New
The most important thing in life?
Fappin'.
7.1%
12
To reach for the Truth behind the universe.
4.2%
7
Prolong life but die in the process.
1.2%
2
Devotion to God.
6.0%
10
Fame; an ever-lasting name.
0.6%
1
Money..?
1.8%
3
Producing off-spring to continue one's legacy.
3.0%
5
Love.
17.9%
30
Happiness.
31.5%
53
Enjoyment.
16.7%
28
To advance mankind.
1.2%
2
There is no value in life.
8.9%
15
168 votes
May 23, 2008 10:56 AM
#52
Depressed people aren't pathetic. They're reflections of realism. The world is depressing. It's full of pain, conflicts, hardships and suffering. Finding happiness isn't easy for everyone. If you haven't experienced depression, then you don't know what it's like to be in their shoes and to think the way they do. I personally vote for "life has no value." We're born to ultimately die. I find no value in this. I also find no value in offspring when it's just a continuing cycle of pain and suffering. I believe peace can only be achieved if we weren't to exist. This of course, coming from an authentic pessimist. |
May 23, 2008 11:46 AM
#53
Thousand-Eyes said: Depressed people aren't pathetic. They're reflections of realism. The world is depressing. It's full of pain, conflicts, hardships and suffering. Finding happiness isn't easy for everyone. If you haven't experienced depression, then you don't know what it's like to be in their shoes and to think the way they do. I personally vote for "life has no value." We're born to ultimately die. I find no value in this. I also find no value in offspring when it's just a continuing cycle of pain and suffering. I believe peace can only be achieved if we weren't to exist. This of course, coming from an authentic pessimist. Wow, that was the most ... negative post yet. I hope that you you're answer is only based on logic and not what you really feel, because yes, logcailly you're right. We all die regardless of what we do and in a sense, that makes everything pointless because what we work for in life is taken from us in death in a way. That's kind of why I wish for fame (seriously I'm surprised I'm the only one who voted for this =p), it gives life my life some meaning. That aside, I think its been said earlier, but life has value if you give it one which really, isn't hard at all to do. I think that everyone feels this way about life at one point or another, but really, we all move along, accept it, and give oursleves something to live for. |
May 23, 2008 11:46 AM
#54
Bacon. |
May 23, 2008 6:01 PM
#55
Depressed people aren't pathetic. They're reflections of realism. The world is depressing. It's full of pain, conflicts, hardships and suffering. Finding happiness isn't easy for everyone. If you haven't experienced depression, then you don't know what it's like to be in their shoes and to think the way they do. Oh I went through the whole depression/pondering suicide crap back in school, but eventually realised that there was just no point to feeling depressed at all. People really need to relax and 'look on the bright side' more (especially you, so it seems). Of course even I feel down sometimes, it's just a matter of 'waking up'. The world is only a depressing place if you let it depress you. Edit: I'm just wasting my time here. |
MUSIONMay 23, 2008 6:09 PM
May 23, 2008 6:47 PM
#56
I voted love mainly because in most cases love equals happiness, least for me that is. |
May 23, 2008 7:06 PM
#57
May 23, 2008 7:11 PM
#58
happiness. there is no meaning of life, you have to create your own reason to live. personally, I live in the pursuit of happiness for myself and the people I care about. |
![]() and with this post my post count has increased, making me 1 post cooler than before |
May 23, 2008 7:51 PM
#59
enjoyment mostly doing osmething thrilling that gets the blood going. Thousand-Eyes said: Depressed people aren't pathetic. They're reflections of realism. The world is depressing. It's full of pain, conflicts, hardships and suffering. Finding happiness isn't easy for everyone. If you haven't experienced depression, then you don't know what it's like to be in their shoes and to think the way they do. I personally vote for "life has no value." We're born to ultimately die. I find no value in this. I also find no value in offspring when it's just a continuing cycle of pain and suffering. I believe peace can only be achieved if we weren't to exist. This of course, coming from an authentic pessimist. Why is the world depressing?? There isnt as much pain, conflict or suffering in the world as there is happiness. Hardships?? Yes everyone has hardships, so what, u suck it up and try to be positive. I have had depression with sucidial feelings before. I just wish someone was there to hit me in the face and tell me life is hard grow up instead of having to waste so much time complaning. |
May 23, 2008 8:19 PM
#60
