Science can tell you that sugar activates reward centers in your brain. It can’t tell you whether eating the cookie matters.
Philosophy can’t either. Religion makes claims, but they’re not verifiable. Your parents had opinions, but they were just making it up as they went along, same as everyone else.
This bothers people. They want an authority. Something to point to and say “See? This is what matters. This is how to live.”
But think about it differently. If some cosmic authority handed down a list of what matters, would that actually be better?
You’d spend your whole life following someone else’s priorities. Even if they were perfect priorities, they wouldn’t be yours. You’d be an employee of the universe instead of its author.
The fact that nothing can tell you what matters means everything is up for grabs. You get to decide. Not arbitrarily—you still have to live with the consequences of your choices, and some things feel more meaningful than others.
But the choice is yours.
I find this freeing. When I’m trying to figure out whether to take a job or end a relationship or learn Spanish, I don’t need to consult the manual. There isn’t one.
I just have to pay attention to what actually makes my life feel worth living, and then choose that.