There has been a debate as old as time about whether life imitates art or if art imitates life. However, in the online space, the argument has switched over to whether memes imitate life or life imitates memes. I’d like to think that we create from our experiences, so that’s why so many memes on the internet are sometimes way too real for our own comfort.

Speaking of… We have a whole batch of existential and relatable memes, courtesy of the 'TooMeIrlForMeIrl' subreddit. Scroll down to find them, and don’t forget to upvote the ones that you sympathize with the most.

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Image credits: guamalum

#2

Image credits: osxthrowawayagain

#3

Image credits: GrowerNotAShower2

It’s true that imitation is at the heart of being a human. Also known as mimesis, imitation is considered to be a theoretical principle in the creation of art. However, it’s not seen in the sense of copying but is rather related to re-presentation.

The most known debates about this were started by Plato and Aristotle, who spoke of mimesis, or imitation, as the re-presentation of nature.

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Image credits: LindaMags

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“According to Plato, all artistic creation is a form of imitation: that which really exists is a type created by God; the concrete things man perceives in his existence are shadowy representations of this ideal type. Therefore, the painter, the tragedian, and the musician are imitators of an imitation, twice removed from the truth,” writes Encyclopedia Britannica, explaining the view of Plato related to imitation.

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Image credits: blokewmask

#8

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#9

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Essentially what Plato meant is that there’s no better creation than life and its elements, which people strive to describe and convey in their art. Meanwhile, Aristotle focused more on tragedy and acting. He believed that actors who were playing their part were holding up a mirror to nature. “Thus, an artist, by skillfully selecting and presenting his material, may purposefully seek to ‘imitate” the action of life,’” explained Encyclopedia Britannica.

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Image credits: Harddonn

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#12

Image credits: Sick-a-Duck

This ideology that we are inspired by life to create art speaks very much to me. In my mind, it’s not possible to create something that is not a representation of our experiences. How could we remove ourselves from our surroundings and not be influenced by them? It’s what makes us, us. And we usually put a piece of ourselves in wherever that is we’re creating.

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Image credits: dankbob_memepants_

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Image credits: JortHD

#15

Image credits: reddit.com

However, there are people who believe the opposite, which is that life imitates art. This philosophy claims that people’s real behaviors or some events resemble or are inspired by works of fiction and art. A few examples of this could be the criminals who felt inspired to do what they did because they saw a movie about it or the foretelling of tragic events in books like the sinking of the Titanic.

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#17

Image credits: petershankman

#18

Image credits: relativestein

While there are unarguable instances of life imitating art (or perhaps coincidences), there are far more times when art imitates life. Most of the artist’s paintings are inspired by an experience, a person, or a location they came across in their lives.

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Image credits: deaduglyflowers

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Image credits: spillo89

#21

Image credits: AIDAN

Of course, it’s not to say that we can’t think of things that never happened or aren’t real—that’s what fiction is all about. However, our need to belong and be relatable encourages us to create things that are inspired by real life—something that others have experienced and can sympathize with as well.

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Image credits: HeroponRiki05

#23

Image credits: Dr_ogunleye_

#24

Image credits: User_Not_Named

All of this debate, I feel like, could be perfectly applied to memes. In a way or according to definition, memes could be considered art, as they are the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, just as any other art form is. So we could debate all over again if memes imitate life or vice versa. However, that’s for you and me to decide individually.