Thanks to Probably George (:P)

[apiphile]

The only thing that connects us, as humans, is that we are alive and that we are human. The only reward we get for this, this condition of being human, is the certainty of death. That is why, I think, I'm "sort of a nihilist"; our only certainty is that we are alive and must die, our only imperative is to keep living until we die - whether by

Comments

[coniferous_you]

Why do people not like this argument? The way I see it is that it doesn't challenge anyone's beliefs at all (nothing can be known), unless they are not as rock-solid certain of what they believe as they claim. (As an example, one of my dad's now-departed old priest friends liked to react to my nihilist argument with, "yeah, so what? I don't know what happens after either" so my teenager self lost that one).

certainty

That's why I like nihilism. It fits with my ontological view that I don't believe I can personally know anything for sure, except that I can't know anything for sure. I can probably decide what is improbable, but I am in no state to decide what is impossible. But now my brain's gone all paradoxical on me and I have to end this comment.

[apiphile]

"So what?" is an excellent theological position, I approve.

*g* Well, I am fairly certain I'm going to die possibly tonight if my sinuses don't cut this shit out and I am rather excited by the knowledge that the earth, sun, universe, and TIME ITSELF are also going to die. Everything ends is such a beautiful concept. "This, too, shall pass" before the hippies ate it...

[coniferous_you]

"So what?" is an excellent theological position, I approve.

Yeah, it's a good one. It's weird that the only religious folks who accept this notion are church leaders (Mother Theresa almost got ousted from the sainthood process when it was revealed that she really didn't know what was coming at the end of her old age and when she doubted that prayer, but not good works, did anything), and old priests (my dad has a habit of befriending the only educated intellectual in the community who was only even there because the church sent him there). Everyone else in that subset of the population has given me the offensive, knee-jerk reaction that my trolling younger self would have desired. Except for this one guy in university. He talked like a pirate sometimes.

*g* Well, I am fairly certain I'm going to die possibly tonight if my sinuses don't cut this shit out and I am rather excited by the knowledge that the earth, sun, universe, and TIME ITSELF are also going to die. Everything ends is such a beautiful concept. "This, too, shall pass"

[apiphile]

Oh ho. Yeah. My mother's response to "we have no idea what happens" was "isn't it wonderful?" so I may have picked that up from her. Only with more aggressive I DON'T KNOW SHIT AND NEITHER DO YOU and less mysticism.

I'm comfortable with my beliefs, largely because they don't demand anything of me or of anyone else, but that doesn't mean I'm not afraid of dying. I'm scared mostly that it's going to hurt, and be cold and lonely. I figure once you're dead, there's no YOU to experience it, so it doesn't matter that there's no more you etc. But actually going through the process of dying scares me.

[tintop_lizzy]

I am awed by you constantly. The quality of your shed cells is better than me with my two recycled cats and desire to achieve and not starting anything.

AND THAN YOU WRITE STUFF LIKE THIS AND I AM BLOWN AWAY.

sorry no rationality to add here, all the stuff already sad.

To sum up:- YES *nods*

[tintop_lizzy]

sad = said, sorry.

[apiphile]

IF YOU SAY SO I AM NOT ON BOARD WITH THIS

[apiphile]

George: Equivocator In Nihilism. Good biography title?

Of course. And the fact that were are cosmically irrelevant should render our tiny, brief connections all the more important to us.

I have read quite a bit of William Gibson. I always found him a little cold, though.