Thousand-Eyes said: Depressed people aren't pathetic. They're reflections of realism. The world is depressing. It's full of pain, conflicts, hardships and suffering. Finding happiness isn't easy for everyone. If you haven't experienced depression, then you don't know what it's like to be in their shoes and to think the way they do. I personally vote for "life has no value." We're born to ultimately die. I find no value in this. I also find no value in offspring when it's just a continuing cycle of pain and suffering. I believe peace can only be achieved if we weren't to exist. This of course, coming from an authentic pessimist. I'm sorry if I'm mean in the rest of this, but I have to say this lol...you made me laugh. Sounds like a line out of a bad anime. Reminds me of the retarded Kira user in Nabari no Ou from episode 5 or 6. It's all in your head man. Get off your butt, work hard, and cheer up...all I can say. I think there's a problem these days with deciding everything is a medical disorder and thus taking all responsibility off ourselves and becoming the victims. You can figure it out. You have some control. I don't want to admit it, but I have been like that in the past, but at least I recognized the stupidity of the thoughts that came to my mind. I know that it does not seem easy. Do some significant exercise or something every day. Releases neurochemicals that make you happy. Isn't the brain interesting? Block some receptors and you suddenly become happy. That being said, life is not meaningless. Meaning is there if you honestly keep on looking for it. You will eventually find it, I promise. Just be sure to accept it when it comes, and not constantly doubt yourself, otherwise you will miss it. Edit- Be thankful more. There are many that are worse off than you. You are sitting in a room by yourself watching anime all depressed with plenty of free time while other kids are starving but still being positive. Think of how stupid you look. |
legosMay 23, 2008 11:02 PM
May 23, 2008 11:17 PM
#62
Couldn't vote. My answer is defending one's own ideals and morals. Even if it makes you unhappy, pained, suffer and toil endlessly. Never surrender or become subservient. I'm a white Canadian, but I admire the mexican revolutionist Emiliano Zapata greatly. Better to die on your feet than live a century on your knees. |
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May 23, 2008 11:22 PM
#63
legos said: That being said, life is not meaningless. Meaning is there if you honestly keep on looking for it. You will eventually find it, I promise. Just be sure to accept it when it comes, and not constantly doubt yourself, otherwise you will miss it.. I don't agree with thousand-eyes, but I think it's a bit odd that you basically tell him he's wrong, and his lack of belief in meaning is wrong. Then proceed to tell him that there is absolutely meaning. Telling someone to live life the way you think they SHOULD live. Is it really any different from him saying there's no meaning to life? I dunno. Maybe I'm being hypocritical. |
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May 23, 2008 11:44 PM
#64
Happiness of course. Life is meaningless without happiness |
May 24, 2008 2:33 AM
#65
AnimusNathan said: legos said: That being said, life is not meaningless. Meaning is there if you honestly keep on looking for it. You will eventually find it, I promise. Just be sure to accept it when it comes, and not constantly doubt yourself, otherwise you will miss it.. I don't agree with thousand-eyes, but I think it's a bit odd that you basically tell him he's wrong, and his lack of belief in meaning is wrong. Then proceed to tell him that there is absolutely meaning. Telling someone to live life the way you think they SHOULD live. Is it really any different from him saying there's no meaning to life? I dunno. Maybe I'm being hypocritical. I'm such a loser...I actually wrote a whole response to this... Just to let you know right away, you completely ruined a simple motivational post. Thanks. Obviously you have to be a bit extreme to snap someone out a bad way of thinking so that they normalize their thoughts. However, what I said was true though and I stand by it 100%. I'm telling him that hes being foolish and is wrong to be depressed, and I'm saying that there is meaning. I have my reasons why I'm saying there is meaning, although these are unstated. I'm asking him to believe me that there is meaning for now, and actively seek it. If you want him to sit there and do nothing aside from feel sorry for himself and feel hopeless, you go ahead. I think that this is a waste of a life. Again, I'll repeat my commonly-used argument...how do you know so much at such a young age? How do you know that there is no meaning (or conversely meaning) in the world? Pessimists or people with poor perception of their limitations sit there and say that there is no meaning and give up. Included in this group are those who say, "I don't know and never will" and stop looking. Optimists keep their spirits up and continue to look, saying that there must be meaning, and if or when they find it, they live with it without being full of groundless doubts that destroy the satisfaction of having meaning. However, those who are too optimistic say, "I've got it...life, the universe, and everything," and stop questioning themselves (this is a bad thing). Who would you rather be? Who has a greater chance of going somewhere with their lives? It is true that we can only have belief in whether there is meaning or not, and not knowledge. What is the relation between belief and knowledge anyway though? I have not given this much thought myself, but someone else said (or some warped version due to my incomplete reading says) that there is a continuum between belief and knowledge with absolute belief at one end of the spectrum and absolute knowledge at the other. This means that there are varying degrees of belief, and that not all beliefs are equal. Stronger beliefs are those supported by more evidence. At some point, we just say that we have knowledge, even though this is just another name for a strong belief. What about the objection that these beliefs could be proven wrong at any time by one false fact? Right now, all I can say is that we do this already in every aspect of our lives. We do it in science for instance. Someone makes a theory, and we