Nothing Matters
In the grand scheme of things, nothing matters. Yet everything matters to us.
Yet Everything Matters
This is an impossible logical statement that speaks to the core of what it means to be human. We perform a delicate dance between these two mutually exclusive elements, blending together like a mathematical miracle.
On one hand, we are but a minuscule speck of dust within the infinite cosmos and vast expanse of time. In the grand scheme of things, nothing really matters.
But on the other hand, our experiences, emotions, perceptions of the world, the news, our relationships and careers all carry such significance, as if everything matters.
The key to a healthy human experience is to hold both truths simultaneously and in balance.
If we lean too much towards “nothing matters,” we risk falling into nihilism, losing our drive and passion for life. Nothing holds meaning. But if we become consumed by “everything matters,” we end up obsessing over trivial matters, causing anxiety and suffering.
The wonder of human existence lies in our ability to hold such contradictions. Our humanity is defined by these paradoxes, in contrast to the objective, physics-abiding nature of scientific truth. Other animals are inherently true to their nature. We are, in a sense, nature’s anomalies.
The Power of “Nothing Matters”
Most of us are predisposed to believe that “everything matters,” which is why it’s essential for us to practice a “nothing matters” mindset.
When we’re overwhelmed by emotion and feel as if our actions and experiences define the world, reminding ourselves that “nothing matters” is incredibly liberating. This realization enables us to venture into the world more courageously, with less attachment to outcomes.
“When you are high on indignation and losing patience, remember that human life is a mere fragment of time and shortly we are all in our graves.” - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
In the end, nothing matters.
So, What Matters?
If nothing matters, what does matter then?
Our experiences, the joy and pain we feel, and our connections to others and nature matter. These connections help us feel like we’re part of something greater.
“We should also attend to things like these, observing that even the incidental effects of the processes of Nature have their own charm. Take the baking of bread. The loaf splits open here and there, and those very cracks, in one way a failure of the baker’s profession, somehow catch the eye and give particular stimulus to our appetite…Similarly the ears of corn nodding down to the ground, the lion’s puckered brow, the foam gushing from the boar’s mouth…looked at in isolation these things are far from lovely, but their consequence on the processes of Nature enhances them and gives them attraction.
So any man with a feeling and deeper insight for the workings of the Whole will find some pleasure in almost every aspect of their disposition. Such a man will take no less delight in the living snarl of wild animals than in all the imitative representations of painters; he will see a kind of bloom and fresh beauty in an old woman or old man.” - Meditations
Family, love, and gratitude matter. The following Instagram story shared by a friend caught my eye.
“The world has felt a bit more distant and foreign in the last few years. In these times, nothing replaces the warmth and love of family. So grateful I got to spend 2 months in SF with my family after 3 years apart.”
Self-expression and creating art matter.
“Art is a reverberation of an impermanent life. As human beings, we come and go quickly, and we get to make works that stand as monuments to our time here. Enduring affirmations of existence. Michelangelo’s David, the first cave paintings, a child’s finger-paint landscapes - they all echo the same human cry, like graffiti scrawled in a bathroom stall:
I was here.” - Rick Rubin, The Creative Act
I’d add that there are many different ways to create “art”. My art, for instance, is assembling “cathedrals” of ideas and co-creating epiphanies. Writing and videos are my ways of expression.
Experiencing beauty matters.
“Beauty is that in the presence of which we feel more alive.” - John O’ Donohue, Irish Poet
I’ll leave you to discover what makes you feel alive - that’s your personal definition of beauty.
The present moment matters. So does the future, but less so.
“When you fret at any circumstance, you have forgotten a number of things. You have forgotten…that everything which happens was always so in the past, will be the same again in the future…All is as thinking makes it so, each of us lives only the present moment, and the present moment is all we lose.” - Meditations
Our bodies matter. As I get older and begin to see more age-related suffering in my circle, I’m reminded that my body is the vehicle in which I get to experience everything that matters.
“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” - Jim Rohn
In a world where nothing matters, our ability to love, create, and be present is what matters. We are all walking contradictions, but it’s also what it means to be human. It’s precisely through these contradictions that we find harmony, passion and meaning.
So the next time you find yourself stressing over anything, remind yourself first that “nothing matters”, then remember the things that do.
I used this mind map to help me organize my thoughts.
