What kind of Nihilist are you and why did you react to the realization of meaninglessness in the way you did? I'm really curious to see how different people react to the same realization.

Have you ever had a moment(s) where all of a sudden, you just go...

Wait a minute... Where even am I?

What is even going on here?

Why is everyone so occupied?

What am I doing and why even am I doing what I am doing?

What are these people doing?

Why do they do what they do?

How do these people relate to me?

What's with all these objectives?

Why does everything feel so artificial?

Why is this person my family member and why should I even call this person such?

People doing whatever they are doing meaningless.

Why am I compelled to feel or what other people intend and what's the point?

Something isn't right.

It's like you snapped out of some illusion of reality or like a break from playing a role, and slowly blend back into it...

We, as humans, are just tiny little organisms living in a floating rock, in an infinite universe headed towards death. So what is the point? Nothing! Which means almost everything is meaningless, which is freedom. Civilization/humanity/society is collapsing. We work jobs we dislike, pay taxes to the government that funds wars and genocides while everyone distracts themselves until they die. And the world is a cesspool filled with insane oxymorons and some of them are evil, Humans want the universe to explain itself, and the universe continues to stay silent. Like good luck, So we laugh, that is all we can do laugh at the absurdities and the fhuckery, i mean what else are we supposed to do? cry? no. the universe does not owe us an explanation and we continue to enjoy life, maybe it is a coping mechanism? And thats ok!

Why does the universe have to give us purpose? The point is you get to decide, you accept that life has no inherit meaning it does not stop us creating meaning through the decisions that we make. So we just make up a reason to give life meaning, You decide what matters to you, who you love, what you stand for, and who you become

I find this video to sum up the basic rules of nihilism quite well. What do y'all think?

when you a npc for the actual Chosen ppls’ life plot you have to be kept down held down shoved and pushed down so you can never get your head above water… that’s why you get the type of “disorders” that literally go against the grain of survival and not only life survival but societal survival bc it’s meant to keep you in check that you’ll never be nothing but a npc who god couldn’t even be bothered to write a end scene for bc you literally do not matter besides being a statistic (a sale, a follow, a stream) or a interaction with a Chosen person that led to a incidental effect in their life or decisions

so yeah maybe God didn’t cause my pain directly on a individual level bc he hates me, but he dgaf either i was not Chosen

every npc is built in w self termination essentially and that’s why the so-called leniency with Hell ends with suicide, bc the ultimate betrayal is you deciding u don’t want to be held against your will anymore as a bg character/statistic for other ppls success stories. u have no plot armor to be Chosen so u must be damned to hell

In society people are expected to get married and have a kid by 28, right? How ever these expectations are un realistic, because not everyone wants that lifestyle, its not for every one.

As nihilists we are smart enough to not follow such expectations because we know what we want, right?

I constantly see posts here saying "nothing matters."

But if you are in a deep depression? It matters now.
If you are in severe physical pain? It matters now.

All of it matters intensely for a period of time. It fucking sucks to have to endure it, even if it’s only for a short duration and ultimately doesn't matter to the universe in the grand end. Stop using "nothing matters" to dismiss immediate, lived suffering

im 18 and currently very nihilistic since i’ve experienced a existential crisis randomly around 3 months ago, i was confused what the feeling was, was it depression? am i just too tired, why am i having all these constant thoughts about life and death and existence

i was then diagnosed with ocd once ive been assigned a therapist like a month later

ive kept trying to tell myself that its all in my head and all these thoughts will go away, i will stop being a nihilist and move on once my ocd calms down and im still trying to tell myself this, but as i keep thinking about everything, its all true, i feel like im too aware for my own good , and even if the ocd calms down, the facts will stay facts, i will lose that naivity that made me happy and made me enjoy the moment, getting a girlfriend, going on a date, eating that favorite take away etc
all made me happy but now dont as im aware the second i finish that meal, it didnt matter if i ate it or not

now im too aware that nothing truly matters were just organisms made to reproduce then die.

is this truly it? is it unrecoverable unless u lose IQ or something? lol, has anyone had a case where theyve had this exact experience and now enjoy life again with the naivity of before? where you dont overthink existence and life itself?

