I don't understand why I want to die despite living as a privileged member of the best civilization in history

[Leichter Kampfwagen]

I don't understand why I want to die despite living as a privileged member of the best civilization in history.

That's it.

 

[itsgone2]

I don't understand why I want to die despite living as a privileged member of the best civilization in history.

That's it.

The concept of privileged is a lie imo. If you were born into wealth, regardless of civilization, then I could understand.

 

[Leichter Kampfwagen]

The concept of privileged is a lie imo. If you were born into wealth, regardless of civilization, then I could understand.

That's the privileged I mean, not the woke meaning of it. Socioeconomic privilege.

 

[LaVieEnRose]

I know it feels like a waste. Analysis could yield lots of reasons with more information. People often enjoyed a sense of community and didn't suffer as much from alienation throughout time. Things aren't so easily taken for granted now and there are wider discrepancies among the masses now than there were before, leading to mental distress.

 

[itsgone2]

That's the privileged I mean, not the woke meaning of it. Socioeconomic privilege.

So did something happen? Even having wealth, you could be raised poorly, or still have mental health issues. Tragically.

 

[Leichter Kampfwagen]

So did something happen? Even having wealth, you could be raised poorly, or still have mental health issues. Tragically.

My family doesn't have "wealth" but I was in a position to attain wealth. I guess I just have mental health issues. They don't seem real though. I had everything I could have ever wanted, knew it, and still wanted to die. It just seems like the effort and pain in life isn't worth the pleasure I guess.

 

[itsgone2]

My family doesn't have "wealth" but I was in a position to attain wealth. I guess I just have mental health issues. They don't seem real though. I had everything I could have ever wanted, knew it, and still wanted to die. It just seems like the effort and pain in life isn't worth the pleasure I guess.

Some similarities- at least I had a moment when I could have been happy but let it get away. Terrible mental health issues. Realizing it all is why I'm here. Circumstances made me aware but my actions are the issue. But yeah, what's the point of it all.

 

[LostZombie]

"the best civilization in history"

May I ask is civilization the peak humanity?
Our ancestors based off of data we have gathered from modern nomadic tribes, often work less than 3 hours in a day
Most also don't have a word for "work" in their language

Modern civilization is a bigger tradeoff than most of us think, and the only reason we don't know this more is because there is no option in life to disagree to the social contract. You must have a ssn, and ID for Uncle Sam.

While in nomadic tribes 50%~ of your waking hours was chill time

 

[itsgone2]

Modern civilization is a bigger tradeoff than most of us think, and the only reason we don't know this more is because there is no option in life to disagree to the social contract. You must have a ssn, and ID for Uncle Sam.

This is so true. We live longer, that's our big advantage. But think of all the shit you need in life, like insurance and affording a home and retirement planning… you could list a hundred things and they all have stressors related to them. I never liked it. Maybe part of the reason I don't like life in general. It's so stupid. I keep saying this but what is the point? And you're right, how do you escape the social contract? I hate all of this.

 

[LostZombie]

How do you escape the social contract?

Well there is no way to opt out of the social contract legally, but IMO the best way to escape the matrix is to disappear. You have a legal right to go missing, and I can tell u in detail how to disappear without a trace if you want to do that. After that you buy some camping gear like a tent, and survival things and wander in Appalachia. You then have all day to hunt, find water, and play some cards. If you really wanted, you could bring a laptop and a solar charger if you need technology. Along with that, hikers often travel Appalachia, so you won't be too lonely. With all that time, you can think if it is society or if you just don't enjoy living. Enlightenment would be easy with all that time.

 

[itsgone2]

Well there is no way to opt out of the social contract legally, but IMO the best way to escape the matrix is to disappear.

I wouldn't survive, which technically is good, but not the way I want to ctb. I've often thought the Amish have it figured out better than we do. Not saying everything there is perfect and they do get bugged by the government too, but overall it seems better than this stupid ass rat race.

 

[Gustav Hartmann]

The desire to die has not so much to do with our environment, it´s the chemistry in our brain that decides whether we live a happy or a sad life.

 

[locked*n*loaded]

What exactly is this "best civilization in history"? Where? Where?

 

[Leichter Kampfwagen]

What exactly is this "best civilization in history"? Where? Where?

So called "Western civilization." US, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, probably a few others. As far as time, it's definitely the best time to be born in the above countries, and the majority of the world as well.

Edit: I literally just finished getting cavities filled at the dentist with treatment that Rockefeller couldn't even dream of. The most painful part was having to keep my jaw open.

 

[PotentiallyWasted]

It just seems like the effort and pain in life isn't worth the pleasure I guess.

this.

 

[locked*n*loaded]

So called "Western civilization." US, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, probably a few others. As far as time, it's definitely the best time to be born in the above countries, and the majority of the world as well.

