Confronting the Nothing The True Moral of the NeverEnding Story

Original URL: https://fee.org/articles/confronting-the-nothing-the-true-moral-of-the-neverending-story/

“What is the Nothing?”

G’mork’s response is telling. “It’s the emptiness that’s left,” the villain replies. “It’s like a despair, destroying this world.”

Because the lines between Fantasia and Earth are blurred, it’s clear that the despair G’mork describes exists in both Fantasia and earth, and a closer look at the film suggests they stem from the same source: nihilism.

Broadly defined, nihilism is the total rejection of religious and moral principles, and the belief that life has no meaning.

The Nothing is basically a metaphor for nihilism. It’s a force that represents the consuming despair of people who are losing not just their hopes and dreams but their meaning. The film hints that this is a condition that now afflicts Fantasia.

It’s important to remember that The Nothing is not the only threat in Fantasia. As mentioned above, G’mork is a creature in its service, and his goal is to stop Atreyu from completing his quest.

Unlike The Nothing, G’mork is a mortal creature. He’s flesh and blood. So why is he trying to help this destructive force? What does he stand to gain? The movie gives us a clear (and telling) answer.

“Because people who have no hopes are easy to control; and whoever has the control… has the power!” G’mork replies.

The film is telling us that there are forces in the world that want people in despair. That want people weak. That want people dependent and hopeless. Because people without hope and dreams are easier to control, and people who are easily controlled pose no threat to those in power.

If you doubt this, consider how many people (and who) are hostile to individuals taking everyday steps to improve their own lives. Things as simple as working out, waking up early, and self-help are attacked, as are people who call out the corrosive impact of government dependency.

Fortunately, the power to stop the despair the Nothing brings exists. It cannot be defeated by an army or a government program, but it can be defeated by the Individual.

Only individuals can think and reason and act. Only individuals have the power to create art and life and beauty, and it’s through this that we create meaning in our lives (and a more beautiful world for others).

The power to defeat its despair exists in each of us, and a good place to start is to recognize that life is a gift and worthy of being treated as a work of art.