Antidote to Nihilism — Part I: Exploring Nihilism’s Abyss
We live in a world flooded with choices. Most of our survival needs are already met even before we realize what they are. Thus, one is born with the freedom to choose and live a life they desire. However, this combination of abundant choices and freedom poses two notable problems:
Problem 1: Paradox of Choice
Too many choices lead to an inability to make a single decision, causing Choice Anxiety.
Problem 2: Distraction
Closely linked to Problem 1, the plethora of choices causes distraction, hindering people from pursuing a single goal with discipline and focus. People are constantly swayed by the options around them, and the Fear of Missing Out (on other options) surpasses the drive to pursue the initially chosen goal.
Ultimately, a person either finds themselves unable to choose anything or torn apart between a set of choices they equally want to pursue. This makes them feel stuck and, eventually, Lazy.
How lazy, you ask?
The current world, though very progressive, has progressed with many negatives on the side. One of the most prominent negatives is the sheer number of activities that provide instant gratification. Human biology is wired based on homeostasis, and consequently, the human brain is wired only for moderate pleasure. However, the current world is pushing humans to all possible extremes. Thus, a human, though desiring to make a firm decision, finds themselves chained by the never-ending instant gratification around them and, ultimately, succumb to their natural instincts and get caught in the loop. Unfortunately, this is more of a downward spiral than a loop. It begins as a regular activity; before one realizes it, they are chained by it. Initially ignoring physical health and then the surrounding environment, they eventually isolate themselves since the world they are chained to is far more pleasurable than any real world they can be in.
Returning to the indecisive state… Neuroscientifically speaking, when one is chained by an addiction (any instant gratification, it’s only a matter of time until addiction sets in), their dopamine levels become continually low to match the constant dopamine spikes received initially through the addiction. This puts them in a state akin to chronic depression and ultimately makes them Nihilistic.
Nihilism is the natural conclusion one reaches in such a state of mind. It is the belief that life has no purpose and that all joy and pain are meaningless since everyone is going to die someday.
Another event that could cause such a state is a tragic event that attacks explicitly one or more of one’s core beliefs. Mental stability is disturbed when beliefs break. This leads to an avalanche of questions, causing confusion and, ultimately, making them lose faith in the very concept of a belief system. They can no longer trust anything because they have seen the fragile and subjective nature of beliefs and belief systems. This causes what is termed an “Existential Crisis.” It is the realization that all belief systems could be flawed, and the ability to navigate through life is lost. One ends up feeling purposeless, hopeless, and pessimistic. Finally, they become Nihilistic.
I am not sure how many people face the true wrath of Nihilism, but I spent enough time dealing with this absurd and bottomless question. I label this question as ‘absurd and bottomless’ due to its inherent nature. The deeper you go, the more you are lost, the more you doubt reality, and the more psychotic you become.
The most straightforward and logical solution to Nihilism is suicide. It is the go-to solution to escape any problem one has. A person can kill 100 people and get away with it by killing themselves, and they would escape the consequences. But then, if everyone thought this way, the human species wouldn’t have survived. Most people haven’t attempted this since the concept of suicide is portrayed as a sinful act, and most people are too scared to do it. Fear of the unknown. Fear of death itself.
If you have come this far, I believe you have experienced this in some form and would like to dig deeper and know my perspective. Thank you, and welcome to the journey.
I assume you’ve decided not to kill yourself and would like to understand this problem through logic (since your faith in everything has shattered). That’s a good first step. The nihilistic questioning begins as follows:
“We are all going to die someday. What’s the point of doing anything? Anything I do is going to amount to nothing or will be forgotten. Time takes away everything.”
“But death isn’t the solution. I don’t know what’s on the other side of death. I can’t take the chance of killing myself. Thus, I must do something until I am alive.”
“I might as well live a life where there’s no pain and struggle.”
And voila, Hedonism. The belief that pleasure is the only purpose of life. But as described above, this comes with the cost of laziness and ends up in depression. The torment of purposelessness and hopelessness will not let one experience pleasure peacefully.
The next natural move is to question the nature of life:
“Why is life this way? Why am I existing? Which religion is correct? Does god truly exist? Why does god exist? Why this universe? Why am I the way I am? Why was I born to these parents? Why am I having such questions while others don’t? Why is my brain wired to seek instant gratification?”
And the list goes on…
All ‘why’ questions lead to yet another question, leaving us only with nothing at the end.
This could lead to the conclusion that there is NO “Why,” there is no inherent purpose or reason, life is indifferent to everyone, any action one performs holds no genuine significance — all of this is ONE ELABORATE LIE!
One might turn to science at some point in this journey since their belief system has been shattered and have lost faith in all non-observable stuff. But science is too young to give any sensible answer. So that’s a dead end.
This person ultimately becomes numb, feels indifferent, doesn’t care about anything, and throws all emotions aside. They sleep every night hoping not to wake up, and every morning, they arise with the disappointment of being awake. Every day becomes the same, and it feels like they’re stuck on a time loop. They might become cold and stone-hearted, justifying their rude nature as being “practical.” The frustration they hold towards life and other “ignorant people who pursue happiness” also channels toward psychopathic tendencies.
This is precisely where they start living a life of complete numbness, ignorance, and laziness. Their life goes this way until society throws its script at them, and they are no longer the author of their life. They become a piece of rock stuck in the river, going where the current takes them, finally losing their individuality. Fast forward to their 40s and 50s; they look back, see nothing profound, and are filled with regret. They might have lied and convinced themselves that they lived the “truth,” unlike others who were blinded by life’s distractions, but deep down, they know it was life lived poorly. They live the rest of their life with this insecurity and die with it.
But Nihilism might just have a solution…
