“Human beings are remarkably resilient. When you think about it, our species has been teetering upon the edge of the existential cliff since Hiroshima. In short, we endure.” - Rick Yancey
We are swiftly approaching Spring Break and whilst for many that means some much-needed R&R, for a few choice others, it’s another sore reminder that time is passing us by and we have no idea where we’re going with our lives. Hence, an existential crisis.
This is a phrase more or less used as a way to express feelings of dread and confusion related to one’s existence. See: “What is the meaning of Life?” and “Why the f*** am I Here?”
In my own personal experience, there are many things that keep me up at night, but whilst the thought of some satanic entity perched on the window sill of my room is sure to have me hidden under the covers, it is the inevitability of the inevitable that will have me awake all night.
A prime example of this phenomenon is something as simple as waking up. I wake up in the morning, innocent and naive, only to realise that “Oh, hey I’m alive.” To the rest of the world, that’s just the way it is. To me, it’s the beginning of a downward spiral into a vortex of multilayered thoughts on the meaning of consciousness.
In that moment, I have multiple options to deal with this, but on the ends of each extreme, I really only have two. They are:
- Keep dwelling on these thoughts and eventually exhaust my mind from the strain of trying to understand “wtf is this life?"
Or,
2. Think about how great it would be to get up and eat something delicious simply because I can.
It’s crazy but when you relish the idea of whatever this existence is, it allows you the capacity to do so many wonderful things despite all the negativities that may surround you. It’s the possibilities of what can be not what if that can distinguish between a lifetime of wondering and a lifetime of doing. Seriously, the feeling of that cheeky doughnut from Dunkin after a long day, having a dog bound up to you in the street after a crazy midterm - how insane is it that such ordinary, everyday things can wash away the stress of a terrible day? Isn’t it mind-boggling just how readily we can devote our lives to another for the sake of this thing called Love?
Isn’t it all so freaking amazing?
Those are the things that you should dwell on, not the inevitability of death. It’s going to happen. We all know it. What we don’t know is going to happen is whether that essay you wrote is going to win the entire nationwide competition or whether you’re going to graduate university and become a renowned spoken word poet even though you majored in Physics.
I’m not an optimist, far from it, but I do think it is better to dwell on what is good than what is not. It’s a game of either/or and it’s up to you to decide. You can choose to be an asshole so no one hurts you, or to practice stoicism so you never get let down. You can run to various other religions to help you come to terms with why, how and what you are on this earth for but to be very honest, there’s no straight answer. You just have to go with the flow.
And that’s the beauty of it.
