I am a cosmic pessimist, and you should be one too

Harry has good days and bad days.

On good days, he is a three-and-a-half-year-old boy with an infectious laugh and an insatiable curiosity. But even on these days, his father seems weighed down, a perpetual sadness shadowing his smiles.

The reason is heartbreaking — Harry has cancer, and his father knows his son’s time is limited.

Harry’s father spends countless nights questioning the universe. Why Harry? Why does his innocent son have to suffer? He searches for a cosmic reason, a grand purpose behind the pain. This quest for meaning, however, leaves him feeling more desolate and powerless.

Herein lies the crux of our human experience — the desperate search for meaning in an indifferent universe.

Harry’s father imagines a world without cancer, providing an immediate sense of comfort. The feeling quickly dissipates, though, as he realizes that world holds no meaning either. Harry faces the same fate regardless.

Most people live in the father’s fantasy world only to take life for granted. With the end a mere abstraction, complacency sets in.

No. That is no life for Harry either.

This epiphany changes everything. It brings a clarity and urgency that might not have existed if he had always thought the end was far away and avoidable.

So, instead of searching for a faraway cosmic reason, Harry’s father focuses on the present, realizing that what truly matters is the here and now. He finds purpose in his immediate actions, resolving to make his son’s brief life meaningful in a way it might not ever have been otherwise.

Harry’s father recognizes the lack of inherent meaning in the universe while finding meaning in human experiences and actions. He is a cosmic pessimist, but a local optimist.

We are all Harry’s father

Humans have an intrinsic need to find or create meaning to navigate life. This is evident in the proliferation of cultures, philosophies, and religions. Humans are adept at imbuing their lives with purpose through relationships, achievements, and shared values. This is an observable fact about the world.