Eventually nothing will exist

After I die, it'll only take a few generations for my name to be forgotten.

My family and friends will grieve as though their whole lives have changed. But eventually they will be gone and their families will be gone and there won’t be anyone to remember my name much less my favorite ice cream (Ben and Jerry's Phish Food) or what I like to do on Sunday mornings (drink coffee, watch TV, and spend time with my family).

I hate to break it to you but there will come a time when my family will be gone and your families will be gone and all humans will be obliterated from the planet. Eventually our earth will crumble and our sun will explode and our galaxy will cease to exist. Nothing will be left to remember anything.

So if the outcome of all this is nothing but more nothing – then what's the point? Why do we even bother?

Well I'll concede to the fact that nothing REALLY matters and at the end of everything this whole life thing will be pointless.

But you see there's a lot of time to fill in between now and then.

We have this present moment and we can't pretend that our actions don't have repercussions right now; because they do.

I get that eventually everything will mean nothing. But right now it means something. In fact it means a whole hell of a lot.

Every action and behavior has consequences. The ripples far extend beyond our own comprehension. From how you tip your waitress and what kind of microwave you buy to how you speak to your loved ones. The fact that you exist changes the web of human interaction.

I think it’s hard for a person to comprehend the fact that they are both the most important and most insignificant being at the very same time.

I both matter and don’t matter at all.

And knowing that doesn’t depress me or make me sad or desperate. If anything it frees me.

It levels the playing field. It means that we’re all in the same boat. There’s no one that matters more or less than another; because in the end, we all matter the same. And how we choose to make our ripples while we’re here – well that’s the only thing we can take responsibility for so it’s the only thing that actually counts.

I can make a huge wonderful impact on the world. I can change the face of humanity or I can make a singular life better.

Either way, I make a contribution that both redefines everything and changes nothing.