PDF Summary:Life Worth Living, by Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun, and Ryan McAnnally-Linz

What does it mean to live well? So many life philosophies seek to answer this question that it can feel daunting to find one that resonates with you. In their 2023 book Life Worth Living, three Yale professors—Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun, and Ryan McAnnally-Linz—break this question down to make it easier for you to answer. They offer bite-sized chunks of various life philosophies (including those of Confucius, Jesus, and the writer James Baldwin) to use as a springboard for building your own life philosophy.

In this guide, we’ll discuss four key components of a good life philosophy—spiritual, emotional, material, and moral welfare. Then, we’ll explore why it’s important to carefully consider your life philosophy. Finally, we’ll explain four methods for aligning your actions with your life philosophy. In our commentary, we’ll discuss additional life philosophies, research about what it means to live well, and practical tips for living your best life from other experts.

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Moral Welfare

Finally, Volf, Croasmun, and McAnnally-Linz argue that a good life philosophy promotes moral welfare—the sense that you’re generally a virtuous person—by defining right and wrong behaviors. The authors explain that many people believe they’ll be virtuous if they minimize the harm they do to others, but this doesn’t pass muster because sometimes, you must harm others in order to do the right thing. To illustrate, the authors cite the spiritual war depicted in a Hindu text called The Bhagavad Gita. In this scripture, the god Krishna advises a man named Arjuna that he must harm his family to win the war for righteousness and against sin.

(Shortform note: The Bhagavad Gita provides some guidance about when and how it’s OK to hurt people—for example, it describes particular justifications for war and acceptable wartime conduct. It’s sometimes necessary to harm others in less dire circumstances, too. In All About Love, feminist philosopher bell hooks argues that your capacity to love others begins with self-love, which involves self-assertion: your ability to advocate on behalf of your own needs. Sometimes, self-assertion comes at the expense of others’ needs or desires. For example, you might hurt someone’s feelings by breaking up with them when they can’t meet your needs, but that doesn’t mean breaking up with them is immoral—you’re probably still doing the right thing.)

If you agree that moral welfare could sometimes demand harming others, your life philosophy might require a different behavioral standard than minimizing harm. One alternative is to judge your actions by their outcomes. The authors explain that utilitarians, for example, don’t care what you do so long as your actions promote pleasure and decrease pain. One problem with this approach is that the repercussions of your actions are often unpredictable. For example, if you’re not aware that some coffees are produced by forced laborers, you can’t predict that your purchase of that coffee might fuel the modern slave trade.

(Shortform note: If you decide it’s best to judge your actions by their outcomes, you might adopt what author Jeff Bell calls “the Greater Good Perspective Shift.” When you make decisions, don’t prioritize avoiding negative outcomes; instead, prioritize pursuing positive outcomes that fulfill others’ needs or enhance your sense of meaningfulness. For example, some psychologists believe it’s acceptable to tell a white lie to fulfill another person’s need for acceptance. To help you predict the repercussions of your actions, Peter Bevelin (Seeking Wisdom) recommends that you practice systems thinking: With the knowledge that you’re part of a complex web of life, try to understand how your actions will affect others.)

The authors say other thinkers are more concerned with the quality of your actions themselves. For example, the authors say that Jews, Christians, and Muslims believe the only way to act rightly is to obey God (whose will you can determine with the help of your spiritual community). Confucianists, on the other hand, believe that to act rightly is to promote a healthy society, which begins with healthy interpersonal relationships. Therefore, they emphasize treating people well.

(Shortform note: There’s a lot of overlap between the Abrahamic and Confucianist perspectives represented here. According to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, obeying God necessarily involves treating people well since that is one of God’s commandments. And while Confucianists don’t believe in God, they believe in obeying the moral authorities they do recognize—like your ancestors, elders, and political powers—because following the social order without conflict promotes societal harmony, which is key to societal health. However, it’s important to note that what it means to treat people well is culturally dependent—for example, both Confucian and Abrahamic cultures have been criticized for treating women as inferior to men.)

Another facet of moral welfare is who you should act rightly toward. The authors describe four answers to this question: First, the philosopher Charles Taylor says you are your highest priority, since you’re an individual, and you have a duty to fulfill your unique potential. In contrast, the utilitarian Peter Singer argues that since everyone’s pleasure is equally important, you should act rightly toward everyone, even perfect strangers. In practice, this could mean donating to poor people in other countries. Somewhat similarly, Christians believe you should act rightly with anyone you encounter, including strangers and people who are different from you. Finally, Confucianists believe that your family comes first but you should treat others well, too.

