash between our natural hunger for meaning and a universe that doesn't seem to have any.

Some people find comfort in believing life has a greater purpose and what they do matters beyond the moment. That's okay. The nice thing about optimistic nihilism is it lets you find meaning in life, whatever that turns out to be. We get to make our own purpose and enjoy what matters to us.

Maybe we spend too much time worrying about things we can't control. Maybe we should stay in the present and enjoy the small things that make us happy. It should be fine to not make a lasting impact or leave a legacy, and just focus on what matters to us here and now.

For there is merely bad luck in not being loved; there is misfortune in not loving.

-- Albert Camus (1913-1960)