The Nihilist

This is definately one of the most political and philosophical pictures I've ever done. Don't eat me.

A nihilist (from the Latin NIHIL: nothing) is a person who refuses to have any political, spiritual or sociological beliefs. In other words, these people state that there IS nothing to beleive in; people, God, thought, life and even existence itself are all utterly meaningless. It it a very cold, pessimistic ideaology with one massive flaw: it contradicts itself.

And that's where this image comes into play. You see, for such an embittered, doubtful young man, the Nihilist in himself actually has a lot of FAITH. Why else would he waste so much devotion on insisting that there is nothing to be devoted to? That's why I retain a respectful sense of agnostism; nihilism is not only depressing-it's hypocritical as well. Such an ultimate skeptic sees so much to criticise, he puts all of his spare drive into proving others wrong; all while unltimately disproveing himself at the same time.

Then again, do I really have any grounds on which to complain about the Nihilist? After all, I'm just an industrialized fool with enough nerve to criticise the critical; to skepticise a skeptic. None of us really have the right to verbally assault each other as we do, for we are all guilty of most of the sins we complain about. Remember to analyze your own philosophy before deeming yourself worthy to advise some one else.

On a techinical note, this image was inspired heavily by the art of Superflat. [link] Special credits to the artist Satoshi Kon in his series Paranoia Agent. One of the best and most cynical anime I've ever seen. If you haven't watched it, teach yourself something and do so now! Also, the quote at the side of the image comes from the artist Tatsuyuki Tanaka, better known by the psuedonym Cannabis. The words come from an illustration in Japanese Comikers, an artbook in which Tanaka was featured. So don't go mauling me over plagarism; I have distintly sited the source of that line. Thank you.