gather evidence that supports it. The more evidence that supports it, the more widely-accepted it becomes and the more it becomes used. At some point, we begin to treat it as "knowledge." At some point, we treat it as a law. This is a different point in each case, just based on what people feel to be enough evidence. Should we all sit pessimistically doubting the veracity of all of these beliefs? It will only lead to destruction in our lives and make us into nothing more than animals mindlessly satisfying our desires (Oh no...at this point I see another implication, but I won't mention it). Back to the belief that there is meaning though... it is true that it is just belief. However, as stated before, this belief that there is meaning can have varying strengths based on what is used to support it. Two beliefs are not completely equal. One could be at a level where we define it as knowledge whole the other could just be some random thought that popped into your head. To answer your question, yes, saying that that there is meaning to life is different from saying that there is no meaning to life. Why do I know? Because I used to think exactly like him, but I have learned more and see that I was wrong. Is there the possibility that I will learn more and be proven wrong again in the future? Yes, but this is all I can live my life according to right now. I recognize the possibility that I may be wrong, but don't dwell on it and thus am not consumed by self-destroying doubt which would stop me from acting on what I have learned so far. Good Night. I'm too tired to look for flaws in what I wrote, so sorry for any mistakes or not answering the question, because I don't really remember anymore. |
May 24, 2008 8:09 AM
#66
The most important thing in life is to live life how you want to live it. Oh, and fappin. |
May 24, 2008 2:02 PM
#67
legos said: I'm such a loser...I actually wrote a whole response to this... Just to let you know right away, you completely ruined a simple motivational post. Thanks... No problem. After reading your entire post, you basically admit that you could be wrong, and that what you're saying about belief is not absolute. Which was my point. I have nothing against you telling him you think he's wrong, but you basically said he was DEFINITELY wrong. I was doing the same thing to you, which is why I said I was perhaps being hypocritical. I disagree that it's wrong to be depressed. I used to be depressed all the time, and I didn't enjoy it. I don't get depressed very often anymore, and I don't want to be. But maybe some people get some kind of satisfaction out of being depressed. I think it's wrong to tell someone your opinion is absolute justice, or absolute truth. For instance, I still argue against people when I think they are wrong and I think I am right. But I never pretend that I am infallible or that my point of view is more experienced or wise. I just think I am right, and they think they are right. |
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May 24, 2008 2:14 PM
#68
May 25, 2008 5:47 AM
#70
The most important thing in life is to live. You can't do all that other stuff when you're dead. Simple as that. |
May 25, 2008 7:26 AM
#71
Chavez said: The most important thing in life is to live. You can't do all that other stuff when you're dead. Simple as that. It's a bit blunt, but you make a good point. |
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May 25, 2008 7:59 AM
#72
A very good poll question! Since I was young and began to learn about my religion of Judaism, I've always found my self devoted to God and no one else but him (except my parents). To me, being connected with God, no matter what your religion, is the most important thing in life, because with that special connection with Him, we will never have anyone to turn to when we are faced with problems that only He can help us overcome. So my answer is devotion to God, because without that, we are helpless in life. |
May 25, 2008 12:32 PM
#73
MoonPhase said: we Ehhhh. I'm not angry. It just sort of makes me uncomfortable. Like when you're running a few minutes(just a few minutes) late to a date or gathering or something, and someone orders for you. You're like "well...thanks, I guess" because you want to be appreciative, but at the same time it's not really what you want to eat. |
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May 25, 2008 3:26 PM
#74
on the whole depression bit: i watch certain anime with intention to become depressed. due to being a 'stable' individual, this depression doesnt last over a few weeks. part of life's enjoyment is the rollercoaster. if you have an imbalance of chemicals in your brain, it's unfortunate that you must take stabilizing pills -- because those (so i've heard from takers themselves) work exceedingly well at leveling you out -so much so to the point of making you a zombie. my point is that i agree depression =/= meaningless. |
May 25, 2008 10:54 PM
#75
