Optimistic Nihilism

Your comment reminded me of the Optimistic Nihilism video by Kurzegesagt [1]. I highly recommend it, as they explain these concepts very well in a short 6min video. [1] ▶ this video

> The thought may be freeing to you, but many others become paralysed by it, obsessing about “the right choices” at every moment. I had been struggling with the same issue. The opposite (“our choices don’t matter”) is depressing. However, two things help me: The first is “Optimistic Nihilism” ( ▶ this video ) - a view very close to Zen/stoicism. The second is that ALL choices matter, but their impact is finite and subject to randomness. I used to think that all of my choices were forever and set in stone. While technically correct, it misses that the future changes only a bit. We might be tempted to think that “the grass is greener”, or “I should have bought Bitcoins”, but it is like “I miss I didn’t join my friends when they went to a cassino”. Moreover, it is FAIR that a finite effort results in a finite result.

Absolutely. Thanks for this. It's telling to me how dismissive/judgemental are about nihilism, and that's been a good signal for me in other areas that it's getting a lot closer to a basic truth and people are threatened with it and want to push it away. Which is what we shouldn't be doing. Optimistic Nihilism ( ▶ this video ) or Absurdism ( link ) are maybe more accessible takes if nihilism seems too "scary".

There is a beautiful video by Kurzgesagt. It makes a similar point and I feel better every time I watch it. ▶ this video

I like the notion of "Optimistic Nihilism", as explained by Kurzgesagt: ▶ this video For me, it is about stoic/Zen acceptance of things we cannot change. Contrast it with "American optimism", which is for me close to gaslighting, or at best - a "flight" reaction from suffering.

Thanks for that! I got carried away and sank an hour watching stuff. Totally off topic - My favourite was 'Optimistic Nihilism' - ▶ this video