Complex Numbers

Everything Louder Than Everything Else

First of all, there might be erratic post timing from me over the weekend. I'm going beer tasting out of town. (Still don't have a car; someone else is driving.)

And now for a "JAFBG"  [XGC] prompt...

Have you ever run into the "Is this all there is to life?" existential crisis? How do you get past it?

No.

It's not like I've never asked myself that question; it's just that it never sank to the level of "existential crisis."

The root cause of existential crises, as I see it anyway, is that we're fooled into believing that life has a meaning, or a purpose.

It does not.

Believing that it does necessarily results in thinking about what that might be. Some people might find their own meaning or purpose, and they're content to live in accordance with it. That's fine, too. All I'm saying is that the initial assumption is faulty. You can build a house on a strong foundation, but if the underlying soil is unstable, it doesn't matter how solid the house is or how strong the foundation is; it will crack, tilt, sink, or get washed away in the next flood.

Once you realize that, ultimately, nothing has a meaning save that which we project upon it, you can just live life.

I'm sure a bunch of people would question the invalidity of that assumption.

"Isn't the purpose of life to reproduce?" That's a big part of the definition of life, but it's not a "purpose." Besides, we can choose not to do so, as I have, and still lead a satisfying life. Sometimes more satisfying, because there's less drama and disappointment involved. (Let's table for now the question of whether we actually choose anything.)

"But what about all the bearded philosopher types who claim to have found the meaning?" What about them? None of them stand up to objective scrutiny, as is obvious because the beards each have their own, often mutually exclusive, take on it.

"Forty-two!" Oh, give it a rest already.

I guess the philosopher who sums it up best for me is Jim Steinman, who wrote the following immortal lines for Meat Loaf to belt out:

Who am I? Why am I here?
Forget the questions, someone get me another beer
What's the meaning of life? What's the meaning of it all?
You gotta learn to dance before you learn to crawl
You gotta learn to dance before you learn to crawl

If you want my views of history, then there's something you should know
The three men I admire most are Curly, Larry, and Moe
Don't worry about the future, sooner or later it's the past
If they say the thrill is gone then it's time to take it back
If the thrill is gone then it's time to take it back