So sometimes when I read something, such as a certificate or license or ownership that is permanent, I tend to always be reminded that it only lasts for as long as I live, and that I won’t have ownership over it forever. I also tend to worry that I could instantly die at any moment and not even realize it.
It also feels a bit pointless because eventually I will die at some point, which could be far away, but it could also be immediately today or right now, so why bother? What do you think of this?
I think you think too much about too little with not nearly enough information.
“Why bother?” is indeed a deep question. Humans invented religion and philosophy mostly to answer that question. Even reading just all the wiki entries on those two topics will take you a week or two. get to work. Then you’ll know a teeny bit more of what humanity has thought and written on the topic.
Pretty much nothing in the Universe is absolute. Most everything is approximate. Everything, absolutely everything, is temporary. Permanence is an approximation.
The Sun won’t last forever. But it will last long enough that you don’t need to worry about its finite lifespan.
There’s usually one dude who begins talking like that whenever people share marijuana. It’s a cue for the group to dissolve, wander off, and then reform, without that person.
It’s a typical symptom of depression. Past that, whether the depression is caused by your circumstances and overall viewpoint about life, or by chemical imbalances, would have to be decided through medical intervention.
I avoid such thoughts by reflecting that my lifetime is finite, and there is only going to be one of them. One can put an amazing number of conundrums into perspective with that idea.
Also, the wellbeing of people near to me does not stop being of importance just because I am dead. After I am gone, the people I care about will still be here, undeserving of ill fate. The accrued benefits of my life works can continue to benefit them, its importance being undiminished.
I have sort of the opposite problem. I worry about all the things attached to me that seem more permanent that me. If I were to kill myself now, I would need to sort out a ton of paperwork first. I’d have to cancel my bank account, my insurance, my gym membership, my phone subscription, my apartment lease… et cetera. Or, well, I guess I could leave it all. That seems dickish, though. As soon as I’m gone and none of that stuff is attached to a living person, it’ll probably cause havoc in computer systems everywhere. Maybe it’s not my problem, but I bet that it’ll become someone’s problem.
And I think about, say, my email address. I have no idea how long those hang around if they’re inactive, but I’m imagining my gmail, years after I’m gone, with spam still dripping in. There’s something weirdly sad about that.
I have realized recently that the entire point of this exercise called life is having children. Eat, survive, reproduce. And as soon as you’ve reproduced, you more or less have to stick around until your kids are out of the house.
Not sure if there’s more to it. A body is just a vehicle for your genes to copy themselves. But if you pull that off, it should keep you busy for a while.
And, see, it gives meaning to the entire construction that is your life. Why even survive childhood? Why get through high school? Why go to college and get a bunch of degrees? Why get a job? Why make money? Why go on dates? Why have sex? Why get married? Why buy a house? Ah, the child. Now it makes sense. All this time, you were building a nest for the child.
I don’t have kids, BTW, and I’m not having any in the future. So what the point is for me, personally… who knows? At this point, it’s like crossing a wobbly bridge. It’s about getting to the other side, and never, ever looking down. Well, never looking down again. I think you only do that once.
But for the rest of you: Yeah, it’s the baby-making thing.
You can take solace in the fact that a vast number of people depart the Earth everyday leaving behind just such a mess. Thousands and thousands of them
It gets sorted out eventually anyhow. Dealing with dead people’s dangling stuff is just one more overhead in the whole machinery of human bureaucracy.
It’d be polite not go too far out of your way just to spite people by making it extra hard for the fun of it. But there’s no need to spend a moment’s effort making your current living harder just so the bureaucratic janitors eventually have an easier clean-up in aisle Bigfoot.
I tend to think the opposite on the rare occasions I actually think about it. For instance I bend over and tie my shoes. The guy behind me walking slightly changes his course by 1/10 of a second causing him to get run over by a car. I sometimes think of chains of events that could go on for centuries. It really has been a long time since I thought about this so thanks for the reminder.
Yeah, it’s all meaningless. So curl up in a ball of despair, you should?
If it’s all meaningless, what’s the point of despair? Your despair is meaningless. So why bother despairing?
You should only despair if there’s a reason to, and if Life, The Universe, and Everything are meaningless, then there’s no reason to despair, because there’s no reason for anything.
So do whatever you like. Personally, I find curling up into a ball and sobbing about the unfairness of the universe is pretty boring. So go out and smell the flowers and help little old ladies across the street. It won’t make life meaningful, but at least you’re not wasting your life crying in a heap. Or if you want to spend your life collapsed in a heap, go ahead and do that. It’s your life.
Does anyone really spend their time crying in a heap because of the abstract meaninglessness of existence? Well, maybe *some *people do. Humanity is endlessly rich in its variety. But I’m betting it’s a teensy-weensy percentage. I mean, I think we can all contemplate the meaningless of it all, I’m just not sure if it’s in our makeup to really be bummed out by it. I don’t think we’re really advanced enough creatures, emotionally. You can think existence is absurd and everything is pointless. But ice cream still tastes good, the sun still shines, and sitcoms are still funny.
That’s is, unless you’re depressed. In which case, as Adam Savage might put it, there’s your problem.
I mean, even the thought of my own death doesn’t bother me. Not really. It’s too abstract. Maybe I *should *be freaked out by it, but I think I’m just too dumb. Of course, it’s probably different if you’re in a situation where your imminent death is a real possibility. Say, if you have terminal cancer, or you’re being chased by a bear.
A few questions, then, for the OP:
Does ice cream taste good?
Are sitcoms funny?
Does the sun shine?
Furthermore:
Do you have terminal cancer?
Are you being chased by a bear?
Also: Are you sure there’s not something else bugging you?
Do you have money?
Are you healthy?
Are you employed?
Do you have friends?
Are you getting laid?