Nothing Matters


Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher,
vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

What do people gain from all the toil
at which they toil under the sun?

What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done;
there is nothing new under the sun.

The people of long ago are not remembered,
nor will there be any remembrance
of people yet to come
by those who come after them.

(Ecclesiastes 1: 2-3, 9, 11)

 

One day you will draw your last breath.


You will be one of about 150 000 people to die on that day. Many of them will be old, some young, and about 6500 of them will be newborn babies.


Perhaps you will have been fortunate enough so that you at least have people who will miss you when you're gone. This won't be the case for everyone. In fact, dying alone and unnoticed is becoming something of an epidemic.


Regardless, unless you are one of the extremely rare individuals who leave a lasting mark on history, in just a few generations the world will have utterly forgotten you ever existed.


Except for that embarrassing thing you did 20 years ago.
Nobody will ever forget about that.


Obviously this isn't true just for us humans either, but all life. But as far as we know, ours is the only species longing for it all to make a bit more sense. Other creatures seem perfectly happy just focusing on their grand missions of finding food and trying to get laid (which, to be fair, seems to be enough for many people as well).

But for many of us this just doesn't cut it. We want more - a greater purpose, a grand story to play a part in. We want to be special.

And don't we have all that? 

Even if just for a while, you bring your own unique voice to this world. You are here now, which is the only time there is. And with you, you are carrying your ancestry from the beginning of humanity. I think that should count as a greater purpose and a grand story. It may not be one that will be told for all eternity, but that doesn't make you any less special. Quite the opposite.

You are a rare gem indeed. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

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