Val's Musings

A Life Worth Living

What constitutes a life worth living if we can't even be sure to be living at all? There is no way to disprove, that a moment, any moment, was not created in just an instance. All your memories, emotion hopes and dreams along with it. A simple state called into existance and destined to fade just as fast. The positions of all atoms, all electric charges in your brain created, not as you remember, but just now. Maybe it is part of a simulation, god experimenting, or just a simple dream to wake up from in a couple of minutes. If this were the case, the past would not be real, nor would the future after it is erased, just as quickly as it was called into existence. It simply cannot be disproven. While it calls into question the relevance of everything, the hypothesis itself may seem irrelevant. However, it is not. We all experience dreams, fake surroundings, mirages, and uncover lies right before our eyes. Everything may just be a dream afterall. This idea is not new, nor does not invalidate any of your memories and concepts. It serves as a reminder. The reminder that nothing may be real is a reminder, that the now is all that matters. This moment should be cherished and engaged. There are many more dangers to the existence of a single human life (guns, cars, disease, and old age...), which are much more immediate than the possibility nothing be real in the first place. It is a simple reminder that this moment is all that you have.

Finding a way to enjoy and make the most of every single experience is a lifelong journey. You may find this current moment is not contributing to some distant goal, but maybe the need for sustinance or love is more immediate. That goal might not matter in the future after all. The structure your thoughts bring can guide you to making the right decisions, but are no guarantee. You're here now, and that is what matters.

These are lofty ideas spoken from a point of privelege. I feel no hunger or malnutrition, i fear no future, have no past of regret. I am. Perhaps you envy me for this. But deep down this applies to you too. How meaningful are your regrets, how uncertain is your future? They have absolutely no bearing as the importance of this exact moment in which you exist. The past are a bunch of occurences that only exist in your memory. The future is a realm of infinite possibilities most of which are out of your control. You may not have even existed in the past, you may die tomorrow, but you have this moment. And this moment could end at any instance. Make the most of it. Cherish it for all it is worth.

The idea, that nothing I feel hear or perceive might not be real should not be a cause of concern. It is merely a sign of caution. You cannot trust your senses one hundred percent. You should be on the lookout for that which contradicts your understanding of the world, actively engage in points of wonder. Getting to the bottom of these peculiarities helps understand what real actually means. Helps us finally differentiate between the real and the unreal, grow intellectually, and understand the universe.