(Shortform note: In Against Empathy, psychologist Paul Bloom explains how empathy (your ability to feel what someone else feels) partially determines who you feel compelled to act rightly toward. He explains that many people use empathy to guide their moral decision-making without realizing empathy’s limits. For example, it’s easier to empathize with people you’re close to or similar to—like your family—than people who are different or distant from you. Empathy also takes an emotional toll on you and can make it hard to care for yourself even when that’s necessary. Instead of relying on empathy to make moral choices, Bloom advocates reasoned compassion: logically evaluating your concerns about others before you try to help them.)

How to Put Your Life Philosophy Into Practice

We’ve talked about how to come up with a good life philosophy; now, let’s talk about how to put one into practice. In this section, we’ll discuss four practical applications of your life philosophy: how your beliefs about death can motivate you to live well, how to translate your values into actions, how to recover when you make mistakes, and finally, how to cope with hardship.

How to Get Motivated: Use Death

According to the authors, your beliefs about death can motivate you to act in certain ways while you’re still alive. The authors describe four views of death: two that characterize death positively, one that characterizes death negatively, and one that characterizes death neutrally. Let’s explore those philosophies and their impacts on your actions.

Plato and Hägglund: Death Is Good

According to the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, death is good because it separates your everlasting soul from your ephemeral body. Plato believed the soul is superior to the body because it’s your true identity and can be improved. Your body, on the other hand, is fundamentally worthless, and it can even degrade your soul by distracting you from the pursuit of wisdom. The authors explain that if you believe, like Plato, that your soul lives on forever, you’ll be motivated to do two things: You’ll spend your life improving your soul for the afterlife, and you’ll approach death with a positive outlook.

(Shortform note: Experts note that Plato came to believe that humans have an immortal soul through logical inference—in fact, he made four total arguments in favor of the soul’s immortality. But other philosophers have used logical inference to come to the opposite conclusion—that humans don’t have anything that resembles a soul, everlasting or not. Regardless of your stance on the soul, there may be other reasons to view death positively: For example, some people believe that death releases you from the cycle of human suffering.)

The modern philosopher Martin Hägglund likewise argues that death is good because it makes life more meaningful. The authors explain that Hägglund believes we can only truly care about things that have the potential to end. If we knew life would last forever, we wouldn’t take pains to nurture, preserve, or enhance it (actions that amount to care). If you agree with Hägglund, death can motivate you to act now and make the most of the present.

(Shortform note: The authors explain that Hägglund believes death is a motivator because it delimits your time on earth, but that’s not the full extent of Hägglund’s argument: He also argues that traditional religions are counterproductive to living well because they teach you to focus on the potential of an afterlife rather than what you can accomplish in this mortal life. Hägglund suggests that “secular faith” is a better alternative—this involves devoting yourself to activities that feel meaningful to you and trusting that these activities will turn out to be worthwhile later in life, even if you have no assurance that they will. For example, this could take the shape of choosing to pursue a new relationship with someone special, even if you’re not sure it will work out.)

The Apostle Paul: Death Is Bad

The Christian apostle Paul believed that death is bad because eternal life is God’s will. Volf, Croasmun, and McAnnally-Linz explain that Paul believed God intended to make humans immortal, but we lost that privilege because we sinned and became mortal instead. Since death is a punishment, it’s natural to feel sad, frightened, and negative about it. However, according to the Christian faith, believers can overcome physical death. Just as God resurrected Jesus after he was crucified, he gives believers the gift of a second chance at life by resurrecting their bodies after death. According to Paul, this means that death can motivate you to live well by pursuing eternal life through Christian belief, which leads to resurrection.

(Shortform note: Belief in resurrection isn’t universal among Christians—a recent survey showed that about a quarter of Christians living in the UK don’t believe Jesus was resurrected, while about a third don’t believe in eternal life for believers. However, most Christians believe that death is a bad thing that can be overcome by resurrection, which may account for the fact that Western countries are overwhelmingly death-denying: A negative attitude toward death leads to collective death-related anxiety, which may be ameliorated by one’s belief they’ll be resurrected.)