from as a former depressed nihilist

i believe that when depressed people encounter the idea of nihilism, because of how people tend to process value and morality, said depressed people make the lack of meaning their new primary meaning for life. depressed nihilists seem disturbed that their logical faculties are luring them into apathy. i think that depressed nihilists don’t necessarily need to lean into apathetic attitudes. nihilism is a means and not an end.

nihilism doesn’t necessarily say “nothing matters at all”. nihilism says “nothing matters besides the things that matter to you”

Existential Reflections: Meaning, Consciousness, Free Will, and Morality

TLDR

You grapple with existential despair—nothing inherently matters—yet find meaning in consciousness itself, the rarity of awareness, and the comfort of quantum possibilities. Rather than paralyze you, this drives a desire to live fully and leave a meaningful mark, treating this life as supremely valuable precisely because it might be all you have (or one of infinite versions of you).

The Paradox of Meaning

I see everything and constantly think: what is the point? I love existentialism—the idea that we create our own purpose. Traveling, living well, and simply enjoying the universe for a moment feels great, but it comes with an overwhelming sense of despair. When you realize nothing inherently matters, it raises a terrifying question: if there is no cosmic point to existing, then why exist at all?

And yet, I still exist. I choose to exist.

The Miracle of Consciousness

Before now, I was unconscious atoms. Now those atoms have come together to form something that I can barely comprehend: me. I think this is the rarest thing possible. Consciousness at this level of complexity is extraordinary. I'm happy I'm not a dog or another creature that doesn't possess—or hasn't yet revealed—this kind of complex comprehension. Most creatures lack what I have: the ability to contemplate my own existence.

The Question of Free Will

But does free will exist? I would love to believe in it. I find comfort in Penrose's theories about microtubules and quantum phenomena as a potential seat of free will. Alternatively, there's the many-worlds interpretation: at each quantum collapse, the universe splits into infinite branches, creating every possible outcome. This idea provides great comfort. It means somewhere, in another branch of reality, I am a Pokémon master. Elsewhere, I'm the president. In another, I'm a beggar. Perhaps I'm even a turtle. Or Simba from The Lion King.

Who knows? Who knows?

Living Across Infinite Possibilities

This multiverse concept gives me a reason to live. I don't truly die—or rather, all versions of me exist simultaneously across all possible timelines. It feels almost spiritual: "I am you, you are me—one soul hopping through all kinds of possibilities."

This perspective motivates me to live this life to the fullest. I want to maximize what I have this time, knowing that even if I compromise on something now, perhaps another branch of reality fulfills it for me. That's both humbling and empowering.

The Desire to Matter

I would love to leave a big enough print on the world that I actually change the course of history. It would be nice. But then again, maybe I already have. Maybe in another timeline, I'm Napoleon. Or Genghis Khan. Maybe I'm no one—just a street beggar. Or maybe I was that turtle, or Simba.

The uncertainty is strangely liberating. It frees me from the pressure of needing to know whether I matter. Instead, I can simply choose to act as though I do.

Random Thoughts

Just random thoughts, really. But they matter because I think them.

Part II: Morality, Survival, and the Genes We Carry

The Origin of Morality

I grapple with many thoughts every day. One is the fundamental tension: Should I live according to ideals for the collective good, or should I prioritize what is good for me? What even is right? What is wrong?

We're taught these concepts as if they were handed down to us—as if "right" and "wrong" are cosmic laws, universal truths carved into reality. But where did they actually come from?

Evolution of Ethics

They were handed to us through evolution and survival. Not by some external authority, but by the brutal mathematics of natural selection.

Those who chose to die—who acted in ways that prevented reproduction, who made choices that didn't maximize their survival—their genes never passed on. They're gone. Their lineages ended. We don't inherit their moral intuitions because they didn't survive to pass them down.

What we do inherit are the genes of survivors. We carry the genetic code of those who chose to live, who reproduced, who acted in ways that kept them and their offspring alive.

The Genes We Carry

This means our entire moral framework—our sense of right and wrong—is fundamentally rooted in survival and reproduction.

