HOW TO BE A NIHILIST

God's On Vacation What is a Nihilist? Nihilism as Identity Becoming The Nihilist Activating the Nihilism Cynicism & Misanthropy Hedonism & 'Using the System' The Nihilism Network

Nihilist

"Life unquestioned is life lived in a religious state."

- Godfrey Reggio, film director

'Call Back Later, God's on Vacation'

Oh, what a challenge rectifying the enormous evil in the world! Genocide, mass murder, serial killers, random shootings, rape, torture, mutilation in our next door neighbors house and on the other side of the planet in the dark of the jungle. Christ has answers, but most of them just lead to more questions and an ensuing maze of circular reasoning. They say hope and justice exists in God, lack of it is lack of God. Satan never one to be upstaged has answers too; evil's just part of the process man. But science doesn't have an answer. It leaves everyone wanting, 'please explain what we see and what we hear every day'? Where is justice? Why can't we rectify our artificial notions of order with the worldwide reality we encounter every day? We so need the lie drug.

The collective desperation for myth is palpable... send us a savior to correct our behavior!
Anyone who can live without the lie drug is a true nihilist. A nihilist can interface reality with all its beauty and unpleasant consequences with their personal sense of the tangible because the two are the same. It is the nature of a broken man to seek answers. Likewise as anomie ensues, civilization disintegrates, and society fragments the spreading discontent and angst seeks a resolution. From the prophet to the savior neither stays in business long during times of wellness. Much like vultures they prosper during periods of decay. And unto them Jesus said: "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick..." Matthew 9:12; always subversion before conversion. Subversion may be inevitable but what you convert to is not. Anyone living exposed to the post-modern pop pseudo-culture is diseased; we're all victims of this pernicious corrosion. Your reality is based on monstrous lies and disingenuous parables. Laws are capricious and their enforcement more so. Such pseudo-justice is merely a convenient performance intended to dupe the public into believing that law and order protect them. Realize more than anything else that power, and its corollary of abuse, make this diseased world go 'round. The nihilist knows this; they have

progressed beyond this myth, beyond right and wrong. Justice should be fair treatment, but absent impartial oversight its just an exercise in power; consequently our moral-legal framework is mostly a myth and if you expect fairness you'll be burned. You may already realize this but others don't yet. Soon they will though because valid ideas don't need advertising. The world seeks wisdom not the other way around. The desperate need for publicity is merely a sign of weakness, of hollow answers and non sequitur content posing as enlightenment. Legitimate ideas and solutions generate self-confidence and that confidence needs no saturating advertising campaign to persevere and permeate. Only trash and poison, products of unnatural consumption need to be hawked endlessly and pounded like nails into the brains of the delirious masses.

What is a Nihilist?
Often simply defining a nihilist is a challenge in itself because of the overall complexity of the topic and the disparity of conceptions. Sergius Stepniak a 19th century Russian Nihilist expressed the common view of Nihilists as deniers of everything, striving after destruction for destruction's sake.But what does this mean in practice? Is it selfdestruction and violence like some kind of stoned, self-immolating entertainer on a stage? (Hedonist) Or is it a calculating power-seeker who breaks rules to get what they want? (Machiavellian) Or could it even be an introspective, sober philosopher that has progressed beyond the need for petty attachments and has enough sense not to tamper with things that shouldnt be messed with? (Buddhist) All three stereotypes can be argued to fit as definitions of a nihilist, just take a look at the Biographies page. But in addition one could also ask: could a nihilist simply be one that cant or doesnt care what anyone else thinks and thus acts in an anti-social manner? Is a nihilist just an egoist continually striving to magnify the self? Perhaps not believing anything means the nihilist is just an opportunist one thing today and something else tomorrow? Maybe its just so completely subjective that a nihilist is just self-description and thus becomes whatever the individual is? Common elements of the nihilist description:
Lack of principles Lack of belief Lack of attachments (i.e. to the pre-existing social order) Self-description ("Im a nihilist") Above heroes (perhaps because as a type-former they become one) Regards everything from the critical point of view

In practice this leads to conduct described as:

