One can choose to believe there is no true reasoning to why we were placed on this earth and argue that we are just a tiny insignificant speck of dust floating around the universe. A speck of dust with just the rare coincidence of life upon us while facing an inevitable death someday. A day where it all will fade into nothingness and nothing we do will have mattered.
That's one way to see the world, and it's completely fine to believe that there is no real reason to why we're here. We all know that at some moment or another the world will disappear, but does this really mean nothing we do matters? Some people argue that in the "grand scheme of things" the actions we take in the present will not be of any importance and none of our actions will have made any significant difference. There is something wrong with this realization though; here’s why. First of all, the notion that the things we do doesn’t matter is way to broad. Matter to who? The universe, a completely impersonal force? Actions matter to people who choose to make them significant and meaningful in their lives. It’s people who add value to actions, events and other people.The issue with believing nothing will matter in the “grand scheme of things” is that we're not adding to whom it won't matter. We have to look for a person not a thing to give meaning to our actions; meaning cannot exist without a subject. Wether I choose to help out a grandma cross the street today won’t make slightest of difference to the universe as a whole, but that doesn’t make my action worthless. It counts to the lady who feels safer and more secure when attempting to cross a dangerous road. It brings her gratefulness to my life today in the present moment because it mattered to her. This is what it’s all about. Also, just because something you do doesn’t transcend through time doesn’t make it any less meaningful. Why should the importance of your actions be based solely on how long they last? We might say that merely short-term consequences should not count for much, but there is simply no reason to hold that they should not count at all. Take the example of fighting for love for instance. Sometimes couples know that their relationships won’t necessarily last for whatever reason, but they still choose to pursue it and fight for the other person to be with them for at least a short amount of time. Just because they know their relationship will eventually end and all their time and effort essentially wouldn't have counted doesn't mean it wasn't worth it. Why? Because of the amount of time they spent in each others company, because of the meaning they gave to each other and because both of these people decided that the other person and the relationship mattered to them. Just because something will fade doesn't make it any less important. Meaningfulness comes and goes throughout time and choosing to not care because of the thought something wont last forever only hinders your ability to do great things with your life. Whether it’s helping out a woman cross the street, or fighting for a love you know might not last, that’s all part of living. It;s To the universe as a whole, your life means nothing at all. But to the individual, the experience has meaning. It's not about the end result or impact on the universe at large. It's about the experience. Your “grand scheme of things” should be your own life. Why would you want your actions to last millions of years for them to matter? If you want to have a meaningful life where your actions matter, one should seek to be the most meaningful towards the lives you can affect the most. Hence, you should work to have the greatest positive meaning towards those people as possible. Yes, no one is safe from complete annihilation or extinction, but everyone has the power to make their actions matter.
0 Comments
|