Summary: The essay presents a philosophical meditation on the human condition, portraying life as a perpetual struggle against an internal existential force. It rejects the notion that wisdom can be found in external sources like sacred texts or spiritual dogmas, asserting instead that meaning emerges through individual struggle and immediate experience. The author concludes that despite human moral failings and the universality of death, the fundamental truth of existence is that life is defined by its immediacy—by the present moment.
Living is a struggle against an eternal plague. It eats at man from deep within. A quest for clarity on living, loving, dying without sin. But all who struggle know the truth—they wear it on their skin. There is no book of wisdom, no secret Tao; No sacred cow, no holy shrine— When Death comes seeking, we all must bow. With sins so plentiful, we fall. Yet we know a deeper truth:
Life, whatever else it is, is Now.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the author argue there is no book of wisdom or secret Tao to guide human existence?
The author rejects external sources of spiritual authority and instruction, maintaining that wisdom cannot be found in sacred texts, holy shrines, or dogmatic systems. Instead, truth is discovered through personal struggle and lived experience, as those who struggle genuinely come to 'wear it on their skin,' indicating an embodied, earned understanding rather than inherited doctrine.
What does the author mean by portraying life as a struggle against an eternal plague that eats at humans from within?
The author uses this metaphor to describe a fundamental existential or spiritual condition that affects all humans, motivating a quest for clarity on how to live, love, and die without sin. This internal struggle is presented as universal and inescapable, forming the foundation of the human condition rather than an external problem to be solved.
Selected quotes
Life, whatever else it is, is Now.
The author concludes with the fundamental truth that underlies human existence, asserting that the present moment is the ultimate reality and meaning.
Related topics
Existential Struggle · Mortality · Rejection of Dogma · Presentism