Choose Happiness

When people ask me what I believe our purpose on this earth is, I either mumble my response or keep it to myself because I am not in the mood to argue.

I don’t really think any of us has the answer to our existence, so I don’t think it would make sense for me to ferociously defend the conclusions I’ve drawn for myself.

Spirituality is such a personal experience that if you ever find yourself trying to force what you believe I’m anybody else sit down and shut up.

Some people are religious and believe we are on this earth to worship, serve and fulfil the will of this or other deity.

I have a less exciting view of my existence. I believe we are all here purely by chance. We are here simply because cells need to respire and they became more complex over time to make that process more efficient, evolving into complex structures that eventually became sentient.

Just as the earth, stars, planets, galaxies and observable universe existed for millennia before us, they will continue for quite some time after we all die. Everything we do, know, experience, love and remember will die, decay and some day fade away.

I don’t know much about the possibility of an afterlife either. I’m yet to see evidence that proves that this is not all we get.

This way of viewing life is called nihilism, coined by Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev. It’s the understanding and acceptance that life is pointless, that it has no real meaning.

To me, religion is a coping mechanism humanity created for this pointlessness.

For many, this is a soul-shattering thought. We are so egotistical as humans; we can’t possibly fathom that this wasn’t all made specifically for us, just as it took us so long to understand the sun and planets did not revolve around us.

Nihilism leads many to face some depressing realities. They ask themselves, if it’s all pointless then does it all matter? If none of what we do matters, should I care about the people around me and about consequences?

Honestly, no. Technically we don’t have to care about anything or anyone and we make all the rules with the limitless free will we possess. This is existentialism.

Instead of seeing life being my own responsibility as a bad thing though, I choose to let it fuel me.

If nihilism tells us that nothing matters, then optimistic nihilism is the thing that makes you realise how powerful that is.

If there is no bigger plan or scheme by some higher force, then our entire lives are truly in our own hands, and we might as well be happy.

There is some power in that because we can choose for ourselves what is important to us and what isn’t. We don’t have to be told what we are supposed to place value in.

If none of it matters and it is truly all up to us then we might as well make a short time on this planet the best time. We might as well do good for ourselves and for others and we might as well chase our dreams down at lightning speed.

I try to challenge myself to stop caring about what anybody else thinks about me, and I try to just fit as much happiness as I can into my life. That is the best way I know how to celebrate my freedom.

The earth is billions of years old. Compared to that length, the hundred or so years that we each spend alive is so minuscule and unsubstantial, but rather than wallowing in the insignificance of my own existence, I choose to revel in the inconsequential nature of all bad things.

If you are non-religious and cannot find comfort in placing your problems in a god, then this is the best way I can advise you to look at life. Choose happiness because you can. Choose happiness because at the end of the day being miserable won’t matter anyway.

– Anne Hambuda is a poet, writer and social commentator from Windhoek. Follow her online for more.

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