The Bad News Is Nothing Lasts Forever, The Good News Is Nothing Lasts Forever

If you look at the size of a person compared to the size of planet Earth, compared to our solar system, compared to the entire universe, you can only come to one conclusion: You are insignificant.

In the grand scheme of things, you don’t matter at all. Yet, at the very same time, you need to exist in order for the universe to exist in the state that it is existing -- so in a sense, you are indispensable.

This is the paradox that we're all part of. We both matter and don’t matter. We both can change the future, yet can’t leave a deep enough mark for the universe to even notice.

You matter as much as you decide that you matter. As human beings, we’d all like to believe that we are more important than we know we are. It’s the only way that we can deal with our innate insignificance.

Luckily, as you can only experience life from your own perspective, you literally are your whole world. You matter because you are an intelligent, unique being who understands he or she exists.

That, in itself, is worth praising. Thankfully, most of us are equipped with such large egos that we refuse to accept that we don’t matter. If it were otherwise, then we would never accomplish anything worthwhile.

Sooner or later, if the Big Bang Theory is spot-on, the universe and time itself will come to an end. Knowing this, it’s easy to understand one’s true insignificance.

No matter what you do, what you change, what you believe, it will all be over someday. Of course, chances are that the human race will have been long extinct by then, but nevertheless, it’s a fascinating truth.

The only thing that lasts is destruction, which is most likely why human beings are so keen on killing and destroying -- it's the one thing that is eternal. Other than that, nothing lasts forever. Nothing at all. However, whether this is good news or bad news is really up for interpretation.

The bad news: Nothing lasts forever. The good news: Nothing lasts forever.

How you interpret this paradox and how you use it to shape the things you do is what makes you the person you are. What you believe matters and doesn’t matter, what you find of significance and what you find to be trivial, what you dedicate your life to defines the person you become.

It can be difficult to find a purpose in life -- especially if you already understand all that I mentioned above. How can anybody find a purpose in life when, in the end, existence itself will cease to exist? Well, that’s really up to you to decide.

Because you are the ruler of your reality, you get to decide what matters and what doesn’t. At the end of the day, or of your life -- because you only get to experience the universe from your sole perspective -- what you decide matters is all that really matters.

The only things in the universe that matter are the things that matter to people and other living things with some level of consciousness.

Nothing lasts forever, so your decisions won’t, either. This should give you some solace; no matter how much you screw up, your mistakes and any repercussions they incur won’t last the test of time. Sure, people may still suffer as a result, but even their suffering will inevitably come to an end.

This is not to say that we should be careless or aim to hurt other people -- if what you believe matters actually matters, then what others believe to matter must also matter. Chances are that they believe their happiness and general wellbeing are of significant importance.

Whether or not you choose to honor this code of conduct that we, as a civilization, have outlined is up to you, but keep in mind that because you are a part of society, regardless of whether or not you wish to be, you have no choice but to play by the rules or deal with the consequences.

Nothing lasts forever. Just as reassuring as that fact is, it’s also incredibly depressing. You, the people you love, your home, your world -- it'll all be gone one day.

Everything you dedicated your life to, everything you did, created, built and found to be of significant importance will one day disappear.

Nothing in the universe, including the universe, lasts forever. If you’re smart, you’ll use the little time that you have to make the most of it. If you want your life to matter then you have to decide that it does; no one else will ever decide that for you.

Photo Courtesy: We Heart It

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