heheheheh...prepare for a massive response. I had fun thinking about this today, and I wrote a lot because it helps me think, and am glad that it is done because it was taking too long. AnimusNathan said: No problem. After reading your entire post, you basically admit that you could be wrong, and that what you're saying about belief is not absolute. Which was my point. I have nothing against you telling him you think he's wrong, but you basically said he was DEFINITELY wrong. I was doing the same thing to you, which is why I said I was perhaps being hypocritical. Ok...there is no “admitting” anything from me. It was a simple motivational post. I hesitated writing it, but I thought that it would be for the greater good if I wrote it because someone who is depressed and pessimistically looking at the world without any hope needs something to snap him out of it. I am well aware, and always have been, that we are not absolutely sure of anything. AnimusNathan said: I disagree that it's wrong to be depressed. I used to be depressed all the time, and I didn't enjoy it. I don't get depressed very often anymore, and I don't want to be. But maybe some people get some kind of satisfaction out of being depressed. I think it's wrong to tell someone your opinion is absolute justice, or absolute truth. For instance, I still argue against people when I think they are wrong and I think I am right. But I never pretend that I am infallible or that my point of view is more experienced or wise. I just think I am right, and they think they are right. What about this case...I could be depressed and suicidal, and I may very well be satisfied with this because of my negative feelings, and I would just leave be left alone to die by the psychiatrist I was assigned to, because it is not the psychiatrist's right to force me to live if I wanted to die, because what the psychiatrist believes, that I should live, is not absolute, right? Maybe you didn’t say this explicitly, but it is what logically follows this way of thinking, right? If you say otherwise, I’ll just prove you wrong with your own argument. What if right now I am thinking this way, and in the future I would think completely differently? The psychiatrist was the reason I didn’t have that chance. I didn’t see the chance myself or put any weight to it because I was a depressed person with a pessimistic worldview. You have experienced it, right? Everything looks bad. It was only a chance anyway, right? Maybe at the end of my life I would have had exactly the same mindset. On the other hand, maybe I wouldn’t have. Just for the record, this is strictly hypothetical...not my case. So, back to the main topic. As I said before, two beliefs are not necessarily the same, and shouldn’t be considered the same, because there is not just a dichotomy between belief and knowledge…there is a spectrum between absolute belief and absolute knowledge with beliefs of varying strengths in between. There is such a thing as stronger beliefs and weaker beliefs, and stronger beliefs should be trusted more than weaker beliefs because they have more reasoning/evidence behind them. Of course, they could always end up being wrong, but it is stupid to just focus on this possibility while ignoring that which we are sure about thus far. There is no reason to be sure we are absolutely right, but we have plenty of reason to think that we are right and no real reason to think we are wrong. We would get absolutely nowhere in this world if we just ignored everything that could possibly be wrong because we have absolute knowledge of absolutely nothing. That is why, in life, we just set a point where we consider something “knowledge,” even though this knowledge is nothing more than strong belief. I’m not really sure about the following parts, because I need to think more and read more about them, but I’ll continue anyway because I’ll lose cool points on the internet if I don't write a reply to your post. Now that I’ve actually written it, I’m sure that I’ve pissed many off. I’ll lose some cool points anyway, but oh well. How can we compare beliefs though? First, they have to be in regard to the same question. Then, in theory, we compare beliefs by seeing which belief has more evidence to back it up, because that is how our reason works. What kind of evidence can we use to back a belief up though? The answer is that it varies. All kinds of evidence can be used to back up belief. Whatever floats your boat. You can use observations. You can use personal experience. You can use reason. You can use your thoughts. You can use your gut feelings. If you prayed that you would get something and then you got it, it is evidence. If you guessed which side of the coin would end up facing up 50 times in a row or every light you walked under went out, that is evidence that you have super powers. You can use empirical data from experiments. Basically, anything that happens in your life can be evidence. However, again, like belief, evidence varies in strength as well. There is strong evidence and there is weak evidence. Remember that evidence is additive as well. A lot of weak evidence together can become strong. On a side note, one thing to think about though…when I said that evidence is like belief in that it varies in strength, I was just thinking if evidence was just more belief? You go into ideas like the Matrix or Descartes who I really got bored with and didn’t read. I’ll stick with the Matrix. How are we sure about anything we see? We are plugged into the Matrix and something is telling our brain that something is there when it really isn’t. Belief supported by belief…how interesting, or stupid. All we will learn about is the Matrix and how things work there and not the real world or the real causes. I remember that I thought it was really stupid when I heard about it in relation to real life for the first time, but it is an interesting idea nonetheless. Continuing with the main idea, some will say that we can only use evidence that we can see and prove to everyone, i.e. evidence used in science. This is considered the strongest evidence, and it clearly is because it tries to use evidence that can be shown to be universal, that all human beings can experience and share. Why should we only