nihilism

Awash in a bleak mediascape, I had simply assumed that optimism had been long exiled to the realm of corny naivete, gone the way of “Live, Laugh, Loving” and #Girlbossing. So it came as a shock when my TikTok feed started filling up with posts about the “Indomitable Human Spirit.”

They’ll tell you, you need to be kind and forthright and aggressive and meditative and a free spirit and dependable and cautious and not be pushed around and live free or die and be helpful and put your own gas mask on first and be spiritual and religious and empirical and scientific and hate this and vault that and play to your talents and always

I was reading about “learned helplessness," a psychological condition that arises when one is not able to effect a change in one’s environment. It is characterized by “a drop in zest, decreasing clarity, withdrawal from connection, less self-knowledge, and a decrease in sense of self-worth.” To me, this is what it feels like to be on my sevent

death salience + unfazed resiliency that are unspoken drivers behind so many behaviors today.