THE TEMPORARINESS OF EXISTENCE AND THE ILLUSION OF WEALTH: A PHILOSOPHICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF HUMAN REALITY
Author: Flamur Bucpapaj
Scientific Study
We will die. No one will remember us.
Our children, at first, will cry for us, perhaps remember us with longing — but soon they will have to look after their own lives, survive, build, and forget. They are not us — they are different people, with their own troubles and directions.
Whatever we have built with passion, sweat, and hardship — others will take it. Time will dissolve it. Nothing will remain of us: neither the house, nor glory, nor memory. Even memories, resting on a temporary consciousness, vanish with generations.
The soul is not immortal. It is only a form of energy that moves, ignites for a moment, and then goes out. When we die, everything disappears — thoughts, feelings, memory, consciousness. The body returns to the earth; the soul disperses into the void of space.
In this light, does it make sense to strive to accumulate wealth in a world that itself will vanish? Is inheritance valuable, when collective memory is also temporary?
And yet — perhaps precisely because everything is temporary, everything gains a deep meaning. Because what passes away is precious. Because awareness of the end gives us the chance to wisely choose what to do with the present moment.
“Life is a brief interruption in the endless flow of nothingness. Man is born without his own will, grows searching for meaning, chases illusions he calls wealth, glory, or love, builds worlds that fall, and gathers things he will not take with him. He fears death but lives as if immortal. And when the end comes, he realizes that everything he had built — body, name, power — was merely dust in the winds of time. Everything is temporary: the earth we walk on, the sun that warms us, the thoughts that keep us alive. Therefore, only one who accepts the final emptiness can live with full consciousness. The truth is not found in what remains, but in the awareness that nothing remains.”
Abstract
This study examines the paradox of human striving for wealth and success in a temporary world, where even life itself does not guarantee continuity or permanence. Drawing on existential philosophy, metaphysical theories, and reflections by thinkers such as Heidegger, Camus, and Heraclitus, we argue that much of human aims are built upon an illusion: the illusion of eternity and stable reality. Death, as the unavoidable limit of life, calls into question the value of material pursuits and strips the world of its claim to stability.
- Introduction
Throughout life, humans strive to build, possess, and inherit. They work, save, and accumulate wealth, sometimes at the cost of freedom, love, or health. Yet, faced with death, these efforts lose their traditional meaning. This study aims to analyze this gap between striving and temporariness, between the desire for eternity and the reality of the end.
- Wealth as an Illusion of Permanence
Anthropological and psychological roots
Since the Stone Age, wealth (in primitive forms like food or weapons) was a guarantee of survival. With societal evolution, it became a symbol of status, security, and power. Psychologists like Freud and Fromm link this to the fear of death and the desire to control the external world.
3 Wealth and the illusion of inheritance
Often, man justifies the effort for wealth by the idea of leaving something behind. But this too is temporary: inheritance can be forgotten, destroyed, or have no real impact on personal existence.
. Nothing is permanent: Earth, Sun, Reality
Cosmic temporariness
Even the Earth and Sun are temporary. The Sun will extinguish after billions of years. Galaxies collide. The universe expands and cools. In this context, any effort for eternity on a human scale seems futile.
The illusion of reality
As Buddha said, “Everything is transient.” For philosophers like Parmenides and Kant, reality is never known in itself — we only perceive representations. Thus, reality itself is a mental construct, often subjective and temporary.
. How to live facing temporariness?
Existential choice Fixing oneself in a universe that mercilessly slides toward oblivion.
Camus would consider this a kind of necessary absurdity: man seeks meaning and eternity in a world that offers neither. But he did not see this as a reason to surrender. On the contrary, he accepts the world as it is and continues to create — not because the world has meaning, but because the very act of creation is a dignified stance in the face of the absurd.
In this light, building wealth takes on a different meaning. It is not a means to eternalize oneself, but an act that can express will, choice, and temporary influence over the world. Meaning does not lie in the permanence of wealth, but in how it is used during the time it exists.
Does inheritance have value when collective memory is also temporary?
Inheritance — whether in the form of ideas, deeds, name, or wealth — is often seen as a way to “continue living” beyond death. But if collective memory itself is temporary, if it too will perish along with the human race, then does inheritance remain a real value?
From a nihilistic perspective, the answer is no: every attempt at eternity is doomed to fail. But philosophers like Viktor Frankl or Hannah Arendt would answer differently. They would say that inheritance should not be measured by its eternity, but by the effect it has on others’ lives in its own time. Even if it will be forgotten one day, as long as it has illuminated someone’s life, as long as it has left a mark on human consciousness — however transient — it has value.
