“I used to be really into the idea of the existential vacuum. Unfortunately, I misunderstood the concept-I bought existential vacuum cleaners. The first vacuum never helped me clean because he refused to tidy a mess that he could never be sure existed in the first place. The second refused to conform to the label society gave him, so instead of owning an existential vacuum, I ended up with a sh**ty lawn mower.”
-Liam Burns
This prompt, of course, brought existentialism to mind. Existentialism is easy to make fun of, as you can see from the above quote, yet it still asks the question that every human being has faced or will face sometime in their lives: “What does it all mean?” I do not refuse the idea that there is some higher power or stronger force beyond our comprehension at work. I do, however, believe that pursuing the answer to what is possibly the most profound and important question will only lead one farther away from it. Think about the question being asked. What does it all mean? It is referring to life-our existence. Think then about our existence-what does life entail? To live is to breathe, to sleep, to eat, to think (constantly and an infinite array of thoughts), to form relationships, to enjoy, to smile, to cry, to laugh, to love or to detest, to become awestruck, to feel helpless or powerful, to regret and to revel, to listen to music, to create and appreciate, to accomplish, to yearn, to be restless or fatigued…
No matter what it means, it is there. One cannot possibly understand why we exist and why we exist the way we do if one is not living. I believe that life means something. I don’t, however, feel that I’ve lived long enough to understand what exactly that meaning may be. I’m certain that someday, someone will belief with absolute conviction what it all means, given that they’ve allowed themselves to breathe, to sleep, to eat, to think, etc.
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