Nihilism

Love the way it rhymes and the erratic cadence. I don't know, I'm not a formalist, I don't do a lot of nitpicking. Art is to be appreciated as it is, in my opinion anyway. The only thing I'd say you could work on is the silence. Meaning, breaking it down into stanzas, pausing whenever you feel something about a verse, etc. Not sure if that makes sense but basically, work on the silence. Other than that it's great and it grabbed my attention right away. The first verse is really visual and that's my aesthetic. It reminded me of a dream I had a long time ago that was strangely vivid for something so horrifying and absurd. I think you captured your title well in the poem. Great job.

Bleak, dark and brutal, following the core theme of nihilism to a tee, this is amazing, the first part was extremely descriptive, Which is a fantastic thing on its own, the description of how finite humans are with the imagery greatly aids in visualizing how human effort is all for nothing, then it comes to a fitting end, asking the reader the basic premise of nihilism, clearly defining the mindset of a nihilist, i think making this poem longer would actually improve it by adding different nihilistic views, arguments and perspectives.

Yea, the rhythmic patterns, above everything else, are brilliantly executed. The misanthropic voice stands out too, but rather diminishes the quality of the poem; I'd say, the emotional impact would be stronger if the voice weren't misanthropic, but compassionate and involved. All in all, disregarding the central sense, which is quite clearly stated in the last two lines, I'd say, because of the extraordinary rhythmic patterns, your poem is outstanding. The way you went with ''timely'' in that ''dull to black'' feels absolutely right, almost a fascinatingly musical impossibility. My criticism regarding the sense, is, imagine this: wouldn't the poem be much more extraordinary, if the ''plot'' went from someone involved in life, to suddenly in a state of absolute shock realizing an implacable sense of nihilism?

you must read Wallace Stevens, Frost, and Dylan Thomas, if you haven't done so.

Even though nihilism is my least favorite philosophy and I don't at all agree with the message, I have to admit that this is well written. Well done

I liked your poem. I think I would agree with CherubiniZucchini's post about breaking it into stanzas. Somehow I feel like there could be a link there with the nothingness and emptimess between stanzas that can tie in. Maybe that's just me. And of course, the ending is great. Why do we dance!

I enjoyed reading this but I really think it might be a tiny bit better without trying to stick in the rhymes. But that's just my personal perspective.

Great work!!

Each line seems to be a complete and compelling thought/clause, with the exception of your transition from line 11 to line 12. 12 completes the clause started but not finished in 11, and starting the line with "Amount of life" feels weaker, maybe a bit more awkward than each line that came before. It's the only place in the poem where the rhythm derails a bit, but I see how you wanted to rhyme "light" with "finite"

nice job dude!

The general idea works, but it feel like the rhyme is kind of forced at the end in some places, causing it to read very stiff and choppy. That and the use of periods causes it to read like a rap verse at times. Maybe work on the rhyme, or the idea of not having a rhyme scheme?

I like the rhyming I feel like it brings together the aspects of the poem without being to drifted from the central imagine. Other comments seem to put insight onto the message the poem is trying to portray, but I feel like this is something said from a set viewpoint and that shouldn't be changed around?

I am curious by your feelings portrayed in this poem. Nihilism can be taken many different ways. The positive sides can be more gleeful and relaxed to an uncaring universe but the polar opposite can exist as well. That's hat I felt from this poem. There is a lot of cynicism and sadness in these words. Maybe I'm wrong at what you're trying to say but I still love it nonetheless. Our time isn't eternal, don't waste it.

I am no poetry expert, but as a reader I was able to connect to your poem. I enjoyed how this poem raises the ever present question of what the meaning of life is, a question I, along with many others I’m sure, find myself pondering quite often.

Peace and literature don’t demand genius? Lol. Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Melville, Milton, Saul Bellows, Saul Kripke, all the founders of science, modern scientist are also overwhelmingly Christian, etc. —not arguing for Christianity or theism due to these powerhouse intellects considering it perfectly true and rational, just showing OP that, generally speaking, atheism and Nihilism are the product of emotion and attitude, not intellect.

I never argued for Christianity by way of popularity (appeal to popularity is the name of the logical fallacy you were alluding to).

Anyhow, (and conversely) showing there are intelligent people who aren’t Christian isn’t a positive argument for atheism itself, just a repackaging of what I did -also not an appeal to popularity. So...

Round and round we go. Just saying there is NO logical reason to be an atheist. It’s just a mood. Pseudo-intellectuals pretend it is defensible and yet fail at every formal debate against people like William Lane Craig. Never seen an atheist win one of these debates (and I’m not judging, they are formally moderated by neutral experts).

In philosophy, the majority of PhD holders are atheist or agnostic (by about 2%), yet in metaphysical and ontological philosophy (the branch that actually deals with God, minds, and the like -in other words, the experts in philosophy who specialize in arguments for and against God) the percentage of theists and Christians collectively is around 90%.

Again, not arguing that this proves anything, only that the people who specialize specifically in atheist/theist/deist philosophy overwhelmingly come to the conclusion that God exists and has revealed himself personally to the world.

Meanwhile we can debate it, but we aren’t experts. I suggest reading God and Other Minds by Alvin Plantinga for an example of the theistic renaissance in modern philosophy. Not even seventy years ago TIME ran an issue on the front cover with the words “Is God Dead” -then ran another one trying to investigate why so many academics are suddenly turning to theism and Christianity.

I’ll side with them, though I have my own reasons to do so independent of their conclusions.

I read Scheller’s Ressentimemt where he argues against Nietzsche’s misunderstanding of Christian morality.

Let me read you something that makes Christianity defensible —

“He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.”

This beautifully describes the end of the life of Jesus, as well as the role he served in. So you are wondering which of the New Testament writers wrote this? Wondering if they forged it after his death? The passage even mentions soldiers casting lots for his clothes and his being pierced but not having a bone broken (as was typical of a sacrifice).

—-actually this passage is carbon-dated to 700 years before Jesus was born.

This is just one small example of why so many thinking Pepe who examine the evidence come not only to the conclusion that God exists, but that he has revealed himself personally. That is a small example of how Christianity is defensible —yet the world was structured from the beginning along with history to not overwhelm a person. Otherwise there’d be no choice to have faith in God, only mere compulsion.

I liked your emphasis on the whole idea at all times. It was a beautiful read.

Lives aren’t proven obsolete, lol. Check out John Lennox, William Lane Craig even the unorthodox Jordan Peterson. Nihilism is a mood based upon philosophical assumptions.

Have you ever asked yourself if you are smarter than the geniuses who have won the Nobel Prize in all categories of the natural sciences? Im referring to Nobel Laureates in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and on...

Just to lend theism and Christianity some credibility (since you seem to have chosen atheism and it’s philosophical destination of nihilism) consider this;

67.5% of those scientists (who are way smarter than you or I) are Christians who live lives submitted to Christ’s teachings and who find immense joy and purpose in those lives.

Atheism and Nihilism are moods not defensible philosophical viewpoints.

Reread this post.