Nihilism, Human Philosophies, and Finding Meaning in a Temporary Existence

Exploring nihilism, altruism, egoism, and transcendence as responses to life's impermanence

I personally feel nihilistic, in the sense that I know nothing truly matters.

I don’t believe in any religion—just the clear realization that we are nothing more than space dust hurtling on a rock through a vast cosmic soup.

Whether the U.S. economy collapses and we fall like Rome, whether Russia succeeds in annexing Ukraine and Poland, whether any of us become rich and famous or poor and homeless—none of it matters.

Eventually, humanity will go extinct like the dinosaurs. Earth’s ozone layer and atmosphere will deplete, the sun will become a red giant and engulf our solar system, and a trillion years from now, the universe itself will slow to a halt. Heat and movement are nothing more than the vibration of particles, and eventually, everything will come to a standstill, reaching absolute zero—0 degrees Kelvin—in an eerie, frozen, lifeless universe.

When you consider the philosophical implications of this, it’s terrifying and can provoke an existential crisis.

However, that leads me to other philosophies.

If, scientifically, the end is inevitably nihilistic, then life is simply a temporary experience for each of us. From that perspective, people can derive meaning in different ways:

• Altruism: Finding joy in living for others—whether through missionary work, community service, nursing, or similar paths.
• The Ego: Living for oneself—pursuing fishing, camping trips, or competitive sports. (I’d argue that most football players don’t play for the fans but for their own sense of glory.)
• Transcendence: Finding joy in the beauty of nature and the world around us.

Personally, I believe humans exist on a spectrum of these philosophies, rather than living in strictly black-and-white terms.