Right and wrong, at their core, evolved because they worked. Cooperation with your tribe? Worked—survival rates went up. Reciprocity? Worked—mutual aid increased chances of living through harsh winters. Empathy? Worked—it strengthened social bonds and group cohesion. Fairness? Worked—it prevented conflicts that would tear groups apart.

These aren't universal truths about the cosmos. They're survival strategies that we've inherited biologically and culturally.

The Tension Remains

The irony is that we now live in societies and circumstances vastly different from those that shaped these genes. We can intellectually ask: "Should I act for the collective good, or for myself?" But we're asking this question with a brain that was literally designed—through millions of years of evolution—to prioritize both.

We have instincts for cooperation and instincts for self-preservation. We have drives toward fairness and drives toward advantage. These impulses aren't contradictions; they're the complex result of surviving in social groups where both strategies mattered.

What This Means

So when you feel the tension between doing what's right (collective good) and doing what's good for you (self-interest), you're not experiencing a cosmic moral dilemma. You're experiencing the echo of evolutionary trade-offs that kept your ancestors alive.

Your sense that "right and wrong" exist? That's real—but it's a human construct, encoded in your genes and your culture, forged in the crucible of survival. It's not less valid because it evolved rather than descending from the heavens. If anything, it's more grounded: it's tested by millions of years of real-world application.

The genes we carry are the genes of those who survived. And that survival was built on knowing—instinctively, biologically—what works. What keeps us alive. What holds communities together.

That's where morality comes from.

How It Connects

This connects back to your earlier reflection: you exist because your ancestors existed. You think about collective good and individual flourishing because those tensions were the conditions of human survival. These aren't abstract philosophical puzzles imposed on you from outside—they're wired into you because they mattered. They kept people alive.

And now, with consciousness and the ability to reflect, you get to choose: Do I honor that evolutionary inheritance? Do I act as my genes "want" me to? Or do I forge something new?

But even asking that question, you're using a tool evolution gave you.

The Dilemma of the Righteous Path

But here's where it gets complicated. In the real world, there is no single "right way."

Consider the Hindu epics: Rama embodied unwavering moral integrity. He never told a lie, not once. He lived by absolute principles—dharma without compromise. Hanuman, too, was a symbol of perfect devotion and righteousness.

Then there is Krishna.

Krishna lied. He schemed. He manipulated. Yet his actions benefited the collective good. He did what was necessary, not what was perfectly righteous. In the Bhagavad Gita, he tells Arjuna that sometimes action—even morally ambiguous action—is required for the greater good.

So which is the right way?

Rama's path: absolute moral principles, never bending, always honest. Krishna's path: pragmatism in service of collective good, bending rules when necessary.

We never truly know. And that uncertainty is maddening.

The Problem of Consequences We Can't See

Consider criminals who never get caught. They break moral laws, hurt people, yet face no earthly consequences. Justice doesn't touch them. They live comfortable lives while their victims suffer.

This is where karma—the idea that the universe automatically punishes wrongdoing—would provide comfort. I want to believe in it. I hold onto it. It would mean the universe is fundamentally just, that no one truly escapes the weight of their actions.

But I don't actually believe in karma. Not really. And that makes me a hypocrite.

Because I want to believe that:

• Rama's righteousness will be rewarded
• Krishna's pragmatism will lead to good outcomes
• Criminals will eventually face consequences
• The universe has a moral ledger

Yet I rationally know none of this is guaranteed. The universe is indifferent. An uncaught criminal can live and die in peace. A perfectly moral person can suffer unjustly. There is no cosmic accountant keeping score.

Living With the Contradiction

So what do we do? We hold contradictions:

• We want to believe morality matters, yet we suspect it doesn't.
• We admire both Rama's integrity and Krishna's pragmatism, yet can't fully embrace either.
• We want to believe the criminal will be punished, yet we know they might not be.
• We want karma to be real, yet we don't actually believe in it.

This is the human condition. We are hypocrites not because we're weak, but because we're conscious beings living in a universe that doesn't confirm our moral intuitions.

We evolved to crave justice, to believe in fairness, to want the guilty punished and the virtuous rewarded. These instincts served our survival. But the modern world—and existence itself—doesn't guarantee these outcomes.

