Some Counter-Arguments to the Void

One of my favourite lyrics of all time (and my author bio) is from the hook of AJR’s “100 Bad Days” ¹which goes: “A hundred bad days made a hundred good stories, A hundred good stories make me interesting at parties.”

I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have felt this, sort of feeling of melancholic optimism. Not some idea that suffering is somehow necessary or noble or builds character, cause it doesn’t. But the feeling that yes, the world sucks. Yes, things are awful. But, now that we are here, might as well keep going and see where it takes us.

One of the books my mom studied during her masters (in English Litrature) was John Barth’s debut novel ‘The Floating Opera’. It is about this man Todd Andrews whose experiences fighting in World War 1 coupled with the growing feeling of insignificance and meaninglessness in the post-war America, lead him to the conclusion that life has no point. Nothing he does matters or ever will matter. and if nothing ultimately matters, he reasons, then there’s no particular reason to keep living.

So he decides to spend what he believes will be his last day going through a checklist of things he wants to do. And that is the premise of the book.

Minor Spoiler: he doesn’t die.

Instead, he realizies that if life has no inherent meaning, then death also doesn’t have any greater meaning. So while he’s here, might as well stay.

These are not some deep philosophical answers to the true meaning of life, whatever that is. It doesn’t try to re-characterize the tragedies or suffering. It doesn’t tell that there is some mystical plan and everything will magically get better.

But it also doesn’t say that because life has no meaning, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t suggest surrounding oneself in self-loathing and despair. It doesn’t advise trying to squeeze as much pleasure out of life as possible because, if nothing ultimately matters, then why not?

After all, meaningless and worthless are different words.

There probably isn’t some grand, cosmic reason to justify all of us being here. And I don’t think we need one.

There are still mornings I haven’t seen, people I haven’t met, songs I haven’t heard, meals I haven’t had, places I have never been to and a hundred stupid little things that might make me laugh on the random Friday I am writing this on.

And that’s all. I know that when I’ll open my phone, there will be some news that will remind me that the world we live in is frankly terrible and unfair and absurd and… that I would like to have the Podi Dosa in the mess. and that I would like to attend Prof. Philip’s Parametrized lecture. and that I would still like to attend the play reading on Saturday and …²

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1. It links to an lovely animated video by Its ok koy. I also like koy’s animated music videos for other songs, like they always so beautiful and high concept and add a whole dimension to the song. Also, I am not a massive fan of the original music video, it’s too trippy and experimental for me. ↩︎
2. I wrote this on Thursday. Then got bogged down by a whole lot of work so didn’t get around to editing and posting it till today. ↩︎