All human beings should aspire to genuine freedom. Freedom from bondage, anxiety, fear and the false structures created by other human beings. The only way to let these things go is to realise they don’t exist and anything you do is inherently pointless.

Stay with me.

Wanting to make a difference and improve things is OK, as long as you realise the impact is insanely micro. Human beings have been around for 300,000 years — a tiny part of universal history — and we’re still very much in our infancy. For context, dinosaurs existed for about 165 million years.

Your works are unlikely to survive you. Maybe your grandchildren will talk about how much they loved you for a while, but that’ll be it. Then you’ll be forgotten, at best you’ll be a name on a family tree that people use as a reference point.

I find huge comfort in that.

You see, if we could have a real impact and if life wasn’t pointless, then we could never be free. If our efforts were going to be judged beyond our death and if our time on earth had an actual impact, we’d have to adhere to the rules of fear, anxiety and bondage.

Here’s an extreme example. What would happen if you stood up right now and left your job? Just walked out the door and never came back. For a few days there would be confusion and concern, “Are they okay? I hope they haven’t done something stupid, let’s call the hospitals…” Then, after a few days or weeks, a story would be created. “They had a mental break. They’re starting their own business. They were always a bit weird.”

You’d be a story for a year, maybe two. Then you’d be forgotten. Whatever you’re doing instead of working also doesn’t matter because literally nothing does. That’s freedom.

What separates humans from actual freedom isn't a job or financial responsibilities or family obligations — it’s a fear of losing those things. Or, the false belief that any of those things are real at all.

Humans are incredibly resourceful. If you were to leave the planet tomorrow — your family, friends and everything — the world would continue. There would be a mourning period, and perhaps you’d be remembered as better than you were, but that would pass.

None of this is depressing — it’s liberating. If nothing we do matters, then we don’t need to worry about getting it wrong or right. If we really lean into this way of thinking, then we don’t need to stress over false societal constructs such as jobs or time or fear or anxiety. Science will tell you that fear and anxiety are a natural response. True — but the’re also learned. This is proven by the fact that some people are afraid of things that other people aren’t. Our minds have adapted to create these things and they can be uncreated by accepting true pointlessness.

To make that a bit less extreme, you can be more free, right now. Let’s start looking at freedom as scale rather than a thing that you have or you don’t. At the bottom of the scale is slavery where there is no freedom. At the top of the scale is a theoretical being entirely free of all desires and fears. In the middle is us. Based on this, you can take steps to be more free by seeing things in your life as pointless. Start with your beliefs and the things that irritate you. It doesn’t need to be extreme and won’t have any external impact, but accepting the pointlessness of your opinions and beliefs lets you stop being triggered when they’re messed with. Less fear, less anxiety, less anger.

Imagine someone arguing that your most cherished beliefs are wrong, and you respond with, “Hmmm…maybe you’re right,” because you’ve realised it simply doesn’t matter.

Now extrapolate that to things you really value. Accept that nothing — including your life — has any point at all. That’s pure and joyous freedom.