Looking at the big picture, I mean the REALLY BIG picture, my life is so stupendously meaningless that it is comic, and that is a beautiful thing.

Before you poo poo what I am saying, please hear me out.

I love outer space. I turn to the cosmos to find beauty and perspective. Space is vast and daunting and exhilarating (and a whole mess of other adjectives, but hey…this is a drunken post). Looking beyond what I can see with my own eyes brings everything into sharp focus. I find a strange peace knowing that one day our violent and brilliant sun will one day spend its fuel and die. Knowing that Andromeda is rushing through space on a collision course with our own galaxy is oddly calming.

Everything must end. I will end. You will end. All of humanity will end (one way or another, since we may beat space to the punch). So in the end, none of us matter. I know. I know these events are so far off that it will not affect any of us personally. The sun has a long way to go and Andromeda is nowhere near us. But considering the long game as a species, well… we are nothing. We are dust. It sounds terrible, doesn’t it?

It gets better. Knowing that an asteroid could tumble our way and wipe out life on Earth as we know it, anytime, is where I find strength. I embrace the pointlessness of my existence. It is liberating.

Life itself is weird and improbable (out of all possible outcomes are we sentient, and that is mind-boggling). It is a bizarre gift that can be lost in a moment. Embracing the absurd pointlessness of me allows me to enjoy my time on my terms. Does it really matter if I make a fool out of myself or say something stupid? Nope. Not really. Does it really matter if I am a hedonist or a puritan? Nope again. My life. My terms.

Yes, I still live in society and face some cultural constraints, like having to work for a living and not shooting people in traffic, but I am free of the petty things. I can live by my own ideals and enjoy the things that I enjoy without fear of judgment. I will not be afraid of taking chances. I will not be afraid of being hurt.

I might still be afraid of physical pain and roller coasters, but hey, there is not a whole lot I can do about my hyperactive central nervous system.

So I lift my glass to you and say cheers! Enjoy the shit out of every moment you possibly can. When in the end everything means nothing, what is the point in holding yourself back? Go for it. Ask that girl or guy out. Get drunk and laugh with friends. Admit when you are wrong and accept that you are deeply flawed (and probably irrational). Take corners fast. Run. Jump. Dance. Read. Do things you truly enjoy. Explore everything. If someone rejects you or you get laughed at…it doesn’t really matter anyway. You don’t really need unenlightened people around you anyhow. Fuck em.