Isn't it depressing when you've realized the harsh reality that our "meaning of life" basically just boils down to survival?

[niki wonoto]

Especially in today's capitalism modern era basically, it's all about money. Which also means that we basically just live to meet demands, or something like that. Which automatically also means that basically we just live our lives just to fulfill what other people (or society) wants; not what we really want. Everything must be catered down to this shitty 'economic demands'. Nothing more. Which is very limiting, as in we can't really be nor do what we want (well unless if you're lucky/fortunate, which is not everybody).

What's the point really in living life like this?

 

[Snatsbats]

Jep, we all have to patricipate in this system created by a small portion of the population. You need to work a job to survive. You cant go and chop down some trees to build a shed, you need to buy a house with a mortgage or rent something. You need to have money. Its just a cage.

 

[jodes2]

Yeah it's just survival. Chores and paperwork, work and boredom

 

[CowsAreCool]

Especially in today's capitalism modern era basically, it's all about money. Which also means that we basically just live to meet demands, or something like that. Which automatically also means that basically we just live our lives just to fulfill what other people (or society) wants; not what we really want. Everything must be catered down to this shitty 'economic demands'. Nothing more. Which is very limiting, as in we can't really be nor do what we want (well unless if you're lucky/fortunate, which is not everybody).

What's the point really in living life like this?

Except "capital demands" boil down to the individual. That's what's great about capitalism (or terrible, depending on who you ask). Everything boils down to the individual. Individual wants determines what society produces when you form a collective of individuals. If people want iPhones, people build iPhones. And if you have more stuff to offer (that other people want), you can get more stuff that you want (provided you have a common currency).

Now unfortunately, under capitalism, you do have to provide. So I understand why you say it's depressing. You will always have to participate in a market economy unless you choose to provide everything you'll ever need yourself.

But it's also getting better. In order to eat, people 200 years ago had to provide 12 hours a day of toil on farms just to survive. Or in factories. Capitalism has progressed where you can work 40 hours per week in an air conditioned office, and that's how many people make their living. People have spare time now for passions and hobbies they couldn't dream of 200 years ago. People can survive and offer much less. And what people are forced to offer decreases every year.

In economics, that's called returns of scale.

Capitalism has improved the issue you've brought up. But I agree there's more work to do.

 

[obafgkm]

What capitalists want the most from genetic technology is probably the capability to install survival instinct in every ordinary human being so that they do what the master order them to, just to survive under the minimal living conditions, no higher hopes whatsoever.

Maybe this has already happened some 10,000 years ago according to some myths.

 

[tired868686]

All life is survival, from bacteria and viruses to mammals. It's all about one fighting the other in order to survive.
Viruses destroy their hosts only to destroy themselves. Animals destroy whole food sources only to starve to death.
Humans will destroy their habitat in the long run one way or another and that'll be it.
All sources of life either are killed off, or inadvertently kill themselves eventually.
The meaning of life really is only survival until you can't....and once humans invented economics, it just became a more tedious and boring fight for survival.

 

[Darkover]

depression is being 18 and knowing you'll not have sex for the rest of your miserable life

 

[Hiraeth Grimoire]

I don't think survival for its own sake is a profitable endeavor, it is a doomed game. I would only consider survival useful insofar as one can maximize the highest utility, or eudaimonia, which is freedom. The problem is death at this point intuitively seems more freeing than life, so I will cut my losses.

 

[Fadeawaaaay]

I wish I had understood these things decades ago when I was in college… I had idealistic visions of doing great things And failed to understand that my very survival was at stake…

 

[wljourney]

I wish I had understood these things decades ago when I was in college… I had idealistic visions of doing great things And failed to understand that my very survival was at stake…

Same.

Then again, I studied "something useful" and in the end... in hindsight... should have just fucking enjoyed studying something I really liked. Not something that "helps you find a job". In the end it all fell apart anyway.
I guess the only benefit is that I found a job with benefits before falling apart.
Sad really.

 

[obafgkm]

All life is survival, from bacteria and viruses to mammals. It's all about one fighting the other in order to survive.
Viruses destroy their hosts only to destroy themselves. Animals destroy whole food sources only to starve to death.
Humans will destroy their habitat in the long run one way or another and that'll be it.
All sources of life either are killed off, or inadvertently kill themselves eventually.
The meaning of life really is only survival until you can't....and once humans invented economics, it just became a more tedious and boring fight for survival.

While natural selection is obvious at low levels, people should really not carry this mentality unmodified into advanced societies, where people sort of agree to stop fighting to free up each other's time and resources for higher goals. Raw fightings are instead symbolized in sports: Olympics, football games. People can still compare and test their limits. Wars are replaced by elections so that no one needs to die for change in power. People live for higher goals, not just minimum survival.

 

[jane]

yes, all life is survival. it fucking sucks. i didnt ask for this shit

 

[freedompass]

Let's not forget 'purpose of life is reproduction'. (For me actually the biggest source of regret, go ahead and judge me). I'm sickened and disgusted by biology, nature and the thoughtless 'go forth and multiply' when often we just multiply the suffering. Disclaimer: I'm extremely jaundiced and jaded, I hear that many people love and value their lives so good for them honestly, my experience is completely different. I'd like that respected as I respect theirs

 

[obafgkm]

Let's not forget 'purpose of life is reproduction'. (For me actually the biggest source of regret, go ahead and judge me). I'm sickened and disgusted by biology, nature and the thoughtless 'go forth and multiply' when often we just multiply the suffering. Disclaimer: I'm extremely jaundiced and jaded, I hear that many people love and value their lives so good for them honestly, my experience is completely different. I'd like that respected as I respect theirs

It is this "everyone wants to reproduce" assumption that make governments reluctant to provide social welfare or improve human right standard. This makes life miserable for many. People want to die. But they can't because their human rights are not respected.

But in fact, when people are educated, they have expectation. Many choose not to give birth, and want to die. Birth rates are low in advanced countries. They need to improve living standard and benefits to make people reproduce, not want to die.

 

[Astronauta]

Eu não acho que a sobrevivência por si só seja um empreendimento lucrativo, é um jogo condenado. Eu só consideraria a sobrevivência útil na medida em que se pudesse maximizar a mais alta utilidade, ou eudaimonia, que é a liberdade. O problema é que a morte neste momento parece intuitivamente mais libertadora do que a vida, então vou cortar minhas perdas.

Eu sinto assim também.
Por tudo que me aconteceu, a vida ficou sem sentido e a morte seria libertadora.

 

[TAW122]

It certainly is. I believe sometime during my teenage years or even early college days (when I was like 19 or so) when I realized the "meaning of life" is just subjective and boils down to satiating and satisfying our biological desires. I think I just had a hunch before I knew what "survival instinct" was or the term itself. As a rather reclusive and eccentric individual, I delve deeply into philosophy and oftenly question life as well as the status quo. Despite growing up and peer pressure to be like 'normies' and accept things the way they are, I simply just resent normie values.

 

[Octavia]

I must admit that I sometimes fail to see the purpose of my own existence. Being alive in order to procreate so that your descendants can also be alive and procreate just seems like such a mundane and boring reason to exist.