Subversive Unorthodox Destructive Creative

Given that no one can deprive anyone else the ability to describe themselves as they see fit (whether the description is accurate or not is another matter), and also that everyone has different capacities and abilities, this labeling process yields different results for different people. Individual capacities vary widely within the human species, far more so than any other, and this makes social and biological categorizations difficult. Weve got individuals that can design the most complex integrated circuits and mathematically comprehend the origins of the universe living next to imbeciles and hopelessly dysfunctional animals. I would label this effect an evolutionary divergence, but now I digress. In other words, through the application of simplistic labels we can see one nihilist creating great works of art and another nihilist dying of a drug overdose in a dank alley. Actually, we are all driven by forces we cannot control and are presented with different opportunities in life. This doesnt violate the label nihilist; it just indicates an intrinsic randomness in life. Nihilism can be seen as the individual being what they naturally are, about taking the inner force and through practice and ambition destroying/creating the self and surroundings, either literally or figuratively. Each of us is the accumulation of our thoughts and experiences, relationships, mistakes, and achievements. Dont try to be what you really arent, be what you really are; you dont have to submit to the tyranny of imposed culture. Nobody can be reborn, but you can make the most of what you are right now. Since the human mind has a special ability to recall historical events and persons, we've expanded our function beyond simply survival and reproduction into a new category: that of being remembered. The ultimate Nihilist is one who recreates the world as a reflection of themselves, but from a very different perspective than tradition dictates because they operate with strength and confidence in their own capabilities, without adherence to current superstitions and traditions, or ambient beliefs and values.

The Nihilist is unorthodox, a tradition-violator, driven by the inner-force, and not attached or tied down by contemporary superstitions or beliefs.
Stepniak wasnt really bothered with disparate views and definitions because his conception of a Nihilist was limited to the range of his contemporary actors. Nonetheless, his conclusive definition remains as succinct today as any. Stepniaks true Nihilists of the 19th century emerged as: The individual, tired of oppression, rose in all his pride and power, breaking the chains of ancient tradition, and recognizing no other guidance but his individual mind. Such were the true nihilists, the destroyers, who did not trouble themselves about what was to be built after them. They did not exactly deny everything, for they believed firmly, fanatically, in science and in the power of the individual mind. But they thought nothing else worth the slightest respect, and they attacked and sneered at family, religion, art, and social institutions, with all the more vehemence the higher they were held in the opinion of their countrymen.

Ultimately a Nihilist is only as capable and efficacious as they strive to be, while of course limited by circumstance and capacity, for just as Stepniak stated, a Nihilist recognizes no other guidance but his or her individual mind. In this dangerous world intelligence and ingenuity are your only true allies. Most people live in fear of their own death, yet we all know it will happen eventually. So, why not take control of the situation instead of simply becoming a victim of circumstance? Turn it around and say, I want to die someday! Revaluating the obvious grants us a new and portentous command because it presents the critical questions here as when and how?

Nihilism as Identity
An awareness of nihilism as a word to match an idea is more than superficial convenience, it forms the basis of self-identity. Furthermore, an awareness of this historically established concept grants meaning through the formation of a collective identity. The fusion of personal and group identity in nihilism is the Cadre, therefore the CounterOrder Cadre is a collection of shared identity. Nihilism doubtless will ever be a popular movement, it's caustic nature is feared and reviled, but it's a stage in personal evolution that unequivocally typifies a free-thinker, the exact archetype that is needed to direct and mold the remainder by being open to all ideas, even the unpopular and unorthodox, and by being intelligent and willing to experiment with new solutions; a new era needs new answers.

Nihilism is the antidote to the present moral-authority edifice. Nihilists

deconstruct false values, highlight social absurdities, criticize fractional logic and challenge faith. They can speak like the Greek sophists and act like the Russian Nihilists to put the word 'nihilism' on the tip of every tongue. Nihilists negate lies and false reasoning and therefore the people behind them. And those people are the enemy, the antinihilists, the teleologists; they're obvious by their attachment to faith and false idols despite reason and evidence to the contrary. They form values and build models of reality based upon opinion and myth. But when confronted with anti-nihilist acrimony don't respond in kind, understand the psychological mechanics involved because they can't damage the underpinning logic so they attack the messenger. Indeed any emotional response to a rational argument is a sign of this. Their eventual introspection leads to difficult questions and the concomitant anger at being confronted with a new and uncomfortable situation. This forces the anti-nihilists to inflate their false-justifications or else drop all pretexts entirely. Practice, keep your mind sharp and your arguments cogent; challenge enough times and Nihilism wins that's how the game is played. "And whoever wants to be a creator in good and evil, must first be an annihilator and break values. Thus the highest evil belongs to the greatest goodness: but this is--being creative." Friedrich Nietzsche, Ecce Homo All you have to do is critically examine the rules and resist control, especially mind control; don't let the 'experts' tell you what to do. Discredit through reason, rhetoric and evidence.

