Discussion How to address meaninglessness?

[jesse]

Why kill yourself? Why not kill yourself? The only intrinsic truth that I think a lot of us can all agree on is that we exist now and that we will cease to exist at some point. Does the point matter, and why or why not? All the reasons I can come up with to both do it and not do it seem to be heavily dependent on ignoring the fact that we'll all die and return to nothing at some point so none of this (including suicide/life) really matters. Is there any philosophy that addresses this issue without a religious lens? Perhaps I never got the memo that existential crisises are supposed to end.

I apologize if this is a common topic here.

 

[TiredBipolar]

Nihilism, can be both positive or negative brother, much love, peace.

 

[Sweet emotion]

Why kill yourself? Why not kill yourself? The only intrinsic truth that I think a lot of us can all agree on is that we exist now and that we will cease to exist at some point. Does the point matter, and why or why not? All the reasons I can come up with to both do it and not do it seem to be heavily dependent on ignoring the fact that we'll all die and return to nothing at some point so none of this (including suicide/life) really matters. Is there any philosophy that addresses this issue without a religious lens? Perhaps I never got the memo that existential crisises are supposed to end.

I apologize if this is a common topic here.

Existentialism is what it's called

 

[woxihuanni]

Well, unless there is circumstances that push you over the edge in a hurry like many people here, you could stay a while out of sheer curiosity, not hope.

You get up every morning and ask, 'What the fuck are you going to throw at me today, eh?' and keep a healthy attitude of take no bullshittery and see what happens.

 

[jesse]

Well, unless there is circumstances that push you over the edge in a hurry like many people here, you could stay a while out of sheer curiosity, not hope.

You get up every morning and ask, 'What the fuck are you going to throw at me today, eh?' and keep a healthy attitude of take no bullshittery and see what happens.

I get whims, but I have a reason to stay (an amazing best friend) that (currently) outweighs my daily pain. Don't think this existential crisis helps much. I have to ignore it to function, as meaninglessness is not a very motivating concept, and emotional me occasionally hijacks the crisis as an excuse to feel suicidal (even though that's certainly illogical). I can answer the question of what will get thrown at me. Mostly nothing, and what does get thrown at me rarely registers any emotional response, much less a positive emotional response.

 

[mnjkl]

I think about that all the time. The fact that we're going to eventually die suggests that how long we live doesn't matter because in the end it will be as though we never existed at all. However if we were to live forever, that wouldn't actually give life any more meaning than if we live only for a short time, because the only thing that's real is the present moment. If the present moment is meaningless, then an infinite amount of present moments in the future would also be meaningless. If the present moment is not meaningless, then living one moment is as worthwhile as living forever.

 

[sleepy dog]

I see I am not the only one that is wondering why they are alive. I feel worthless and dead inside. But I am beginning to get scared of trying and failing, so then I get terrified of being alive an indefinite period of time. I am 53, I might live to 80 or more. I don't want to. Life is already torment and worthless, nothing good enough to stay alive for.

 

[bigj75]

I see I am not the only one that is wondering why they are alive. I feel worthless and dead inside. But I am beginning to get scared of trying and failing, so then I get terrified of being alive an indefinite period of time. I am 53, I might live to 80 or more. I don't want to. Life is already torment and worthless, nothing good enough to stay alive for.

This is what im saying. enjoy life as much as you can then just ctb. I don't feel like I have a purpose so why live.

 

[Pistolero114]

Why kill yourself? Why not kill yourself? The only intrinsic truth that I think a lot of us can all agree on is that we exist now and that we will cease to exist at some point. Does the point matter, and why or why not? All the reasons I can come up with to both do it and not do it seem to be heavily dependent on ignoring the fact that we'll all die and return to nothing at some point so none of this (including suicide/life) really matters. Is there any philosophy that addresses this issue without a religious lens? Perhaps I never got the memo that existential crisises are supposed to end.

I apologize if this is a common topic here.


This is the first time I have seen the subject broached on this platform. However I've only been here a couple of months. Long term tenants may have seen/brought up the subject.

You raise a valid point though. Meaninglessness. Does any of it really matter? My only sources of joy these past twenty years are two of my daughters and their princesses. I have one thing I like to do personally and I've received compliments about is my abilities to compose music of almost any genre and that I can play multiple instruments with relative ease. I think because it's a passion for me it comes out fairly well.

To me; these things matter. I really only keep an apartment now to house my intsruments. Otherwise I'd pack up and spend a year bumming around and then catch the bus.

However; to address your original statement/question I have to say that the majority of what we are told is real is pretty much bullshit. People call me a conspiracy theorist but I believe that the one percent holding the wealth would like all of the little drones to go about their business and no questions above your paygrade. I firmly believe that what the establishment/government fears the most is the day that the bulk of humanity rises and says enough bullshit; we see through your lies and your attempts to treat us a nothing better than a disposable commodity.

The truth for me is there are no absolutes. And truth is in the perspective of the seeker. Thanks for letting me be long winded. You guys are awesome as usual.

 

[justanotherday]

I see I am not the only one that is wondering why they are alive. I feel worthless and dead inside. But I am beginning to get scared of trying and failing, so then I get terrified of being alive an indefinite period of time. I am 53, I might live to 80 or more. I don't want to. Life is already torment and worthless, nothing good enough to stay alive for.

Yes, and to be "stuck", because of being too afraid to make an attempt is just hell. I feel totally stuck here on this earth with my miserable life. I wish I had the courage to act.

 

[Tom9999]

"So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life."

This is all there is. You aim to enjoy the present moment by creating some vibrant meaning from it. The more you succeed at this, the more good memories you have and so the happier you are in general about yourself and life.

The only meaning life has is the meaning you create and experience while living it.

I interpret the apple in the story of Adam and Eve to signify this realization of our ability to create our own meaning. This raised us above all the other creatures, but at the cost of our peace of mind.

A failure to find meaning can be devastating. Nothing destroys like meaningless suffering. Nietzsche said:

"To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering."

A prolonged failure to find that meaning leads one to places like this.

But how to address that failure...?

I think you can reassess the meanings you've already created to see if changing one can lead to new meanings, or you can choose to endure it while keeping an open and curious mind, or you can distract yourself through debauchery and spectacle, or you can examine yourself to see if unresolved trauma is in play somewhere.

 

[sleepy dog]

Yes, and to be "stuck", because of being too afraid to make an attempt is just hell. I feel totally stuck here on this earth with my miserable life. I wish I had the courage to act.

My courage is disappearing after this happened to me.

https://sanctioned-suicide.net/threads/i-had-n.22608/