Thich Nhat Hanh: Death Is Neutral

Volf, Croasmun, and McAnnally-Linz state that Buddhists believe your sense of self is an illusion; you’re not a permanent personality, but a dynamic process that’s forever unfolding. This applies to Buddhist beliefs about death, too—death is just a part of the process, and it’s no more meaningful or final than any other part since you continue to transform afterward. According to the Buddhist thinker Thich Nhat Hanh, viewing death as a neutral change in your state of being motivates you to do two things: First, you’ll embrace death instead of dreading it. Second, since all fear is connected to your fear of death (for example, perhaps you fear spiders because they could be venomous), you’ll let go of other fears you have and enjoy life more.

Accept Death, Let Go of Fear

Buddhist writer Norman Fischer uses scientific concepts to support the idea that life and death are parts of an endless cycle of transformation: He explains that when you’re born, it seems like a brand new person has entered the world, but you’re not truly new. Rather, you’re made up of a combination of preexisting elements—elements that existed within your parents and their ancestors before them—that have been transformed by biological processes into the shape of a newborn. Likewise, when you die, your body decomposes, and the elements that you’re made of don’t disappear—they get recycled. In this way, you’re eternal: Everything that you are preceded your birth and will continue after your death.)

As for whether all your fears boil down to your fear of death, there’s some scientific merit to this idea. Experts believe that we evolved fear as a survival mechanism that alerted us to immediate threats to our lives. If your ancestors didn’t have fear, they might have taken risks (like petting a large, fuzzy spider) that could have led to their deaths and the end of their bloodline. But not every fear is well-founded—for example, if you suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), you might have an outsized fear response to relatively harmless stimuli. To cope with your fears, Nhat Hanh recommends being mindful of them: nonjudgmentally noticing them when they arise and then welcoming them as part of life.

How to Translate Your Values Into Action

The authors explain that when you glean a new piece of your life philosophy, it’s important to translate your newfound values into action. This might require making changes to your life or even to yourself, which can be an intimidating prospect. Let’s discuss four methods for getting started on such lifestyle changes and how to sustain those changes over time.

Getting Started

The authors explain that you may have some cognitive dissonance about making lifestyle changes based on your life philosophy: On one hand, you may know you need to change if you want to live well; on the other hand, you might be reluctant to change because your life is comfortable enough as is. If you feel this tension, the authors offer one possible resolution: the Christian concept of surrender. Volf, Croasmun, and McAnnally-Linz explain that Christians believe only Jesus can help you overcome reluctance to change. If you agree, you can start the process of change by admitting that you’re incapable of doing it alone, surrendering your soul to Jesus, and letting him guide you throughout life.

(Shortform note: The Christian theologian C.S. Lewis explains that surrendering your soul means choosing to do God’s will instead of your own and letting God rid you of the desire to sin. If the idea of surrendering your soul doesn’t resonate with you, life coach Tony Robbins offers a secular approach for overcoming your reluctance to change: He says that you can motivate yourself to act now by creating internal psychological leverage. This involves coming to terms with the pain you’re causing yourself by putting off the changes you need to make and reminding yourself of the pleasure that would follow if you made those changes.)

The authors also offer some strategies for those who are eager to make lifestyle changes. First, they recommend you use “nudges”—prompts that make it feel natural for you to practice a desirable habit—which economists Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein describe in their book, Nudge. For example, you might keep a full water bottle next to you at all times if you want to drink more water.

(Shortform note: In Nudge, Thaler and Sunstein explain that nudges are useful because they help you overcome biased thinking. The authors describe several types of biases that can lead you to make poor decisions: For example, you might be susceptible to the status quo bias—the tendency to do what you’ve always done just because it’s your norm. This could lead you to make the same poor decision every day, like scrolling through social media first thing in the morning. To use nudges to overcome this bad habit, you might leave your phone in another room overnight and place a book by your bedside instead. This leaves you with a better default option in the morning—you’ll naturally reach for the book instead of your phone as you wake.)

However, Volf, Croasmun, and McAnnally-Linz explain that nudges aren’t appropriate for every kind of change; for instance, you can’t nudge yourself into pursuing a more meaningful career. (Shortform note: The authors of Nudge might take issue with the notion that you can’t use nudges to make big changes—in their book, Thaler and Sunstein apply nudge theory to everything from designing an affordable health care marketplace to resolving the tension between pro- and anti-gay marriage perspectives.)

