I recommend embracing nihilism's close cousin, absurdism. Everything is fucked and we have no real control over anything, so we just sit back, try and carve a little pocket of joy for ourselves and watch the world burn.

I don't think it's true to say that life has no meaning. Life has no inherent meaning, sure. Like, we don't exist to serve the purposes of some grand higher other.

But if we are truly on our own and there is no greater meaning dictating our lives, then that means we have the freedom to examine our values, decide what brings us joy, and dedicate our lives to that.

Personally, I only have about fifty more years on this earth, give or take plus not accounting for technology. Fifty years is a long time and a short time, but it's still on a time crunch, and there's just so much to experience. The World Juniors start in a couple of days, and I can't wait to go see them! New video games coming out that I want to play! A bunch of christofascist pieces of shit want me and mine erased or downtrodden, so I will live and be happy to spite them and fight them!

In the end, Life is what you make of it.

I like pizza and want to eat more of it. Try to think like that. Not everything you do needs to have a point or purpose, just do what makes u fun at the moment.

Hey! Many people who deconstruct or leave the faith have feelings like this.

Just because life is inherently meaningless doesn’t mean you can’t ascribe meaning to it. You exist, you matter, and ultimately you do have ways to find purpose. The fun part is figuring out what it is. Do things that make you happy. Surround yourself with likeminded people and try to experience the beauty of the world. That’s the incredible thing about life, it’s up to us to define our meaning. Good luck to you on your journey.

Also as for book suggestions. The Myth Of Sisyphus by Albert Camus was the first book I read after I left the church for good. It sounds like it would be right up your alley in terms of what you’re feeling and thinking.

The best part of leaving Christianity, is that you can look for purpose with curiosity, WITHOUT Christianity to hold you down.

It does maybe feel heavy with things like nihilism, and the search for meaning can be difficult, but there is no Christianity to hold you back now.

There is beautiful things about reality, beautiful things about being alive.

Christianity is a bit reckless, always looking at heaven and things after death, but now you can look at and appreciate the life you now have.

I used to think that way when I first left Christianity. Now I think the idea that we’re supposed to feel depressed about this is another dogmatic religious idea that I’m no longer obligated to accept or believe.

Britt Hartley has a YouTube channel and specifically addresses nihilism in many videos. Cheers friend

https://youtube.com/@nononsensespirituality?si=McGOzCUkXy7ALrDQ

The idea of life being pointless does not really bother me. For the sake of argument, let's assume that is true.

(It is not something that should be assumed absolutely; it is something for which reasons should be given, if there are reasons for it. The first step would be to say what, exactly, it even means to say that life has a point or life is pointless. But I want to set that aside for the moment, because I don't think it really matters for what I have to say.)

When I first got out of Christianity, I was angry that I had ever been suckered into believing that vile superstition. And I also felt a lack of purpose, that life was meaningless.

I also realized I could not trust anything that I had been taught growing up, as it was all mixed up with religious twaddle that was nonsense. So I tried to sort through all of my beliefs, to see which ones I had good reason to believe, and which ones I did not. For example, when it came time to examine the issue of whether or not homosexuality was a bad thing (not something I did right away, because I am not gay), I recognized the fact that the only reason I was ever against it was because it was part of my Christian upbringing. I had no reason to care whether my neighbor was gay or not, and I could not think of any reason to care. (And decades later now, I still have never heard a good reason to care whether my neighbor is gay or not.). So, I discarded the belief that homosexuality was a bad thing. I had no interest in engaging in it myself, but I don't care if others do. Kind of like how I don't skydive, but I am fine with others choosing to do it.

Anyway, regarding whether life is meaningless or not. I found that it doesn't really matter. I want to live a pleasant life, as pleasant as reasonably possible, with doing as little harm to others as reasonably possible. I would want to do that regardless of whether life is meaningless or not. So that is what I try to do, to live a pleasant life while doing as little harm to others as reasonably possible.

Frankly, I don't care whether life is meaningless or not.

Just because there is no pre-determined meaning to life doesn't mean life is pointless. It just means you have to find the meaning in it for yourself, instead of someone else telling you what it should be.

I try to think about meaning in a more local sense. There may not be an eternal, spiritual point to life, but that doesn't mean that our meaning and purpose can't be defined closer to home. We can matter and make a difference in our families and relationships, as well as in our workplaces and communities. You get to decide how much of an impact you're going to try to have, and how you're going to pursue it.

Your life will have an impact on someone else. Do your best to leave a good mark on the world you leave behind.

To say that nothing matters, in a nihilistic way, ignores the fact that everything we do has an impact, especially on those that we have the closest relationships with.

I don't have any recommendations, but I think life is as purposeless as it is purposeful. What I mean is, there's nothing that dictates what life is. We are all we have. So sure, life is meaningless or whatever, but no one's enforcing that. The conclusion that life has no meaning is just as 'made up' as the conclusion that it's meaningful. So yeah, it can be meaningless if you want. Or it can be overflowing with meaning - we have the same authority to choose either. That's what being human is. Nihilism is not some kind of objective truth. Who defines meaning, relative to what? You, as a being, think and want and feel, and so does everyone else. That in itself is everything, to me.

I'm not wording it well but I think life has meaning if you decide it does, and people before you decide it does, and people after you too. That's all that matters. I think that's far more fulfilling than having some specific purpose forced upon you by an imaginary deity.

That's just depression, no need to blame Nihilism haha

In all seriousness, consider talking to a mental health professional. If these thoughts affect you strongly, you need help.

I had this issue in my 20s. Then I learned to accept the reality that "meaning" is what you make out of life.

By the way, I didn't find life meaningful when I was in Christianity because this life felt like a meaningful trial before getting to heaven.

Nihilism makes no sense to me personally. I’m of the view that you give life meaning. Treat it as a blank canvas you paint your way. Nihilism is like getting mad that you have a canvas to paint then defacing it because there isn’t someone there to tell you what to draw on it.