Existential Hope

Twilight of the Night

In this vast cosmos of ours, sentient experience is truly an enigma. It's undoubtedly not ubiquitous, and yet, it's deeply significant for all of us. Significance, however, is not always (tragically enough) positive for all of us. There are moments in life that make many of us despise existence and question it.

Despite such difficulties, there does appear to be an ethereal good in the world that acts as a source of inimitable joy. It has allowed people to find happiness even as they battle poverty or deadly diseases (the man surviving in the iron lung would be a good example of this). Even though it's true that we need to address suffering to the best of our abilities (and it's evident that we're not doing so at the moment), it is my hope that we shall defenestrate absolutist philosophical pessimism and optimism (which I am sympathetic to) in favour of a more nuanced understanding that seeks to preserve that which matters whilst also reducing harms. Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism might speak of "escaping" the cycle of rebirth. However, it would be remiss of us to forget that they also seek to help transcend us to a higher level of unity, not to put in in a dark valley permeated by nothingness. Additionally, they also believe that the cycle will continue until self-realisation occurs, and the human birth is the best way of achieving moksha/nirvana. There's suffering, but there's also a cure and it's not to simply cease everything. Contentment is certainly a worthwhile aim, particularly because it can provide immense joy. However, that doesn't mean that a life that does have some needs won't have value. We should strike the right balance to ensure progress for all.