In this sense, inheritance is not a guarantee of immortality, but a conscious act of responsibility toward other generations. It is how a person says: “I was here and did something that made an impact.”
Wealth in history and culture
2.1 The traditional meaning of wealth
In traditional societies, wealth was not an expression of luxury or excess, but an essential element of survival. Land, livestock, grain, or heirlooms represented vital resources for families and communities. The value of wealth was practical and closely tied to the immediate family circle and nature. This wealth was a tool to face life’s uncertainties — drought, disease, wars — and gave the individual a sense of stability within an uncertain world.
2.2 Wealth as a social symbol in modernity
With the development of capitalism and modern individualism, wealth lost its pure survival function and gained new symbolic meaning: it began to represent a person’s value in the eyes of others, power to influence, as well as a form of self-created identity. In this context, wealth is no longer merely a means, but an end in itself — a way to build a personal image and maintain status in a world where traditional hierarchies have faded and competition has increased.
- Fear of death and the building of wealth
In his work The Denial of Death, Ernest Becker argues that man is unique among living beings due to his awareness of mortality. This constant awareness creates existential anxiety, which man tries to neutralize by constructing “symbolic structures” — including career, religion, legacy, and wealth.
Wealth, in this context, is more than the accumulation of goods: it is a means to build a “stable” identity in the face of inevitable disappearance. It serves as a symbolic shield giving a person the feeling of control over life, the ability to leave a trace behind, or to transcend temporariness through influence or inheritance.
Thus, the effort to accumulate wealth, although seemingly an economic rational act, is often charged with metaphysical fear of annihilation. Within this philosophical framework, wealth is not just economics — it is metaphysics. It is the modern way to build a “monument to oneself” in a world where gods are silent and eternity is no longer guaranteed.
The illusion of reality and cosmic temporariness
3.1 Reality as a transient sensation
What is reality? Is it a totality of independent objects, or an internal experience of consciousness? Immanuel Kant, in his Critique of Pure Reason, emphasized that man has no direct access to the “thing-in-itself” (das Ding an sich), but only to phenomena — that is, how objects appear to our senses and mind through structures of time and space.
In this sense, reality is not a stable terrain but a temporary construction of consciousness, an experience filtered through perception and mental processing. It is subjective, unstable, and in a way always distant from absolute truth. This view raises profound questions about the validity of our efforts to possess, build, or leave marks in a world where even “reality” itself is a temporary structure.
Examples from physics and cosmology
Even modern science, despite efforts to provide an accurate picture of reality, offers a deeply transient and unstable image of the universe. Some key facts challenging the concept of permanence:
The Sun will extinguish. According to astrophysical calculations, in about 5 billion years, the Sun will enter the red giant phase, engulfing the closest planets, possibly including Earth, and then become a white dwarf — a cooled, lifeless body slowly fading into darkness.
The Earth will disappear. Not only will our planet physically burn out, but every trace of our existence — cities, books, monuments, even human memory itself — will ultimately vanish.
The universe itself is temporary. The theory of the universe’s expansion, along with concepts of heat death, suggests that everything is moving toward entropic chaos, where matter and energy disperse so thinly that no life, light, or meaning can remain.
This cosmic temporariness forces us to reconsider the value we give to concepts like wealth, property, or reputation. If everything will be erased, even the memory of our existence, what meaning do the houses we build, the banks we fill, and the names we try to leave behind have?
They become illusions of control, attempts to “freeze” meaning in a universe that recognizes no trace, no purpose, no lasting evidence. Within this horizon, life itself becomes a flicker trembling in the infinite darkness of oblivion — beautiful, bright, but temporary.
Inheritance — an empty consolation?
Inheritance as a form of immortality
Faced with the unavoidable fear of death, man seeks consolation in continuity. Inheritance — in various forms — is seen as a way to extend existence beyond biological life’s limits. We leave behind children, writings, property, ideas, institutions — all in the name of a kind of symbolic immortality.
Facing the absurdity of a world offering no predetermined meaning, existential philosophers place the individual before a fundamental challenge: to create the meaning of his life. Søren Kierkegaard described this as a “leap of faith” — a subjective act expressing the determination to live according to inner values beyond rational doubt. Jean-Paul Sartre spoke of “conscious commitment,” a continuous effort to create meaning through free and deliberate choices. For them, freedom is not a privilege but a burden: man is condemned to be free and thus responsible for his own existence.
- Experiencing the present
In a temporary world, where the future is always uncertain and the past irreversible, Eastern philosophies and ancient Western thought suggest a radical turn in consciousness: living the present. Stoics like Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius insist that man must live in accordance with nature, accepting what he cannot control and exercising virtue in every action. Buddhism similarly views connection with the present as a path to enlightenment — liberation from suffering that arises from clinging to what is temporary. In this context, focusing on the present is not only a spiritual calm but also a philosophical rebellion against the illusion of permanence.