Edit: I literally just finished getting cavities filled at the dentist with treatment that Rockefeller couldn't even dream of. The most painful part was having to keep my jaw open.

View attachment 182275

Hmmm. I don't know about characterizing "Western" civilization as the best civilization in history. It's corrupted by too much greed which, in turn, is creating a whole host of other problems that are leading to its inevitable downfall. As far as I'm concerned, humans have never made what I would consider a "great civilization" simply because their innate nature keeps them from doing so. Ofc, you may see things differently.

 

[Hellonearth]

It's all relative as they say....

In my view, if life fails to meet certain standards, its meaning disappears altogether. It doesn't matter whether you enjoy certain comforts, or even if those comforts surpass those of past generations. In my mind, there's a balance sheet of life's pros and cons—and the numbers just don't add up. It's nothing personal.

It's reckoned that people before were less suicidal than today, I suspect that fear of God, belief in an afterlife, or faith in reincarnation encouraged people to persevere despite the severe hardships they faced. If none of these supernatural theories make sense to you, then life becomes a very dry balance sheet. And all too often, the numbers don't add up.

 

[Leichter Kampfwagen]

Hmmm. I don't know about characterizing "Western" civilization as the best civilization in history. It's corrupted by too much greed which, in turn, is creating a whole host of other problems that are leading to its inevitable downfall. As far as I'm concerned, humans have never made what I would consider a "great civilization" simply because their innate nature keeps them from doing so. Ofc, you may see things differently.

I don't disagree that this might not be a "great civilization" (I never claimed that) but it's certainly the best one humans have ever produced in terms of creating the highest standard of living for the most amount of people. I would just ask, where and when would you prefer to be born?

 

[_Gollum_]

I am in a similar situation. Born and raised in one of the countries on earth with the highest quality of life (Canada). Utterly privileged to be living in the time and place I am living in.

But the thing is, it's not our social and cultural structures that are fundamentally flawed: it's us. It's existence itself. It's our biology. There is no escaping it, no matter how privileged you are. Rich and poor, healthy and ill, we all live in organic bodies that evolved to reproduce and survive, no matter the cost. Suffering, depression, meaninglessness: it's all blind evolution. No matter how good our civilization becomes, there will always be those of us who want to die, because even in the best of circumstances, the pain of life outweighs the good. The juice is just not worth the squeeze.

 

[rustcohle4life]

I am in a similar situation. Born and raised in one of the countries on earth with the highest quality of life (Canada). Utterly privileged to be living in the time and place I am living in.

But the thing is, it's not our social and cultural structures that are fundamentally flawed: it's us. It's existence itself. It's our biology. There is no escaping it, no matter how privileged you are. Rich and poor, healthy and ill, we all live in organic bodies that evolved to reproduce and survive, no matter the cost. Suffering, depression, meaninglessness: it's all blind evolution. No matter how good our civilization becomes, there will always be those of us who want to die, because even in the best of circumstances, the pain of life outweighs the good. The juice is just not worth the squeeze.

I would say our social and cultural structures are flawed as well. I feel like we've just staved off disease, hunger, and poverty to a high degree in western countries. We've only really solved the first tier of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. We still struggle as mankind with all the rest.

Honesty, i feel like the hierarchy is a bit wrong because if you don't have self esteem, you will fail to achieve any of the rest of it.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I think one of the reasons is, we have nothing to practically compare our lives to. Maybe we've all been constantly told how 'lucky' we are compared to others- and, that we ought to be grateful. But, if we haven't suffered those hardships directly. If we aren't at real risk of ever experiencing them, how genuine can that comparison/ gratitude be?

A teacher once told me that 80% of our lives were based on expectation. We wake up and expect our environment to be the same as we left it. We expect shops to be selling food. We expect to be able to afford it. We likely take our health for granted if it's been ok so far. We're also encouraged to be distracted. Imagine what a mess we would be if we had to constantly worry about every single thing failing. We wouldn't be able to concentrate on all the other stuff that's expected of us. Maybe we've evolved to take stuff for granted to an extent. It gives us the brain space to pursue other things.

But, there must be things that annoy, upset/ frustrate you? Or, maybe it's that you aren't able to experience enough pleasure- anhedonia or something? Regardless though- why is anyone's unhappiness invalid? If it's a genuine feeling of being so unhappy, you'd rather be dead- that's serious! No matter tge reason.

I suppose if telling yourself it's not justified helps you to get over it then- great. But, if all it does is give you guilt on top- I shouldn't be feeling this. Then, it's not of much use.

I think statistically speaking, suicide rates can be very high in developed countries too so- whatever you're feeling, you're also not alone.

 

[pthnrdnojvsc]

I don't understand why I want to die despite living as a privileged member of the best civilization in history.

That's it.

life can never be good. the brain can suffer unending constant unbearable pain . as long as the brain has the ability to suffer extremely there's always the possibility of extreme suffering trapping any human. many horrible things can still happen to a human stroke , parasites, diseases, accidents ,kidnapping torture more.