Volf, Croasmun, and McAnnally-Linz cite two thinkers’ advice for making the kinds of changes that nudges can’t help you with. First, the Muslim philosopher Abu Hamid al-Ghazali advises self-scrutinizing: deciding how God wants you to behave, thinking before you act, and continually checking that you’re meeting God’s standards. (Shortform note: One way to practice the kind of self-scrutiny al-Ghazali recommends is by keeping a habit tracker, which Ryder Carroll describes in The Bullet Journal Method. For example, if you believe God wants you to read scriptures every day, you might keep track of how often you do that in a month. Carroll says this increases your awareness of the progress you're making toward your goals.)

In contrast, say the authors, Oscar Wilde recommends following your heart and scrutinizing society and its expectations of you—since you’re unique, you’re entitled to live uniquely, and it’s wrong of society to suppress your authentic identity. The authors say that according to Wilde, you can discover your authentic identity and fulfill your unique potential via creative self-expression.

(Shortform note: If Wilde’s recommendation to scrutinize society and follow your heart speaks to you, you might try writing what artist Julia Cameron (The Artist’s Way) calls morning pages—three full pages of whatever’s on your mind as soon as you wake up. Cameron says this practice helps you clear your mind of things that don’t matter—like society’s expectations of you—and discover the things that do matter, like deeply hidden thoughts and feelings.)

Making It Sustainable

Volf, Croasmun, and McAnnally-Linz explain that once you’ve started, you must sustain the lifestyle changes you’ve made in order to live well in the long term. They offer a few strategies from different philosophers for doing this. First, they recommend getting (or staying) involved in a community whose life philosophy is similar to yours. Such a community can continually remind you of what’s important and may have customs that help you put your life philosophy into practice regularly. The authors also note that according to Kimmerer (Braiding Sweetgrass), your community might not be limited to other humans—for example, if you value having a reciprocal relationship with the land, you might make a habit out of communing with nature.

(Shortform note: How can your community support you in living out your life philosophy? In The Art of Community, Charles Vogl explains that communities exist to join like-minded people together in honoring a common moral code. You’ll be more likely to uphold those morals if you’re surrounded by others who are equally devoted to them and if there are negative consequences, like community estrangement, for failing to uphold them. For example, if you care deeply about the environment, you might join an ecovillage that has rules about sustainable living. If, like Kimmerer, you want to include non-human lifeforms in your community, you might try an activity like forest bathing, which connects you with nature via your senses.)

Another strategy the authors recommend is meditation. They explain that according to Buddhists, meditation gives you the opportunity to observe the true nature of existence: that everything is part of an endless, dynamic process. This knowledge enables you to gradually let go of your attachments (for example, you won’t begrudge death because you’re attached to life) and more easily see the connections between everything that exists. This process turns you into a more disciplined and empathetic person, which makes it easier to put your life philosophy into practice (assuming that you value discipline and empathy).

(Shortform note: The authors explain that meditation helps you sustain your choice to live out your life philosophy by improving your discipline and empathy—but how does meditation have this effect? Studies show that over time, meditation can result in physiological changes to your brain in the areas responsible for behavior regulation and empathic ability. But it’s worth noting that these studies refer to two different kinds of meditation—the type of meditation that boosts your discipline is based in mindfulness, while the type that boosts empathy is based in compassion. To get both results, you may need to practice both kinds of meditation.)

Finally, Volf, Croasmun, and McAnnally-Linz recommend prayer. They explain that Ignatius, who founded the Christian sect called Jesuits, came up with a daily prayer called the “examen.” Jesuits believe the examen helps you sustainably live out your values by making you more mindful of God’s constant influence in your life. To pray the examen, follow these steps: First, thank God for the parts of your day you appreciate. Next, reflect on the times you felt close to God today and the times you rejected him. Then, think about the day’s regrets and ask for forgiveness. Also, commit to repairing any harm you’ve done or that others have done to you. Finally, ask God to strengthen your relationship with him and help you get through tomorrow.

