Death Row Letters

Death Row Letters: To The Anti-natalists And Nihilists, Part Two

Rick TryonLeave a comment

Dear Anti-natalists and Nihilists,

In my last letter to y’all I only made it as far as addressing the anti-natalists and didn’t get around to those of the nihilist persuasion. So, I’ll dedicate this letter to those of you who believe that life is meaningless and who reject all religious and moral principles – which is the definition of a nihilist.

You may be right in thinking that your life is meaningless, but that doesn’t mean that all life is meaningless. Right?

And if your life is meaningless and without purpose, well, read on.

Now to the bigger, much bigger, problem: To actually believe that the universe is empty of meaning and purpose is to deny the plain evidence directly in front of you every day.

Is there a purpose to the rain that falls? Of course there is. How about the sun that shines or the wind that blows? Of course, and I don’t need to explain or list the reasons and purposes for those things, everyone already knows and understands them.

Is there a reason behind the way our physical bodies are made to function or the way the planets and moons in our solar system move in predictable cycles? Undeniably and absolutely.

So how can you believe that there is no reason or purpose in our existence?

I’m reminded of this verse from the Book of Romans:
“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.”

Everything has purpose, even you. If you don’t know, believe in, or understand your purpose, then you haven’t looked hard enough or asked the right questions.

Seek, and you’ll find. Knock, and the door will open.

Until my next letter.

Sincerely,
Your fellow death row occupant

Death Row Letters: To The Anti-natalists And Nihilists

Rick Tryon3 Comments

Dear Anti-natalists and Nihilists,

It may strike you as odd, writing letters to those of you who embrace nihilism and anti-natalism from a person on death row. But as I pointed out in my first letter, we’re all on death row. So not so odd after all, right?

I’ll start by making sure I understand who y’all anti-natalists and nihilists are and what it is that you claim to believe. Definitions.

Anti-natalism, according to the cambridge.org dictionary is defined as “…the belief that it is morally wrong to have children or that people should be encouraged not to have children.”

Allow me to point out the obvious here, I’m glad that my parents didn’t think that way. I understand that there may be some who have reason to believe that life is nothing but a sad and miserable existence, even a tortuous, horrible existence.

But I’m quite certain that the overwhelming majority of folks in the world are pretty happy to be alive. This seems self-evident.

So why not have kids, babies, bambinos, babushkas, little bundles of joy? Is the world and life really that bad for you guys and gals that you don’t want to experience the joy and wonder of parenthood?

Plus, how can you be certain that your little one born into this dark and dreary world won’t be the someone who can make life brighter and better for everyone, or at least for some? No? Well, that’s a level of hopelessness and pessimism I will never understand.

It seems to me that we have a God-given instinct to have and raise children to be noble and awesome beings and to reflect the God of creation, to drive back the darkness, and to fulfill an eternal destiny. How can you, or why would you try to smother that instinct?

Genesis 1:28 states the Creator’s intention and purpose for creation this way:
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (KJV)

What a calling!

Whoa, where has the time gone? I only got as far anti-natalism and left y’all nihilists out of this letter, even though I meant to address you as well. We’ll chat a bit in the next letter, I promise.

Sincerely,
Your fellow death row occupant

Death Row Letters: 1st Letter

Rick Tryon1 Comment

Dear Everyone,

We’re all on death row.

The rich CEO in the modern high-rise. The homeless man huddled in a filthy blanket on the street. The young housewife in suburbia. The children on the school playground.

We’re all on death row.

I’m not saying this to be ghoulish or overly dramatic – it’s just the truth. The Grim Reaper comes for us all (with some exceptions, which I’ll explore at some point in future letters). It may not be by firing squad or Old Sparky the electric chair or lethal injection in some prison basement somewhere, but the result is the same for each of us (again, some exceptions).

The difference between the the vast majority of us and actual death row inmates is that we get to walk around as we please waiting for The Day, while they are sitting in their cells waiting for The Day. That’s a very big difference, isn’t it? Maybe, maybe not.

Because whether you’re on the ‘outside’ death row or the ‘inside’ death row the questions are the same: What are you doing with your remaining time and what is your state of mind during the wait?

We can waste our time wallowing in despair and self-pity, or we can face our circumstance with courage and hope. We can lead an empty, purposeless existence waiting for annihilation and nothingness, or we can believe in and find something more than the empty darkness we imagine.

There is something more frightening than death, and that is living a life without purpose or hope.

So, until my next letter comes your way, don’t be afraid, we’re all on death row together and there’s more to this than meets the eye.

Sincerely,
Your fellow death row occupant