I understand your struggle. Everything you said is something that I've also thought about. Sometimesit is nearly the first thought I have upon waking, and I have difficulty not dwelling on it all day.
It seems meaningless to point out that we have an impact. Yes, our children, should we have any, will remember us. And perhaps grandchildren or even great grandchildren. And then what? Eventually, the ripples that you make are so small and far away....and really, really eventually, in the longest run, this planet will be eaten by the sun, perhaps humans will never get off it. Then what is the point?
So I get it, I really do. I too struggle with finding any meaning when consciousness is finite.
At the same time, there isn't anything you can do about it. The only answer I've come up with after years of this struggle is that if it doesn't matter, then the meaninglessness is also meaningless, if you catch my drift. We exist NOW, and may as well have as good existence as we can, and help others do the same.
I try and view the utter meaninglessness as a complete blank slate. A white piece of paper I get to draw on. Of course, then I think the paper will be destroyed also, or perhaps does not even exist at all, so I come full circle. The mental struggle with this nihilistic idea is never ending for me.
Living in the now is the ONLY answer that works. Asking the question is as meaningless as everything else, so try and stop doing it if it is causing you suffering. I recommend looking into DBT, radical acceptance, and mindfullness. These things have allowed me to at least move forward, though they do not answer the question of meaninglessness.
If you ever need to talk to someone about your feelings about meaninglessness, please feel free to PM me. ~hugs~
It seems meaningless to point out that we have an impact. Yes, our children, should we have any, will remember us. And perhaps grandchildren or even great grandchildren. And then what? Eventually, the ripples that you make are so small and far away....and really, really eventually, in the longest run, this planet will be eaten by the sun, perhaps humans will never get off it. Then what is the point?
So I get it, I really do. I too struggle with finding any meaning when consciousness is finite.
At the same time, there isn't anything you can do about it. The only answer I've come up with after years of this struggle is that if it doesn't matter, then the meaninglessness is also meaningless, if you catch my drift. We exist NOW, and may as well have as good existence as we can, and help others do the same.
I try and view the utter meaninglessness as a complete blank slate. A white piece of paper I get to draw on. Of course, then I think the paper will be destroyed also, or perhaps does not even exist at all, so I come full circle. The mental struggle with this nihilistic idea is never ending for me.
Living in the now is the ONLY answer that works. Asking the question is as meaningless as everything else, so try and stop doing it if it is causing you suffering. I recommend looking into DBT, radical acceptance, and mindfullness. These things have allowed me to at least move forward, though they do not answer the question of meaninglessness.
If you ever need to talk to someone about your feelings about meaninglessness, please feel free to PM me. ~hugs~
“Eternity is a terrible thought. I mean, where's it going to end?”
― Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
― Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
