It's one of the most destructive fallacies of our time. If the problem is big and bad and complicated, you don't want to think about it too much because it scares you and makes you depressed and you don't like that. Luckily, someone else has thought about it before, so there's a huge variety of solutions offered to you. Unfortunately, there's a huge variety of solutions offered to you, though. Which one do you choose? Do you actually have to think about the big, bad, scary, problem after all? No, you just pick the one that feels right. And what feels right? The one that involves some form of sacrifice, of course! Come to think of it, why would you make your life actively worse, if not to address this problem. Nobody, not even you yourself will be able to question your determination to solve this terrible problem as long as the sacrifice is significant enough.
This concept has been around for a long time. From indigenous tribes throwing virgins into volcanoes, to praying on your knees in a chapel. Hierophants love this trick, because it is such an effective way to deal with your emotions about problems that might not even have a solution at all. If you're the spiritual leader of a group of people, you're expected to have solutions. If the harvest is bad because of a drought, telling them that there's nothing they can do about it will not satisfy them. So instead, you tell them it's their own fault because their indulgence has angered your god but they can appease god by practicing asceticism. The people will be pleased because their emotions are dealt with and at the same time they won't use up as much of the nice things, so you and your noble friends can indulge in them.
Now, jump forward to our modern, western, civilization. Science has largely replaced religion, yet there are still problems that are big and complicated and scary. There's scientist who understand these problems, but they don't do as good a job as the hierophants to help people deal with their emotions. The people don't want to understand the problems, they want solutions that feel right. Luckily, the economists are here to fill in for the church to sell those letters of indulgence. Just look at how much climate neutral, ethical, vegan nonsense there is for sale. Who cares if those claims are actually true? Who cares if those products are actually worse than the cheaper alternatives without hose labels? I know some people do, most of my readers probably will, but many other people will not.
But even if you don't fall for the obvious greenwashing, you may still sometimes engage in self-flagellation disguised as problem solving. Usually, I'd be totally up for dealing with your emotions. I place high importance on emotions after all. But in this case, it is very exploitable, it's unnecessarily harming you, and it's doing your emotions an injustice. As a nihilist, I don't think this evasive behavior is justified in any situation.
So, what do I as a nihilist recommend you should do instead? Be warned, my answer is not going to be satisfying. Nihilism is the most unsatisfying religion available, after all. So if you're overwhelmed by fear, frustration, anger or depression about a big scary problem, face it. Don't face it with the intention to solve it, because usually you can't do that. Don't think solution oriented. Think *peace* oriented. Try to find peace with yourself. Your emotions want something from you, so listen to them. Don't push them away, don't ignore them, don't evade them. But don't just blindly act on them, either. Negotiate. Calmly explain your point of view. Find common ground.
In case of some big problems you might not be able to satisfy your emotions entirely. In that case, your emotions might need to stay with you. Welcome them in your life. Learn to live with them, but also explain the house-rules to them. If they are having a negative impact on your life, you'll need to confront them again. But if you treat your emotions as companions, even the negative ones, they might even become useful. Anger can provide a lot of energy, fear can keep you from doing stupid things and sadness can be a brilliant source of inspiration. Just make sure you don't let them take control. Rationality needs to stay in charge, otherwise you might descend into madness. That's the danger. It's one of the reasons I wouldn't recommend nihilism to anyone who's capable of anything else.
