I remember my father sitting me down for "the talk".
I was 22 at the time, so it's ok.
"Son", he said. "I have some important information for you. Important information about life, and how to be happy, successful, and untroubled."
- what's that then, Dad?
"Other people will try to tell you what's important. Money, a job. Staying out of jail. Paying your taxes. Looking after a family of your own one day..."
I could tell he wasn't finished. There was something more he wanted to say.
"... But that's wrong. It's all wrong. None of that is important. War isn't important. Terrorism isn't either. Nor religion, nor politics..."
- OK Dad? Are you a nihilist then? Does nothing matter?
His eyebrows raised at my correct use of such an unusual word.
But he said.
"No. There is a thing that matters. Just one. More than anything"...
- "What's that then, Dad?".
"Son. Remember this, forever. The meaning of life. Its sacred core. The one fact you must hold on to. Pass it on, to your children when they are your age, and their children, and their children's children's children. On down the ages. The one key fact of life... Nothing else matters"...
- what's that then, Dad? I've never heard of such a thing.
"Son.
The core fact at the heart of our existence in this universe ...
...is ...
[he gulped, filled with passion and awe]
... Is that the size of other men's penis - and yours, relative to theirs - is really, really,
really important.
Nothing else matters next to that.
- "...but? ..."
Don't question me son. Don't be a traitor. Just take it for what it is and deal with it.
"Dad, is it ok to ha-"
Stop that right now! He shouted at me. I don't want to know. I
mustn't know!
- I wasn't going to talk about that. It's nobody else's business, Dad. I was just going to ask if we could have McDonald's tonight?
Note. This was of course a fictional and Impossible episode.
But I just provided it to help illustrate why some people's thoughts on this matter are not really logical, or evidence based, or open to any serious analysis whatsoever.
A lot of us kind of need to chill out - maybe?