Hello, Friends!
I have something a little different today. Instead of a haiku comic, I have a kind of collage scrapbook page with three poems on it. One is a haiku comic you may have seen before. One is a never before published haiku, and the other is a never before published nonet. A nonet is a poem where the first line has nine syllables, and each line has one less syllable, with the last line having just one syllable.
what’s more productive:
hours of meaningful nothing,
meaningless somethings?
Ex Nihilo Nihilism
We live in an indifferent world,
trees grow and die without consent.
Search for meaning in chaos,
try to decode whale songs.
We must make meaning,
smile at songbirds,
hug strangers,
laugh loud.
Love
Believer, Nihilist, or Absurdist?
It seems we have three choices as to what we make of this world. We can be believers. Believers come in all different shapes and sizes, but they all believe in one way or another that this life has meaning.
We can be nihilists. This means we don’t believe life has a purpose or meaning, and that everything means nothing.
We can be absurdists. This means we believe that life has no set purpose or meaning, and that means we get to decide what everything means.
I could never be a nihilist. I would much rather be a believer or an absurdist and be wrong than be a nihilist and be right.
For most of my life, I was a firm believer. In recent years my beliefs have shifted, and I’m much closer to being an absurdist than what most people would consider a believer.
However, when I’m standing on the edge of the continent, staring at the sea, I can’t help but believe in something greater than myself. Since that something is incomprehensible to me, I choose to make my own life meaningful by striving to bring others joy. No matter what happens after I die, I feel good about living a life where I loved everyone and spread joy as often as I could.
So which are you?
Be the weird you want to see in the world!
Cheers,
Jason
P.S. In case you missed it, I’m starting my virtual busking again. This means I make custom haiku comics for anyone who wants it, kind of like a street performer.
We mean meaning
Thank you! Thought provoking piece.