So you googled my tattoo.
“The meaning of life is that it ends.”
This is a quote by Franz Kafka, “widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work, which fuses elements of realism and the fantastic, typically features isolated protagonists facing bizarre or surrealistic predicaments and incomprehensible socio-bureaucratic powers, and has been interpreted as exploring themes of alienation, existential anxiety, guilt, and absurdity. His best known works include “Die Verwandlung” (“The Metamorphosis”), Der Process (The Trial), and Das Schloss (The Castle). The term Kafkaesque has entered the English language to describe situations like those found in his writing.”
Kafka never wanted any of his short stories to be published and made his friend promise never to publish anything if he died. The quote does not appear in any of his published books, but instead appeared in a letter he wrote to this friend. After Kafka died, his friend broke the promise and submitted Kafka’s short stories to a publisher. Kafka only became famous after he died.
Kafka was an atheist. Only when we understand and accept that when we die, there is no heaven or hell, that we just die, that is the moment when we begin to truly live.
When we accept that at some point we will be gone, we are driven to create. Any type of art will do: Music, painting, writing, and so forth. What we create will live on after we die, so we can then become immortal. For example, here we are reading about Kafka after he has long since died. Another example is David Bowie, who knew he was dying of cancer. So he created his last and final album, a great work of art, and he becomes immortal through his art.
Kafka’s influence winds through the book, “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro, who was clearly influenced by Kafka’s understanding of the drive to create art.
“The meaning of life is that it ends,” is about a human drive to “create” something that will live on after we die. The quote is about art. Kafka’s art was his short stories. If you have never read Kafka, I recommend starting with The Metamorphosis. But there are many other Kafka stories to choose from. Chose one and start now.