Nihil Verum Nisi Mors

       Nihil Verum Nisi Mors  - A Latin phrase meaning nothing is true but death, or preferably, nothing is true but the finality of death.  I enjoy this phrase partly because of its blunt, unapologetic aire. But also because it is the closest representation of a sensible spirituality that I can imagine.

My tattoo (inspired by Marilyn Manson and Triptykon) 

     It is not that I believe that there are no true facts aside that all processes come to an end or that all living things die. This is more than just a morbid fascination with death. I believe that the search for truth is more important than anything in a person's life. More than happiness, more than advancing one's position is society, etc. There are many arguments to the contrary, but I cannot fathom a meaningful existence based on my own desires as a minuscule individual in the
vastness of the universe. Also, it seems impossible to be able to deal with death realistically while assuming that your experience as an individual is what matters most.

        Finality is a controlling factor. The main anchor that the search for truth rests on. As hard as we try to evade death and to make it seem a minor part of our lives. It is something that informs most major decisions that we make. North American society in particular has a strange relationship with death. It is fetishized by the media, but shunned as a topic of everyday conversation. While other cultures have a more mature and subdued relationship with it, our culture seems to be a pubescent child, still playing with the reality of death.

To me, this phrase reflects that everything we are comes down to biological facts. Our consciousness, emotions, and all those mysterious things that occur in our mental processes come down to physical realities. I cannot understand why people feel defeated by this idea. What is more empowering than knowing that the inner workings of our minds are discoverable?  That our understanding of the human experience does not rely on some mysterious religiosity or spirituality?

We are able to see how complex physical beings can arise from evolutionary processes, however we are still faltering when it comes to seeing that evolutionary processes also apply to mental processes. Cells, neurons, energy - the building blocks of both physical and conscious existence.

In many ways, death is a god. It directs life by providing limits and also by providing a fuel and motivation for continued life. Inescapable, omnipresent, and poetic, it inspires existential contemplation like no other subject. Perhaps if it was accepted as a necessary and important part of our lives, it would be dealt with in a useful way, rather than fetishized and feared.