A friend of mine recently expressed that Millennials and Gen Z have it hard because they have to try and plan the rest of their lives while simultaneously being aware that there is no future and it doesn’t matter.
The proposed lack of a future was because the world as we know it might end; that a supervolcano like Yellowstone might erupt and send us into a new ice age, or that our atmosphere will get so hot, life will be impossible. Or that there might be a nuclear war. Or that at best (or maybe worst), our economic opportunities will evaporate and we’ll be doomed to a life of debt-slavery and meaningless toil.
Unfortunately these are feelings we have all too often. And why we feel them today more than yesterday is probably a complex question to answer. My estimate is that it’s in no small part due to being able to compare ourselves to those who seem to have it better than we do at any time via the internet. And that media, politicians, and universities constantly tell us that the sky is falling. It could also simply be the struggle of coming into adult life that twenty-somethings are prone to.
But instead of complaining that the internet is a force for evil and that twenty-somethings need to grow up; I thought I would use the internet as a force for good, and explain why, in fact, there is a future, and that it does matter.
There are certain things we all agree are good. The life of a child, puppies, or even something as seemingly benign as a tree.
And there are certain things we all agree are bad. Apathy, suicide, or even something as seemingly benign as too much television.
Why is it that we can all agree on things that are good and bad? If nothing mattered, then there would be no such differentiation.
If nothing matters and there is no future and we’re all meant to die and then darkness, then perhaps we should hurry that process along and ease our suffering.
But, of course, we are compelled to believe something does matter. If nothing mattered, then I would not have to disclaim the above paragraph and tell you that I do not think suicide, or at least, self-destructive behavior, is a good idea.
Indeed, if there was no agreed upon view of right and wrong, we would not view suicide as the result of mental illness. And the fact that we think it is bad, and even have careers centered on helping those people, proves that life does matter.
To the Christian, it matters because it is the Lord’s work, and because He has commanded us to do things for His glory. And if we don’t, we will spend our time here, and then eternity being very unhappy (to put it mildly).
And to an Atheist, they might do good things because otherwise they will spend their only time alive being very unhappy.
Either way, the effects might look quite similar to us.
It all mattered to someone else, so who are we to decide that it doesn’t? Should a man work hard his entire life to make a better future for his descendants only for his descendants to be stuck in nihilism and meaningless impulse gratification?
And it matters to someone right now. Should a child suffer because the parent decided that nothing matters? Or should the puppy and duckling in this post’s photo suffer because we allowed fear and doubt and hopelessness to paralyze us and neglect them?
Should we pursue pleasure and forsake our responsibilities because the world MIGHT end?
To use the Christian example again; the Bible tells us that Christ is coming soon (Rev. 22:12). And also that no one knows when but the Father (Matt. 24:36).
Such a thing can sound scary, particularly to those unfamiliar with the text or the faith. If I had heard such things this time last year, I would’ve been quite afraid indeed.
But now that I have learned more, I don’t think it’s meant to scare us. It’s meant to remind us to do our good works while we can.
Regardless of whether you’re a devout believer, or a more secular person, the potential for apocalypse at any moment is no less true.
Christ might return five minutes after you finish reading this, or he might not come for another 1000 years. We have no way of knowing.
In the same fashion, Yellowstone might erupt or nuclear missiles might be launched at any moment. We can predict those things at least a little bit, which makes them different than the second coming, but the possibility is there regardless.
But even with all these things being possible, that’s no excuse to act poorly and make things worse. Instead, you should work hard to make things as good as possible for as long as you can.
Indeed, Christ might return five minutes from now, or a nuclear war might kick off, or a giant volcano might erupt.
But Christ will not save you if you chose to do nothing just because he might come in the next few minutes. And if he does not come in our lifetimes but we do live to see a giant volcanic eruption, or perhaps, a global pandemic, wouldn’t you rather reach that moment knowing you did the best you could with the time you have?
I set out to prove that everything matters. But in a way, I don’t have to; because we already know that it does in our hearts. We already know that suicide is bad, and, if any of us have had those thoughts, we know that we should try to overcome them. We know that we would be glad to see a puppy and a duckling play together, not the opposite.
The simple fact that you know what I mean when I say, “the best you could…” proves that something, everything, does matter, even when we feel that it doesn’t.
Thank you for reading.