“Life is a short light between two darknesses; man wanders after dreams, wealth, and glory, but in the end discovers that all was shadow, and the end — a return to nothingness.” Does it make sense to strive to build wealth in a world that itself will vanish?
In the light of universal temporariness — from human existence itself to the fate of the planet — arises the question whether the effort to build wealth has any lasting meaning. From an existential perspective, every effort for material wealth, when viewed beyond the limits of individual life, reveals itself as an attempt to grasp the ungraspable, to… At its core, inheritance is an attempt to plant memory, to continue being “present” even when we are physically gone. Writers leave books, founders leave enterprises, parents leave children, and leaders build institutions. This desire to “leave a mark” is perhaps one of the deepest drives that have shaped civilizations, cultures, and history. Social networks play a special role in this illusion: they offer a distorted reflection of reality, where success and happiness are presented as consumer products rather than results of human experience or spiritual depth. This creates a virtual world where the individual lives more to project an image than to experience the essence of life.
The case of the “successful” yet empty people
Contemporary psychology provides ample evidence showing that individuals considered successful by societal standards — wealth, fame, public influence — often face high levels of depression, anxiety, and feelings of existential emptiness.
In fact, the more a person focuses on external projections of self-worth (such as public image, number of followers, or material possessions), the greater the risk of losing connection with their inner world. This emptiness cannot be filled with things but requires confronting fundamental questions of existence: Who am I beyond what I own? Is there any enduring meaning beyond temporary glory?
Fragmented identity and hyperreality
In the context of postmodernism, philosophers like Jean Baudrillard have discussed the concept of “hyperreality” — a reality overlaid with images, symbols, and media, which no longer represent the real world but a produced world. In this false reality, the individual no longer lives to be, but to appear. This leads to a fragmented identity, built upon the various roles one plays on social networks, at work, and in public life.
Wealth, in this context, is no longer just a means to live but has become a form of social acceptance. But what happens when we are accepted for what we have, not for who we are?
“Life is a brief journey through illusions:
a person gathers wealth, seeks meaning, builds eternity — but in the end, everything dissolves into nothingness. Even the sun that warms us will one day go out.”
Is life a dream?
Since antiquity, the question of the reality of life has been one of the most fundamental in philosophy, religion, and literature. Philosophers such as Heraclitus, Buddha, Plato, and later Descartes and Borges have reflected on the nature of illusion, temporariness, and human consciousness. In Eastern traditions, especially Buddhism and Hinduism, the concept of Maya — the illusion of the material world — is central: the world is seen as a shared dream, a hologram of our sensations and thoughts that we mistakenly interpret as absolute reality. The question remains open: if life is a dream, a transient illusion, how should we relate to it? Should we withdraw from it, or embrace it with awareness of its temporariness?
Permanent unreality
No emotional state, however powerful, remains the same forever. Grief, joy, fear, love — all change over time, fade, transform, or disappear. The body, a temporary composition of cells, begins aging from the moment of birth. Memories, no matter how strong, are essentially interpretations by our brain — unstable, subjective, and influenced by present circumstances.
This idea is supported by modern neuroscience: our perception of reality is not a true reflection of the world, but a construct created by the brain for survival. The “outside” world is not inherently perceptible — it becomes so only through our consciousness. And consciousness itself is a dynamic flow, without a stable “center.”
Conclusions and proposals for conscious living
This study leads us to a fundamental reflection on how we understand life, wealth, temporariness, and our own existence. Traversing philosophical thought from Eastern and Western traditions, the conclusion is that many of the things we pursue — status, wealth, inheritance, control over others or time itself — are temporary illusions. They are shadows of a world that constantly moves, unstable like a dream at dusk.
Wealth is temporary. Every fortune we accumulate is destined to break down, be divided, be forgotten. It does not ultimately belong to us. The good that comes from it is often shorter-lived than the effort to create it.
Reality is sensitive and changeable. It is not a rigid structure but a continuous flow of perceptions, thoughts, and interactions. As Heraclitus said: “You cannot step into the same river twice.”
Meaning is not found outside ourselves, but created within us. It is not an object to be discovered but an experience to be built — through awareness, love, reflection, and human connections.
Death is not the end of life — it is what gives it meaning. Only because something ends does it matter. Without death, there would be no urgency, emotional depth, or appreciation for everyday moments. As Rilke expresses it: “Life is always on death’s side.”
Philosophical proposals for a conscious life
Live with awareness of temporariness.
