Aotearoa / New Zealand

I suppose I'm more of a Pessimist, and an Ethical Utilitarian.

Nihilism to me makes sense from a material point of view. But as soon as one puts one's hand on a burning stove - all of the sudden, things get real. And things become too important to ignore.

I could agree that it's ultimately people themselves (and all living creatures) who decide what is meaningful, and what isn't. In that sense, the very baseline of reality is nihilistic. Yet the pursuit of happiness and wellbeing, and the avoidance of unnecessary suffering, seems to be a universal value system that people default to.