Absurdism
We exist on an infinitely small point on the timeline of the universe, and we live out this point in an infinitesimally small space of the universe. Galaxies colliding and time passing pay no attention to human existence regardless of how impactful that human was in their infinitesimal time. Therefore, living for accomplishments is meaningless. Living to be remembered is just as flawed. Perhaps if you are one of the greats, you could be remembered for a few thousand years. If you are the greatest human ever to live, you could be remembered for a few hundred thousand years! Or millions, or even billions. The problem is that even these figures are infinitesimally small on the time line of the universe.
Coping with meaninglessness
This idea scares lots of people, but I personally find it freeing. Our choices and paths through life are not constricted by a purpose or set of rules to live by. We are free to live our lives by whatever metric we see fit! This probably brings up the question: if there is no purpose to life, then what is the point of living it? Ultimately, there is no true point in living it, and we aren't forced to live it either. Ultimately, this gives us complete freedom in our lives; we are free to make our own choices and ascribe meaning to whatever we want; there is no such thing as failure; we are free to leave our lives at any moment we wish.
My pursuit
So this brings up the topic of how I want to live my life. ἀρετή is the ancient Greek idea of the pursuit of excellence, or reaching the point where one's potential is fully realized across all aspects of one's life. I plan on living my life with this principle, and although the end goal does not matter in any capacity, I believe that by living in accordance with this principle, I can live the most fulfilling life possible.
back