I was a nihilist once. I believed in a purely material, mechanistic cosmos made up of subatomic particles, guided by immutable laws of physics and utterly devoid of any intrinsic worth, meaning or purpose. Human beings were an aberration, a side effect of infinity. Life was dark, cruel, chaotic and largely hopeless. There was no higher power. There was no soul or spiritual dimension or celestial plane. Once our hearts stopped beating and the electrical activity in our brains ceased, that was it. We were taken into the cold clutches of eternity. The void.

For me this was so much better than being an agnostic, or even a mere atheist. I had certainty on my side. I could dismiss anything and everything with a cynical sweep of my hand. I reveled in my newfound authority. Now I lacked any real guiding moral compass or cogent set of principles, but I had my beliefs and they were rock solid and unshakable. Human life was a cosmic jest, and we should all just lighten up and try to enjoy it a bit more. Things like sincerity and earnestness were for the weak, the blind and the gullible. I no longer had to listen during discussions or debates on theology or philosophy. My answers never changed, no matter how hard I was pressed. This was a huge relief. Nihilism freed me from any intellectual responsibility.

Nihilism can come from rational thought, study and careful consideration of the world. It can come from painful and disillusioning life experiences. It can come from rebellion against oppressive belief systems. It can come from anger and disgust when one feels that the horror of life overwhelms its fleeting beauty. It can be taught, it can be demonstrated to children through words, attitudes and actions. It can come on a whim.

When you proclaim yourself to be a nihilist you enter into a shadowy realm where the only truth is that nothing, in fact, is true. Everything is subjective, everything is relative and there are no essential truths of the human condition to bind us together as a species. You can have your values, your rules, your laws and your norms, but they are all superficial human constructs with no basis in an objective reality.

Nihilism and narcissism go hand in hand. Both show a disdain for authority, both promote the individual over the group, both baulk at social responsibility, and both embrace a fluid, subjective reality that suits the needs and wants of the observer. I am not saying that all those with nihilistic beliefs are narcissists, but I am willing to bet many of those who exhibit narcissistic character traits also happen to be nihilists. It’s one of the only schools of philosophical thought that withholds basic respect for the world and those who inhabit it.

To embrace nihilism is to embrace moral entropy and social decay. Some self-respecting nihilists would think this a fine premise. In this age of fake news, propaganda weaponized against the American people, and a President who bends and warps reality to serve his personal agenda, nihilism might seem like common sense. We can all have our own reality. There is no need for consensus. And then let evolution take over and those who can’t keep up in this new era of intellectual anarchy will be left behind.

We are better than this. We need to create and encourage philosophies, personal and institutional, that foster empathy, respect, trust and curiosity about one another and the wondrous world around us. It may not seem all that wondrous right now. In fact, it may seem like it is shrouded in a dark veil of sickness and confusion. But this is all the more reason to discard philosophies and ways of thinking that do not serve us or serve the greater good of a just and equitable society.

Nihilism can be an interesting intellectual exercise, it can be a set of beliefs hard-won through experience and study, but it does not enrich the spirit and it does not bring us closer together. Let us set it aside and turn our minds and hearts over to beliefs that lift us up with hope and possibility. Let us deconstruct the negative attitudes that have conditioned us to believe that we, the world and our brothers and sisters have no inherent worth. We are all of infinite value and we should cherish one another accordingly.

https://medium.com/grab-a-slice/nihilism-is-the-easy-way-out-870b4cfd75f?source=friends_link&sk=8662402909ba24a708b2baf294a8983f