On The Vanity of Existence
Schopenhauer’s Pessimistic View of Life
The brilliant German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer, was among the first 19th century philosophers to assert that the universe was neither a rational nor nice place. He is often considered to be the ultimate pessimist, who taught that only withdrawal from the world and contemplation of art can relieve life’s suffering. What follows is my retelling of one of his most pessimistic works, found in his last writings, Parerga and Paralipomena.
I.
The very form that our being takes reveals its futility. Compare our lives, which flash by in an instant, to space and time, which are infinite. The present, which is gone in a trice, is the only place where our reality exists. We are continually becoming, but never being; we continually desire, but are never satisfied; we are continually frustrated by our strivings, but this is our life’s work. Time reduces every material thing, including us, to nothingness and obviates all real value.
II.
The past no longer is; it might as well have never been. All things that are, in the next instant have been. The most important and significant past is overshadowed by even the most trivial present; however banal, the present alone has actuality.
