3 books to reflect on the finitude and futility of material existence
Ecclesiastes
Four Thousand Weeks: time management for mortals by Oliver Burkeman
The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) by Dr. Katie Mack
Beginning with the end in mind is a highly effective habit (thanks Stephen Covey) that can inadvertently trigger an existential crisis. If you project far enough into the future, what you will encounter is your physical demise as well as the universe’s.
I picked these books because each one presents a different facet of the same phenomenon. We are finite. The universe, vast as it is, is also finite. Everything made of physical matter will come to an end. EVERYTHING.
Ecclesiastes is known for the quote, “Vanity of vanities. All is vanity! For all his toil, his toil under the sun, what does man gain by it.” Its second chapter is titled, Death. I was assigned this book to read for an ethics class in business school. Our professor, (forgot his name, sorry professor! But this lesson is locked in my memory.) showed the music video of Once in a Lifetime by The Talking Heads while we discussed Ecclesiastes. The song’s refrain repeats the lyrics, “same as it ever was” over and over. Quite a profound statement to make to a class of aspiring Wall Street investment bankers. I can still clearly remember how I felt after that class, reeling. I truly wondered, what is the mother frigging point to all of this?
Four thousand weeks refers to the number of weeks an average lifespan has. The book explores our understanding of time and encourages us to embrace the fact that we have to make hard trade-offs with the time that we have. We can’t do it all and therefore we need to choose what to do based on what truly matters to us. The book draws from various philosophers, wise teachers and traditions to show a different path than standard productivity pabulum. It’s the most practical book of the three, providing actionable advice to have a more meaningful life. For a recovering productivity junkie like me, reading this book is deeply reassuring.
The End of Everything is a delightful scientific romp on all the possible ways the universe will end. There are currently five: the Big Crunch, Heat Death, the Big Rip, Vacuum Decay, and the Bounce. Personally, my money is on Vacuum Decay. I listened to this as an audiobook and highly recommend it. What I appreciate about this book is how it destroys any illusion of the value of material existence. Think of what people are fixated on in the long term: to be remembered, to leave a legacy, to make their mark in history. In the end, not a single shred of this physical universe will be left to leave a mark on.
For me, these three books are a potent dose of reality on the nature of material existence. It’s a source of calm when I’m in the midst of seemingly daunting challenges. It’s a sobering reminder whenever I entertain delusions of grandeur and ambition. Whatever it is that I’m facing will not matter in the long run, literally.
These books underscore the fact that only the spiritual endures. “It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to offer.” (John 6:63)