Page 63 - Liberating Liberals V2
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Liberating Liberals
Synonyms for this type of meaninglessness include “design-less” and “purposeless.” We may be accidently marooned on this planet without a guide for behavior. We’re no different than those shipwrecked on an inescapable desert isle, and we only have to find out something to do until we die — or go ahead and get the malarkey over with. Yes, there are many helpful hints in history about what to do about this dilemma, and some biological imperatives — but they too could be arbitrary accidents of the universe.
And Shakespeare agrees, at least occasionally:
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.48
Meaninglessness from this angle means that we are just here, with no rhyme or reason. If we want reasons, we must choose them according to what we and we alone think the world ought to be, or what we want the world to be. We must choose and hope we can get enthusiastic about our choices. Or we can choose to let the whole hokem slide and not worry so much about our reasons.
Many people might feel insulted if it’s suggested
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