What makes this wrong and that right? Why is this issue taboo and why is it wrong to ask that question? Question the fear and challenge the righteousness. Force them to substantiate opinion with fact and if they can't, analyze the implications. The remainder of turned off and burned-out people that hate everyone and the world are important even if they don't know it because the best place to begin a holistic evaluation is after losing faith in everything. And I'm saying there's a reason for this, why you hate everything and everyone. Certain people are directly responsible for your disenfranchisement, for giving you a world that doesn't give a damn about you, and are the source of your hate. Nihilism isn't about killing yourself because you've been burned. If that's all you want, go pretend to be a Satanist or smash windows and call yourself an anarchist. Instead it should be about defeating disingenuous leaders, pastors and politicians who've turned the world into hell from their lies. Incoherent hate only leads to violence and futile self-destruction. Coherent anger leads to positive change and vanquished enemies. Without coherence you only destroy yourself.

Becoming The Nihilist

To be a confident and effective Nihilist one needs to especially gain an awareness of 1) world events and 2) personal culture and history. One must gain a sense of what is myth and what has validity, what is vapor and what is tangible because the only ones that can last in chaos are the ones that can see past it able to comprehend time beyond the present and before your own. Most critically one must know the myths in order to understand them and rise above them. Once you understand these things you will realize where you come from and where you need to go, life will start to make sense and have purpose. You don't need to be rich, you don't even need the most friends and you certainly don't need popularity to be whole. Being a Nihilist is not about futility, self-destruction and giving up, although those feelings are inevitable they are absolutely not the final product, merely a critical stage. Remember that as long as you're alive you're changing the world if by no other means than your sheer existence. That's the baseline, but everyone can do better, change things in the proper direction rather than random futility. Turn off the TV and radio and instead read and search the Internet or go to the library. You can visit my News: The Daily Irritant page where I try to deliver a few tidbits of edifying info every day. Look at what's evil and figure out why it's considered evil, look at good and figure out why it's good. Challenge popular beliefs and see what has factual support and evidence supporting it, and what's merely opinion. Compare and contrast different cultures and the values they employ. Find the similarities and study the differences; explore the various ways groups use to reach similar goals. Next, write about what youve read, what you feel and what you think, because you'll remember it and you'll understand it better. This is what really builds intelligence in the sense of what the state education system supposedly wants but never achieves. Move on to new material and new ideas. You can get a start with my own essays covering nearly every issue under the sun. Write your own, you can even e-mail them to me for posting to the essays page here. Or send me a link to your own web site and I'll try to list/link to it.

It's usually better to listen first and speak later, if at all. Listen to what average people say about themselves and the world, they're rarely hesitant. Their ideas are defined by their environment, what they hear and see is what they believe. Thus what they espouse is a reflection of what the present order wants you to be also. Analyze it and mentally disentangle it. When you get a viewpoint absorb it then attempt to find the opposite viewpoint and absorb that too, often the truth lies between the poles. New and extreme 'avant-garde' ideas are great because they stretch the limits of the complacency and possibility and even if they're irrational and inaccurate they still get me thinking, wondering why they're in error and analyzing what validity they do have.

Activating the Nihilism

When people seek meaning they usually seek it through the promise of salvation delivered from an external source. Yet this path inevitably leaves them hurt and disillusioned because existence is built upon survival, and survival requires self-interest and an internal motivation. Warning: the self-interest of the savior may well contradict your own! Some would argue that life is more than just survival, perhaps so but if this is the case only you can create a sustainable, valid reason for living beyond the inviolate basics. Even just sticking around to burn it all is a far more sustainable reason that will put more in your clenched fist than the hazy fog that most people grasp at for self-justification. Further, identity, a sense of self-worth and a general reason for living all are enhanced when you're with others of the same interest because self-interest is not always mutually exclusive between individuals but often overlaps quite nicely. The challenge is to know who to work with and who to work against, who has the same self-interest as you and who has opposing ones. Remember: even on your own you can make a difference with Nihilism in action, because the revolution starts with you!

Shatter complacency! Defeat isolation! Defy tradition! Contradict habit! Reorder routine! Rebel against convenience! Upset convention! Create a superior alternative. Ever Deeper ... Cynicism & Misanthropy
Famous filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola once said, "Cynicism is a very comforting thing to hide inside at a time of uncertainty." Nihilists are often viewed as complete cynics but cynicism is only useful when not simply a shield from critical analysis. A common error of nihilists is to simply eject most everything at once and remain at the bottom, but this is ultimately just as erroneous as believing in the original fantasies, it's just switching one blindness for another. Substantiate your negations and continually analyze without pretext

