Why do things matter?

   The chaos of everyday life tends to sweep many people, across every culture, into a frenzy. The constant gossip among family and friends, or even on the news with big celebreties. Moreso, indviduals love to romanticize material objects in cyclical fashion, of which I have fallen into myself. However lately I've been stopping to ask myself why these things matter to me. The cyclical nature of everything in the universe determines that these things we value very highly, will one day be dust. When one looks closer at the material market, it's hard not to notice that companies make their money reclycing the worlds material into something else. So why is it that humans care so much about anything in an impermannent world?

   Humans still have unreasonable emotions and urges left over from our tribal ancestors. We like to make sense of the world, and have some sense of stability in our everyday life. It is only natural that we try to cling to things as some sort of reassurance. In the past humans tend to cling onto things that may help them survive. However, as time went on, and our lifespans increased things changed. Perhaps humans now cling to things as a distraction from the fact they will die. It's humurous, in a way, that an impermanent being will cling onto an impermanent post to brave the torrential winds of life. These winds will weather away both the being and its object given time. If everything weathers away at some point, then what is the meaning, what is the purpose, why should we care?

   Nihilism is the philosophy that nothing truly matters. Many see it as a somewhat depressing message, but they are missing the picture. It can be a very liberating doctrine to live by, because it essentially lets you decide what matters in life. In fact, this is what I'm getting at, nothing truly matters, until one decides it matters to them. Different cultures come with different values placed on everything, but the root remains the same. Even if something wont matter to anybody else in the future, it matters to you in that moment, and you have that unique moment no one else will have ever again. Let things matter, don't worry about what may or may not happen to it, because all you have is the present.

   Death feeds many of our desires subconsciously, and the question of importance is one of them. Not just wishing to escape death by being a person of importance, and gaining memory immortality, but also comfort importance. However, even still memories and history will fade, even the winds of time sweep these away at some point, what is to be gained by stressing everyday life over these issues? Nothing inherently matters, so choose what matters to you. Cherish every passing moment, but don't cling to anything, for the winds of time come for all at some point.