Terahertz

I found out recently (via Facebook) that my neighbour from residence in first year has died.  I don’t know the exact circumstances but he was a mere 22 years old.  We hadn’t been in contact much since first year, beyond random passings on campus, but he was a generally good guy (although may have had too much affinity for the drink).

What this mainly makes me realize is how fragile we are. As much as we (the “young”) may think we’re invincible, we are not.  Life ends.

From a naturalistic perspective there is nothing after death – similar to what it felt like before being born (or at least prior to the brain developing in the womb) – it’s essentially irrelevant.  That doesn’t mean I think life is pointless however.  What it means is that the time I have here now, while I am alive, is the most sacred thing in the world.  If I believed there was an eternity of bliss to follow this life, why would I be worried about enjoying my time at all?  Even if you were guaranteed a life of bliss of equal or greater length after this one, I wouldn’t really care how great this life was for me (or those around me).  Since there seems to be a vanishingly slim chance of any afterlife (let alone an eternal afterlife), I choose to enjoy my time here, and to ensure that those in my life can enjoy their time as best as possible.

Getting back to where I started, I know my friend enjoyed his time alive, as unjustly short as it may seem.