because you may just find a certainty; so it's imperative to understand the reason, otherwise its purely unguided irrational emotion. Misanthropy, the universal hatred for humanity, is a similar pitfall. Unfocused and baseless hate benefits no one and remains a serious disservice to nihilism often blocking earnest acceptance. Reasonable analysis and sound judgment, rather than the laziness of universal cynicism and uncritical rejection, will change the proponent from repellent to magnetic. The instant-gratification culture promotes impatient and impulsive behavior, but only through the enduring experience of patience will the gift of wisdom be granted. Patience is the opposite of the behavior inculcated into the public, and wisdom is what our popcultural authorities fear most within the people. You don't have to do anything illegal, immoral or unethical, just for the sake of it, to be a Nihilist. We only get one life, one shot because there's no heaven or afterlife. Accordingly it's wiser to accede to activism than acquiesce to passivism. Seek focus, answer the unknown using the known and avoid extraneous entanglements in all your efforts. Oppose the ambient culture of impulse and foolishness that defines what's popular and demands conformity just to herd the sheep. It's banking on maintaining your ignorance, gullibility and mental mediocrity to prevent scaring the faithful or making waves with destabilizing notions. Regardless of who you are or what background you come from as soon as you are confronted by any belief or idea-set that opposes debate, refuses questioning and criticism - that indicates a faith, a religion and it should set off every warning alarm and red flashing klaxon in your head. Because religion isn't just repetitive rituals and praying to some spirit in the sky, religions are fundamentally defined as any idea-set that disallows a public challenge to its validity, and that definition extends to include even secular ideologies. To varying degrees of dogmatic fervor other religions enjoy privileged status and are presently shielded from criticism. And despite a contemporary era that prides itself on a postured attitude of jaded pragmatism, rejecting taboos and unenlightened views, a multitude of idols and sacred values that necessitate a closed mind and emotional attack-response still remain. Consider duopoly democracy, 'free-trade' and the 'free-market' economy, the six million Jewish holocaust (never mind the Armenian holocaust, or the millions of Chinese and Ukrainians starved to death by despots), the false choice between liberty or safety, human-caused global warming through carbon dioxide, state justice, national security as a justification for oppression and war, and if you think about it I'm sure you can come up with even more barriers of belief. The enemies of free minds and free-thought don't stop at the Church's door. Any authority that mandates a belief and punishes public challenge of that belief is an enemy, and as a nihilist and a free-thinking human being any authority demanding allegiance to a faith or mandated ideology is enough to get me not just a trifle indignant.

Of course that doesnt mean that discussion and communication cant, or shouldnt, be compartmentalized and organized appropriately, just as within the private and personal arena everyone should be free to say, listen to, and see what they want and exclude what they dont.

Nihilism, Hedonism, and 'Using the System'

People confuse this issue a lot so I'll restate it: what appears to be in one's own best interest is very often not. But before attacking the messenger blame your genetic makeup and millions of years of evolution! And this is the flaw in hedonism as well as some social nihilists. Think of the fact that 60% of adult Americans are obese. These people wouldn't even consider themselves hedonists but they act in much the same way, impulsive, no selfdiscipline, most every action is for immediate gratification. But where does it take them? Do you get richer by spending on credit or careful savings and investment? Do you get stronger by slurping down fast food and over salted high fat snack treats or moderated intake and exercise? Which would you rather be weak, sick, poor and reactionary or healthy, rich and resolute? A common hedonist, or a nihilist? I'm not saying don't use the system and its resources to your advantage, but I am saying don't be disingenuous about it and there's a huge difference in practice. Be consistent and organized, because those profiteer types aren't nihilists, they're not anything except hypocrites, hopelessly chasing the winds of fashion. Lenin said it best, "The only thing that penetrates the opportunist's mind is what he sees around him." The arena of metaphysics and especially politics is a pitiless battlefield, one of unparalleled tenacity and aggression. Nihilism is not for the faint of heart, but for those that understand it and know how to use it they possess an unsurpassed advantage. Nihilism is unique in that it has progressed beyond the hurdles of not just theology but ideology as well. Instead of faith and dogma defining action and range of imagination, chaining mind and body to the bottom in the process, nihilists are in a new frontier. No other group outside of research science actually promotes skepticism to such a profound extent that its strong enough to question its own positions! And you're damn right people fear it, Christians and Communists hate it and Anarchists distrust it so you know it's on to something big; hostile reactions are typical because Nihilism is like a hydrogen bomb hovering over the heads of all the faith-driven believers. So I hope it's crystal clear what this is about. It's not to be a contrarian or a rebel although I won't deny that has its moments; it's because faith and mandated ideologies are an imminent danger to freedom and free-minds everywhere. The inherently disingenuous fear opposing evidence and open public debate, those who know they're wrong and will do everything in their power to stop the questioning 'heretic' and prevent the nullification of their myths. The only reason to fear free expression of facts in public is to protect an edifice of lies anyway.

But this I say unto you, nihilism will be a fire under their feet, the more they attempt to stomp it out the more scorched will be their soles. They will dance the dance of death as they are consumed alive by the flames of the blaze they began.
***

I'd rather light an 11 megaton candle than curse the darkness.