The path away from nihilism

...begins in the earth.

I talk to nihilists online a lot. I can diagnose this disease quite well by now. I can also explain it, and prescribe cures for it. But most nihilists refuse to take the cures even when I do my best to be persuasive.

Philosophy itself is the antithesis of nihilism. Thus when you meet a nihilist, even if such person calls themselves a philosopher, they are in fact defined by an utter absence of philosophy, of any capacity for it or interest in it. It is the absence of philosophy that causes nihilism.

Therefore it is also the case that philosophy is intimately connected to the earth. But we already knew this.

Nihilists say things like, "emotions and ideas are just chemicals in the brain", or "there is no such thing as truth", or "nothing has meaning unless it can be absolutely grounded", or "asking 'why?' is useless", or "you can't prove that, you're just asserting it".

I wish I could say that I feel sorry for these nihilists. But in all honesty, I do not. Maybe it is their utter contemptibleness that prevents me from feeling a shred of pity for them, even though I understand their disease and would like to help them overcome it.

I will always argue with nihilistic views. Sometimes I have to argue with Buddhists who are getting too close to nihilistic thought.

No, we can't change the mind of a nihilistic person. They have to do that on their own. But we can support positive thought.

Albert Camus, one of my favorite authors, almost sunk into nihilism but finally realized that even though human life was absurd, it is still worth living.

But remember, some of those folks who are presenting themselves as being nihilistic are really just seeking sympathy and even pity for their condition which they seem unable to deal with.

Yeah, those Shaolin guys don't tell you everything they know how to do.

Goddamn truth is great. The greatest.