Every day, every relationship, every feeling is transient. This should not sadden us but awaken us. Our presence becomes more sensitive, more loving, more real, when we understand that nothing lasts forever.
Create inner values, not external wealth.
What remains after us is not possessions, but our impact on others: a kind word, a help given silently, an act of justice in an unjust world. Ethics, honesty, humility, and love are the values that shine even in the greatest darkness.
Pause, think, forgive, and be forgiven.
In a rushed world, stopping is the most radical act. Meditation, reflection, self-analysis are ways to break beyond the surface. Forgiveness — of oneself and others — is the only way not to let past wounds poison the present. Being forgiven — accepting our limits — is the way to be more human, compassionate, and whole.
In conclusion, a conscious life is not easy, but it is the only one worth living. It is not a life without pain, but a life where pain, joy, doubt, and faith gain meaning through deep acceptance of what we are: temporary beings in search of an inner eternity.
But is this really immortality? Or just a postponement of oblivion for a short time?
The decline of inheritance’s value in modern times
In the contemporary world, the notion of inheritance is losing the traditional meaning it once had. The world has become more mobile, fluid, and fragmented — which has brought a great disconnect between generations.
Children live other lives, in other places. They no longer follow the ideals, customs, or lifestyles of their parents. In many cases, the spiritual or ideological heritage of the previous generation is seen as a burden to leave behind, not as a treasure to inherit.
Material inheritances are often spent or dissolved. Houses are demolished, wealth is sold, collections dispersed, memories fade away with those who experienced them. What one generation built with effort often disappears within the next.
Cultural inheritance is selective and transient. History forgets most. Of thousands of poets, only a few are remembered. Of hundreds of thinkers in an era, only a few radiate beyond their own time. Cultural inheritance is not comprehensive — it is mediated by power, historical context, and forgetting.
In this context, inheritance — once seen as an eternal monument — begins to seem like an empty consolation, a purposeful illusion that gives people peace to carry on facing the absurdity of temporariness. It is more a psychological mechanism than an ontological guarantee for the survival of being.
Conscious living as a response to temporariness
Faced with life’s inevitable temporariness, all efforts to build stability — through inheritance, wealth, or fame — appear fragile. Yet philosophy has offered other ways to confront this absurdity: not by denying temporariness, but by embracing it consciously and with dignity. Conscious living does not seek to escape death, but to live deeply within life’s limits.
Stoicism and acceptance of fate
Roman Stoics such as Seneca, Epictetus, and especially Marcus Aurelius, offer a clear and sober approach: to live according to nature, in harmony with the logic of the universe, accepting what we cannot change.
“Everything that happens, happens according to the reason of the universe.” — Marcus Aurelius
Essentially, Stoicism does not seek to deny pain or loss, but to teach us not to be slaves to emotions and the fear of death. Acceptance of temporariness is not surrender but liberation: only when we let go of the illusion of permanence do we truly begin to live. Human dignity lies in calmness before fate, not in conquering it.
Existentialism: the freedom to create meaning
In the 20th century, existentialist philosophers such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Simone de Beauvoir, etc., rejected the idea that life has predetermined meaning given by a higher being or cosmic structure. For them, life is absurd, but this does not mean it is empty — on the contrary, this grants the individual radical freedom to create meaning.
“Life has no meaning in itself — but we are those who give life meaning through our actions.” — Sartre
Camus, in his essay The Myth of Sisyphus, portrays man as a figure trying to find meaning in a silent universe. Though he calls life “absurd,” he does not succumb to nihilism or resignation. To live with awareness of the absurd and continue creating meaning is humanity’s highest act of revolt. In this revolt, dignity and authenticity are born.
The present as the only place of existence
If Stoic philosophy treats death with calmness and existentialism with creative revolt, a third approach — closer to Eastern meditation and contemporary psychology — focuses on the present moment as the only true reality.
“The past is memory, the future is imagination. The only time we have is now.” — Eckhart Tolle
Modern neuroscience has confirmed that our brain does not experience either past or future — they are mental reconstructions. Only now is real. But this “now,” for most people, is covered by anxiety about tomorrow or regrets about yesterday.
Conscious living aims to return us to the direct experience of reality: to feel the breath, to savor food, to hear the voice of the person in front of us, to be present. In this presence, time often stretches and transforms — and, for a moment, temporariness seems to lose its power.
Contemporary reflections — consumption, identity, media
Consumer society as a collective illusion
In the modern age, especially after the industrial revolution and the rise of global capitalism, the individual is placed at the center of a permanent consumption mechanism. Wealth, property, and success have become dominant values serving as measures of dignity and human worth. This is subjected to marketing ideology and a media built on stimulating desire and constant comparison.
