Don’t give in to nihilism

What’s pleasurable is not always right

We have all asked ourselves: What is the meaning of everything?

In today’s world, the struggle to answer this question has, more often than not, created a vacuum that is increasingly being filled by self-indulgence. As a tool to numb or distract ourselves, opportunities for pleasure have given people more pathways for escape than ever before. Whether it be increased usage of recreational drugs, fanatic materialism or excessive partying, hedonistic pastimes are all too common. While this may allow us to experience more pleasurable activities, it also exposes the dark underbelly that some societal pastimes have created to deal with the plaguing issue of meaninglessness — and beneath all this lies an even more sinister catalyst: nihilism.

Take Aldous Huxley’s iconic 1932 novel “Brave New World,” which offers a more in-depth look at this issue. In the story, society had become addicted to “soma,” a synthetic drug that brought euphoria and mental escape for the characters. Although it allowed its users continuous bliss, principles such as truth and reason became extraneous and forsaken in pursuit of pleasure. Widespread promiscuity and consumption of entertainment called “feelies” added to this subversion of purpose. Hence, society was not only docile and superficial, but also one that treated these hedonistic tendencies as its greatest calling.

Huxley’s message is a stark one. He proposed that if people believed life to be inherently empty, then righteous matters would become secondary to our indulgences. In Huxley’s case, life’s lack of meaning was replaced by soma and entertainment, with society collectively deciding to value blind satisfaction over purpose. Ignorance became a norm, and burying one’s head in the sands of hedonism offered a convenient distraction.

This cautionary tale is not too dissimilar from society’s current state, where nihilism has become a favored philosophy, rearranging people’s priorities in the wrong places. For instance, the things that the current generation prioritizes are increasingly trivial or problematic. The infatuation with online trends like “looksmaxing” or lust for social media attention represents this diversion of purpose. Only in a nihilistic world would physical appearance take precedence over more sensible qualities, such as the content of one’s character.

None of these things hold any intrinsic value, yet people are increasingly exposed to them as a genuine source of significance or appeal. In “Brave New World,” people who were not addicted to soma were viewed as abnormal and anomalies to society. In today’s world, those who engage in forms of hedonistic noncompliance, such as refraining from social media or substances, may receive a similar treatment.

Now, this does not imply that having fun must be outlawed — people should be free to choose their pastimes, and young people, especially, should be encouraged to engage in experiences that can create unforgettable memories. The problem arises when increasingly hedonistic activities become the main source of purpose or joy in life. If maximizing pleasure is our primary motivation, then the trap of hedonism has indeed been sprung.

Though self-indulgence will always feel tempting, it ultimately spurs a lack of interest in true substance and genuine objectives. The pursuit of pleasure thus posits itself as a low-hanging fruit that encourages both superficiality and nescience; it’s much easier to live in a soma-induced state, which requires little real effort or acuteness. Consequently, the solution to such a problem lies in fundamentally altering our worldview, like replacing the appetite for pleasure with a desire for excellence. It is much more rewarding to pursue the talents and opportunities allotted to us than caving toward our hedonistic desires.

Ultimately, the path of hedonism waves a white flag in the face of nihilism, while the pursuit of a more noble and distinguished cause rejects the idea of meaninglessness. Whether we want to live in a brave new world or not depends solely on our own judgment and actions — to refuse the metaphorical “soma” is to view life not as a sea of nothingness, but as an ocean of opportunity. In the long run, the fruits of the latter will prove to be the most fulfilling.

Written by: Yuenjo Fan — yafan@theaggie.org

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