Life exists in constant contrast to death. We persistently exist on the brink of tragedy.
Everything we hold dear is destined to expire, we are ephemeral, flowers that blossom only to be reclaimed by the earth. How do we manage the terror of our own mortality, of the grief that awaits us as those we love succumb to their own?
The Nihilist would argue that we surrender to the meaninglessness of life, that it bears no weight because it came from nothing and will return to nothing. Terror Management Theory suggests some of us will try to ignore the awareness of our own mortality or that we may overcompensate our fear of oblivion with delusions of grandeur. Still others will confront the despair only to be consumed by it, to surrender their capacity for love and happiness for guilt over the suffering that awaits them and that others endure daily.
I think the answer lies in confronting that which we fear, because doom and despair exist only in contrast to prosperity and happiness. Darkness exists in contrast to light, but rather than live in darkness, or anguish about the darkness would not fight back that darkness. We must be the torch, the beacons of light for ourselves and those we love.
To surrender to despair as a Nihilist would suggest would simply be to advance your demise. To cope as most do with avoidance or lying to ourselves about our own destiny would lead us to squander our precious time. No we must not embrace our demise nor can we avoid it. We must not let tragedy extinguish our light.
We must embody the antithesis of mortality, we must live. Acknowledge your limited time on this earth, the limited time you will have with those you love, and use that to compel you to live well.
We should acknowledge despair always waits just out of sight destined to arrive regardless of our objections. We do not live in fear of that looming heartbreak, we live in spite of it. The best retaliation against fear and despair is to live well, to prosper and rejoice with those you hold close.
We build resilience within ourselves so that we can endure the tragedies which will come. We support those people and values that are meaningful to us so that they can endure. We celebrate good times and birthdays because we know they are precious and will pass.
We are not guilty for our good fortune, we are not hypocrites for prospering while others suffer. We live aware that despair will come for us and we will not be intimidated, we will live in spite of it. We will share our good fortune with those less fortunate, we will aid those in need while we prosper, we will build strength to offer support. Some day when our roles are reversed may we be graced with that same support.
Memento Mori