lol nothing matters

The world is a crazy, nonsensical place. The more we try to make sense of the happenings of our lives and the world, the more we wonder what the point of it all is. The pandemic is the perfect example where you would think that people would come together to solve an unequivocally important, and real, problem, but the opposite is the case. Society is fractured, and we’re more divided than ever. Every time we take one step forward, we take two steps backwards. Most of the time, there’s no logic behind why things happen the way they do, and as individuals, we feel useless.

I’m here to tell you that you’re right. Nothing we do, or will do, matters. In a million, thousand, one hundred years, all will be forgotten. The earth keeps spinning and the universe keeps expanding, with or without us. You could be the richest and most famous person of all time, but that won’t stop the eventual heat death of the universe, which is commonly misconceived to be lots of explosions and the sort. It’s actually a lot more boring. It’s the very definition of monotony, where all matter reaches a state of sameness that is void of the ability to do work. So yeah, everything you accomplish boils down to the equilibrium temperature of the universe.

This lack of sense and meaning can seem scary, but to me it’s actually comforting in a way. “lol nothing matters”, or LNM for short, is the manifestation of what I call positive nihilism.

Negative Nihilism

At first glance, LNM seems like some edgy comment somebody would make when they’ve given up on themselves and the world. They are completely indifferent to the outcome of the events in their life, and they’re essentially asking, what’s the point?

“lol nothing matters, might as well eat tubs of ice cream for breakfast, stay up watching Netflix till 4 a.m., and live in my parents basement.”

When I first heard the phrase LNM during exams senior year, I fell into the that camp. I wasn’t self destructive, but I didn’t see the point in trying anymore. I felt like I was settling with my college decision and my dream of accomplishing something seemed hopeless. That was until I thought about what LNM really meant.

Nothing matters!!!

LNM is about freedom. Freedom from people, expectations, and whatever is holding you back. What people fail to understand is that not having meaning is a blessing, not a curse. Because nothing we do matters, we’re free to do as we please. You can eat tubs of ice cream if you would like, but the positive side effect is that it gives you permission to do what you’ve always been wanting to accomplish. No one is going to give a crap if you fail at something. As one of my friends likes to say, people are too self absorbed with their own problems to worry about you. It’s a cynical view, but if you subscribe to the fact that nothing matters in the end, your mistakes and fears seem like momentary issues in comparison. For lack of a better summary, LNM is what happens when you combine YOLO (you only live once) and Gen-Z existential dread.

Final Thoughts

What makes LNM such a beautiful concept is how it is a lesson that teaches itself. You have to search behind the seemingly simple and contradictory words in order to truly appreciate what it all means. In the search for understanding of LNM, you realize that meaning can never be found, but it can be made. In a sense, LNM is a universal phrase that can be used anytime and anywhere. So the next time the universe makes no sense, know that it’s only trying to have some fun, ‘cause lol nothing matters.