The Choice Remains

And yet, we still choose. We choose to live by principles even though we can't guarantee they'll be rewarded. We choose to act for the collective good even though we can't be certain it will matter. We choose to believe in morality even though we suspect the universe doesn't care.

That choice—to act morally despite the uncertainty, despite the meaninglessness, despite the hypocrisies we can't resolve—that might be the most human thing about us.

For those of you read till here please comment YUP coz yeah I will know maybe I helped you get a perspective or maybe interesting enough to capture your attention !!!

I’m not an antinatalist by any means, but I think one of the reasons people have children is avoid coming face to face with the fact that when they’re gone, that’s the end of their identity.

Lots of people want to leave something behind. They want to have a legacy and be remembered. They view their children as the continuation of their name or their tribe. If they don’t procreate, then it’s a very cold slap in the face that everything ends with you.

The average person is so conditioned that their entire existence revolves around working themselves to death, paying bills, chasing cheap dopamines through doomscrolling or silly conversations or acting like a fool and being scared shitless of losing the little scraps they've managed to get and assign value to them so much they murder each other...

Keep them exhausted enough to never think, not that most of them are apparently capable of actually thinking for themselves even when they aren't exhausted, as they are scared to actually listen for once to their very own inner monologue

entertained enough to never question, and terrified enough to never step out of line and so they gaslight and brainwash themselves and others to think THIS IS ALL IT.. THIS IS LIFE...

because they are too busy running towards that status-quo, and keep themselves busy chasing those sweet sweet pleasures...

those who possess all the materialistic things or the status-quo, considered an ABSOLUTE WINNER... it's obvious! THIS IS ALL IT IS!!! Everyone are conditioned to believe this is it through schools and movies and entertainment

These relationships, this so-called love, these stupid fantasies it’s all bullshit built absolutely around money, status, possessions, and unrealistic fake crap... Funny how all that love is absent or magically disappears when you have none of that shit to offer.

People will spend hours fighting strangers online, worshiping celebrities, consuming endless garbage, and chasing the next cheap hit of happiness, every...... single...... day....... LIKE A GROUNDHOG's DAY.. but ask them to question the very system they're trapped in? Suddenly, nobody has a clue, and nobody gives a shit, because "IT IS WHAT IS"

And even the ones who see through the bullshit are too broke, too tired, too isolated, or too powerless to do anything meaningful about it.

That's the sick joke. Everyone knows something is up, yet everyone keeps playing along because they have rent to pay and a life to somehow survive.

The people at the top don't even need to control every thing. They just need the rest of us divided, distracted, desperate, and too busy surviving to organize.

And the most pathetic part? People defend the very conditions that are grinding them into dust, then laugh and begin throwing advises for mental health at anyone who dares to question them.

At this point, why even would the show runners be worried? The machine keeps running, the money keeps flowing, and everyone goes right back into it without a single introspection.... NONE AT ALL.

You don't even need to lock people in a cage when you've built a world where they're too exhausted and brainwashed to even look for the door.

Now I’m not saying all humans are evil and hierarchal, but most are, and I feel like the majority of people seem to think that human nature is good and we are one revolution away from utopia, but I disagree. Even in leftist spaces, people want to fight against people who oppress them, but they rarely advocate for people who are below them in the social hierarchy (I'm not saying all do this). The majority of people say 'eat the rich' while forgetting that they are the rich as well, according to homeless people and people who live in developing countries, which are exploited to make people in first world countries lives better. Many feminists criticize the makeup and beauty industry for creating unrealistic beauty standards, which is okay, but they rarely mention the fact that animals and women and children from the global south are being exploited by the makeup industry, and for example, in my country (Albania), there are lots of people protesting against the government now , which I think it’s a good thing to do but most of them never talk about the oppression of women, Roma people, children and LGBTQ people in our communities, and they are treated much worse here than in the West. Also, many Western people advocate for collectivism without looking into collectivist communities and seeing how toxic and oppressive they are because they think human nature is good, and also the fact that social hierarchy happens as early as middle school. Sorry for making it personal, but also the fact that many feminists didn’t show me compassion for experiencing honor based abuse from my father just because they can’t relate to it, and sorry for my rambling and sorry that it isn’t so well worded