Nothing Bothers Me
by Michael C. Keith
Genre: Humour
Swearwords: One mild one only.
Description: There is something in nothing, if nothing more than nothingness.
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Nothingness not being nothing, nothingness being emptiness. – Isabelle Adjani
I’ve been pondering my end since I reached 60, and I’m several years closer to it now. It’s hard for me to embrace the notion that sooner than later I’ll succumb to nothing. Not being a religious man, I see no alternative to the Big Empty, as my friend sometimes refers to it. I’ll simply no longer be––game over, offline forever. The only upside is that I won’t know it, because how can you know or experience nothingness? What gets me is facing nothing when I’m still something and know I’ll soon be nothing. That scares the shit out of me, even though I’m told there’s nothing to fear. The problem is how does one overcome one’s fear of nothing? I see the prospect of nothing as something I have to live with until I have nothing left to live. This fixation on nothing won’t end until my awareness of nothing ceases to be and I’m not to be anymore. Yes, to be or not to be is the question. There are times I’m so frightened of nothing that I feel doing myself in is the only way to overcome my fear of it. But then I’m so afraid of nothing that I can’t end the little something I have remaining. The other day my therapist asked what was disturbing me because I’ve been so depressed lately. She was puzzled when I told her that nothing was bothering me.
Swearwords: One mild one only.
Description: There is something in nothing, if nothing more than nothingness.
_____________________________________________________________________
Nothingness not being nothing, nothingness being emptiness. – Isabelle Adjani
I’ve been pondering my end since I reached 60, and I’m several years closer to it now. It’s hard for me to embrace the notion that sooner than later I’ll succumb to nothing. Not being a religious man, I see no alternative to the Big Empty, as my friend sometimes refers to it. I’ll simply no longer be––game over, offline forever. The only upside is that I won’t know it, because how can you know or experience nothingness? What gets me is facing nothing when I’m still something and know I’ll soon be nothing. That scares the shit out of me, even though I’m told there’s nothing to fear. The problem is how does one overcome one’s fear of nothing? I see the prospect of nothing as something I have to live with until I have nothing left to live. This fixation on nothing won’t end until my awareness of nothing ceases to be and I’m not to be anymore. Yes, to be or not to be is the question. There are times I’m so frightened of nothing that I feel doing myself in is the only way to overcome my fear of it. But then I’m so afraid of nothing that I can’t end the little something I have remaining. The other day my therapist asked what was disturbing me because I’ve been so depressed lately. She was puzzled when I told her that nothing was bothering me.
About the Author
Originally from Albany, New York, Michael C. Keith has paternal family roots stretching back to Clan Keith of Caithness and Aberdeenshire. A leading scholar in electronic media in the United States, he is the author of over 20 books on electronic media, as well as a memoir and three books of fiction. Much more about Michael and his publications can be found on his website: http://www.michaelckeith.com