. life was even more difficult 70,000 years ago. you didn't have amazon, uber eats to devliver food. you had to walk all day hunting to find animals you could kill with a rock . you wanted anything like shoes clothes or tools you had to make them yourself out of rocks animals and trees which requaired uninmaginable hard work ingenuuity and hard work. you were always hot or cold in the rain or snow with bugs ticks parasites all over .there were no products, no tools no houses no air conditioning , no electricity , no runing water , etc. all this technology was invented to lessen suffering the examples i named are some . but even with all those things that many people have accest to still extreme suffering is possible and life is still not good.

it has always been the case : as soon as a human is born. constant needs and problems . have to work constantly to eat food, drink water, rest , find shelter, avoid boredom , sleep , more needs or else the pain of hunger, thirst , avoid threats more.

a human still has to work all day a job and chores only to decay and exist under threat of something even more horrible trapping the individual .

1.5 milion people in the U.S. attempt suicide every year showing how bad life is. that is only one country 4% of the world population. imo clearly suicide stats and prevalence is hidden.

Suicide statistics

Learn the latest statistics on suicide. Data on suicide are taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Data & Statistics Fatal Injury Report for 2018, as of March 1, 2020. Suicide rates listed are Age-Adjusted Rates.

afsp.org

humans have always been evil lying scamming wanting to use others as slaves control others even in small tribes and now with all the injustice , evil and extreme suicide prohibition state in the world.

 

[itsgone2]

a human still has to work all day a job and chores only to decay and exist under threat of something even more horrible trapping the individual .

This is where I think we've taken a dark turn. Due to technology many jobs are disappearing.
Due to greed many jobs are being eliminated.
Due to greed many jobs are outsourced to the new slave labor.
All over the world it's coming to a head. We simply don't need everyone, except retirement funds depend on growth.
I fear a cliff approaches.

 

[pthnrdnojvsc]

This is where I think we've taken a dark turn. Due to technology many jobs are disappearing.
Due to greed many jobs are being eliminated.
Due to greed many jobs are outsourced to the new slave labor.
All over the world it's coming to a head. We simply don't need everyone, except retirement funds depend on growth.
I fear a cliff approaches.

i don't know when life was easy or good. as i posted 70,000 years ago you had to walk all day in the cold or heat trying to find an animal to kill to stop the hunger , no ac , no houses , no clothes , nothing except rocks trees etc to make anything you had to make it yourself out of rocks , animals , trees. see the post above. when wasn't a human not a slave to others, to false controlling ideologies, and to own body own needs and to own mind? always imo.

life has and this world have always been meaningless suffering.

even if all your physical needs like hunger for food, running water, shelter are given for free you will still go insane with torture after a few days or weeks in a 10 foot square room with nothing in the white room nothing to do proving we are slave of our minds too. even if food water etc piped into the room anyone would go insane with torture when in days, weeks , months or years. how many years could you take of the white room ?

 

[quietpill]

I don't understand why I want to die despite living as a privileged member of the best civilization in history.

That's it.

Its simply hard to live. Whether we are the sum of our parts or not, there is so little love and support. Nothing feels like enough even when it should, its backhanded, life is so cruel and difficult. I don't blame you at all.

 

[itsgone2]

A lot of why people say it's the best time to be alive is because of medical advancements and how long you live. Meanwhile for us, that's the horror wants to live longer?
So now you need to work more and then pray you don't finish out your life in some terrible facility, or with dementia.

 

[asaṅkhata]

Analyzing human happiness based on purely materialistic standards is fallacious. Humans in past times were much much more capable of enduring hardships than we are today. And we often find that they delibaretly put themselves through hardships for reasons that seem inexplicable, if one applies the maslow pyramid of needs or a similar concept.

 

[locked*n*loaded]

I don't disagree that this might not be a "great civilization" (I never claimed that) but it's certainly the best one humans have ever produced in terms of creating the highest standard of living for the most amount of people. I would just ask, where and when would you prefer to be born?

Great? Best? It's just semantics. Actually, you characterized modern Western civilization as best, which could be argued is an ever higher level than great.

Anyway, at this stage of my life, I prefer if I had never been born.

 

[Leichter Kampfwagen]

Great? Best? It's just semantics. Actually, you characterized modern Western civilization as best, which could be argued is an ever higher level than great.

Anyway, at this stage of my life, I prefer if I had never been born.

It's not semantics. I'm calling it "the best" meaning it's better than all of the others. Something can be "the best" and still be horrible. Would you rather be shot in the neck, stomach, or arm (assuming you want to live lol). Obviously none of these are "great" but being shot in the arm is "the best" choice. If there are a bunch of civilizations, they can all be terrible and one can still be the best.

I would also prefer to never have been born.