(Shortform note: You don’t have to be a Jesuit to make use of the examen—the prayer can be modified to suit your personal needs for reflection. Various elements of the examen may have value for both secular and religious people: For example, gratitude has been linked to positive thinking, reflection can help you align your actions with your beliefs, and understanding your regrets and committing to repair them can lead to self-forgiveness, which can enhance your mental health. If the examen doesn’t work for you, different prayers may provide other benefits, like a greater sense of peace.)

How to Recover When You Make Mistakes

No matter how hard you try to live well, you’re bound to make mistakes. You might not realize you’ve made a mistake until you witness a negative consequence of your actions. But once you know you’ve made a mistake, say the authors, you must accept responsibility for it. (If you don’t, you’re more likely to repeat the mistake.) Then, you can try to do better in the future.

(Shortform note: In addition to helping you avoid repeating your mistakes, psychologists say that taking responsibility for your mistakes can benefit you in another way: It reinforces your sense of agency—the feeling that you have power over your own actions and circumstances. A heightened sense of agency is linked to higher self-esteem, greater resilience, and improved mental health in general.)

If you lack confidence in your ability to do better, the authors recommend setting bite-sized goals for yourself. Bite-sized goals are doable and realistic, so you’ll be more likely to succeed at them. As you aim for one bite-sized goal after the other, you’ll make gradual progress, which is better than trying (and failing) to leap toward an unreachable goal.

(Shortform note: To set bite-sized goals for self-improvement, consider using what author Brett Blumenthal calls the “52 Small Changes” method. This entails planning 52 small steps you can take over the next year that will help you make progress toward a larger goal. For example, if your larger goal is to become a more empathetic person, you might try volunteering for an hour one week, practicing loving-kindness meditation for an hour the next week, and so on. At the end of the year, the small steps you’ve taken add up to a big leap forward.)

However, Volf, Croasmun, and McAnnally-Linz acknowledge that sometimes, simply trying to do better in the future isn’t enough. This may be the case if you’ve harmed someone or believe you’ve offended God. In that case, you need to repair the harm you’ve done. One strategy for this is the Jewish practice of “repentance.” First, openly admit your mistake to the person you harmed, your community, and God. Second, try to mend what you’ve broken; for example, if you stole something, return the item and apologize. Third, change your behavior—if you truly regret your mistake, you won’t make it again.

(Shortform note: In Judaism and other Abrahamic religions, the counterpart to repentance is forgiveness—the choice to resolve and let go of your resentments against those who’ve harmed you. Experts believe that regardless of your religious affiliation, forgiving others has mental and physical health benefits like an improved stress response, enhanced immune health, and strengthened relationships. However, psychologists also explain that forgiveness isn’t always necessary for health and healing—especially in cases where the person who harmed you seems glad that they did and doesn’t express remorse.)

Another strategy for repairing harm comes from the Buddhist thinker Pema Chӧdrӧn. First, allow yourself to feel remorseful. Volf, Croasmun, and McAnnally-Linz emphasize that this doesn’t mean shaming yourself; instead, it refers to a deep acceptance that what you’ve done is wrong. Second, be merciful to yourself by stopping the behavior, therefore ensuring you won’t have to face the negative consequences of this mistake again. Third, give yourself some loving attention in the form of meditation; this will make you strong enough to resist future temptations. Fourth, decide that you won’t ever make this mistake again.

(Shortform note: Chӧdrӧn elaborates on her suggestion to repair harm without shaming yourself, explaining that there’s a big difference between feeling guilty and feeling remorseful. Guilt is egocentric, she says, because when you feel guilty, your focus is on making judgments about your identity and your worth. Remorse, on the other hand, is a form of self-compassion: You feel and express sorrow on behalf of previous versions of yourself, since past you wasn’t capable of making a wiser choice. Chӧdrӧn also says that it’s healthier to embrace remorseful sorrow than to indulge in egocentric guilt because sorrow helps you grow psychologically.)

How to Cope With Hardship

Volf, Croasmun, and McAnnally-Linz write that hardship is inevitable: At some point, everyone experiences sadness, discomfort, or even anguish. They explain that depending on your life philosophy, there may be two ways to cope with hardship—first, minimizing social harms and second, finding refuge in your beliefs. Let’s explore each.

Minimize Social Harms

Volf, Croasmun, and McAnnally-Linz explain that some thinkers believe you’re obligated to minimize social harms like war, poverty, and racism. One way you can minimize social harms is via “effective altruism,” a utilitarian movement centered around exercising extreme generosity to solve high-priority problems (for example, you might devote your spare time to the AI alignment problem—ensuring AI only benefits and never harms humanity). While this provides direct aid to people in hardship, it may not address the root cause of their suffering—social injustices. If your life philosophy includes working toward social justice, the authors describe three different approaches that may inspire you:

First, the 18th-century English writer Mary Wollstonecraft believed society malfunctions due to gender inequality. Therefore, we should work to give men and women equal educational, political, and economic opportunities. Second, the civil rights activist James Baldwin believed society malfunctions due to white supremacy, which he thought arose because white people felt they needed to dominate others to cope with life’s hardships. Therefore, white people must find healthier coping mechanisms. Finally, the authors say Confucius believed society malfunctions because its leaders aren’t living well. Therefore, we should educate leaders on what it means to live well; then, they can set up social programs that enable regular people to live well, too.

Four Approaches to Minimizing Social Harms in Action

Although the authors explain that individual generosity may not solve widespread social injustices, many participants in the effective altruism movement explicitly aim to address these issues. For example, the effective altruist nonprofit organization GiveWell is shifting gears to focus on systemic issues like pesticide controls, tobacco policies, and tax reforms. So if you believe that fighting social injustice is part of what it means to live well, effective altruism may just be one way of doing that.

The authors outline three other potential solutions to social injustices: legal equality, the psychological transformation of oppressors, and moral education for leaders. The merits of each approach have been discussed at length by experts in social reform—let’s review a few other arguments for each approach:

First, we’ll discuss Mary Wollstonecraft’s argument for equal opportunities for men and women. Wollstonecraft—who was a writer and the mother of writer Mary Shelley, who authored Frankenstein—is considered “the mother of first-wave feminism.” Her argument for gender equality influenced women’s rights activists like Susan B. Anthony to fight for women’s suffrage (the right to vote). Research suggests that Wollstonecraft, Anthony, and other feminists were correct in thinking that women’s suffrage would improve society: Countries where women and men share decision-making power report better environmental, socioeconomic, and health-related outcomes.

Now, let’s discuss James Baldwin’s belief that white people must cope with life hardships in healthier ways than racism. In White Fragility, Robin DiAngelo argues similarly that white supremacy continues to be upheld because white people haven’t reckoned with their privilege. DiAngelo says that instead of acknowledging that society is biased in their favor and working toward an antiracist society, white people tend to get defensive about their innocence or outright deny the existence of racial discrimination. To transform this behavior into something more constructive, DiAngelo recommends that white people get comfortable with being uncomfortable, educate themselves, and reflect on how they benefit from white supremacy.

Finally, let’s discuss Confucius’s advice to educate leaders about what it means to live well. In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle argued similarly that to become a moral person, you must receive a moral education—preferably from childhood, you’d be instructed to follow the example of a moral teacher. Like Confucius, Aristotle believed it was especially important for leaders to be moral because they’d create the conditions that enabled others to behave morally, too. Research shows how this works in microcosm: When ethical leaders run a workplace, they motivate their employees to treat each other ethically, too.

Find Refuge in Your Beliefs

No matter what we do to minimize social harms, hardship may be unavoidable—how should you deal with it? The authors explain that you can deal with hardship by finding refuge in your beliefs. For example, Muslims believe that God created everything that exists, including hardship. This means you should trust that hardship is ultimately a good thing, since it’s part of God’s righteous plan for the universe. Such trust in God can help you endure your anguish with patience and even be grateful for it. Similarly, Friedrich Nietzsche viewed hardship as a valuable part of life because it inspires you to be a better person. If you agree, you can find refuge in the belief that your hardship is helping you become the person who’ll enjoy what tomorrow brings.

(Shortform note: What if you don’t share the belief that hardship is ultimately good or valuable? According to Albert Camus in The Myth of Sisyphus, you can still find refuge in the absurdity of life. Camus believes that life is absurd because death is inevitable, and the meaning of life is indeterminable—and if there’s no greater purpose, hardship is meaningless, too. Instead of letting that get you down, Camus says you should let it inspire you—if nothing matters on an existential level, you’re free to live in the present and pursue whatever fulfills you in the moment.)