use this kind of evidence though in supporting all of our beliefs in all contexts though? It only puts limits on the type of evidence we can use, a limit to what we can understand. Not all experiences are shared or can be shown to be shared, and we lose the knowledge from these experiences if we only focus on shared experiences that can be proven to all. However, in the context of science, shared experiences are only used because the purpose of science is to attempt to find universal truths using our capabilities alone, and using our capabilities alone, it is the best method because using this type of evidence gives a sure, or as-sure-as-possible conclusion. However, using only this kind of evidence, we will always be limited in what we can figure out. Religion (mentioned because related to my choice in the poll of the most important thing in life – God or truth behind the universe), for some people, is like a theory in science without the numerous experiments behind it that lead up to it. It just comes right out and gives an explanation on how the world works and how we should live in it. It cannot be proven absolutely true, but, like a theory, it can get evidence for it to strengthen it or against it to disprove it. If one part of the theory is wrong, it is proven false. If it gains a lot of evidence, it becomes very strong. However, be careful with this. Don’t just throw out a religion because of a surface look and lack of real knowledge when you think there is something wrong, but in fact there is a good explanation. For me, religion is recognition of my ignorance and inability to learn anything significant about the world by myself. A chance to learn absolute truth or absolute justice and a chance for meaning - how great. I’ll definitely look into it, and am right now. So far, I have found no flaws and evidence has strengthened my belief. I hate the idea of acceptance of all beliefs. I think that it just creates a stupid, thoughtless, meaningless society, because every belief, no matter how valid, is considered the same. I’m all for tolerance though. If someone has a different religion or different beliefs, I’m still friends with them or politely interact with them, but I don’t think that their religion or beliefs are as valid as mine because I don’t blindly believe what I believe. I have my reasons. I don’t push mine on them…I just live the way that I think is right. Sometimes we discuss beliefs, and they say what they want, and I say what I want. If they like what they hear, they agree with me. If I like what I hear, I agree with them. Where was I going with all of this? I think that I was trying to show that two beliefs are not equal. Maybe I'll get to specific examples if I have time. I doubt it though. |
legosMay 26, 2008 12:05 AM
May 26, 2008 2:51 AM
#77
Love, since so many of the other things on the list can come from it I'm kidding. Money, duh |
May 26, 2008 10:00 AM
#79
What about this case...I could be depressed and suicidal, and I may very well be satisfied with this because of my negative feelings, and I would just leave be left alone to die by the psychiatrist I was assigned to, because it is not the psychiatrist's right to force me to live if I wanted to die, because what the psychiatrist believes, that I should live, is not absolute, right? Maybe you didn’t say this explicitly, but it is what logically follows this way of thinking, right? If you say otherwise, I’ll just prove you wrong with your own argument. What if right now I am thinking this way, and in the future I would think completely differently? The psychiatrist was the reason I didn’t have that chance. I didn’t see the chance myself or put any weight to it because I was a depressed person with a pessimistic worldview. You have experienced it, right? Everything looks bad. It was only a chance anyway, right? Maybe at the end of my life I would have had exactly the same mindset. On the other hand, maybe I wouldn’t have. Just for the record, this is strictly hypothetical...not my case. Yea I get where you are going with this. Someone who is depressed kills themselves and then they seal off all other choices. First, everyone dies. It is inevitable. Or at least currently. Perhaps hundreds of years from now technology will change that(I would hope not, actually.) Secondly, by making a choice, you choose one option. When you choose this one option, you seal off an almost unlimited number of other choices in that span of time. No one can have their cake and eat it too. Third, more is not necessarily better. Said person could live a life full of agony and despair because they did not commit suicide, likewise they could live a life full of joy and wonder. There is no innate value to a longer lifespan besides MORE. And yes you were correct, the psychiatrists opinion that you should live is not absolute. Where you are wrong however is that the psychiatrist does not do anything. The psychiatrist, just as you think, would probably try and persuade them not too. When I say "x is not absolute" I simply mean that, as you sort of say, there is personal belief. Your morals and your human constructs are not absolute, but they still work for you. And there is nothing wrong with trying to persuade others with your kind of thinking. But when you force others to adhere to your morals, under the guise of justice or righteousness, you are being deceiving I think. Light, is absolute. There is absolutely light. It can be measured and inferred in an almost infinite number of ways. How humans and as an extension animals, see the world is not absolute. We perceive the light and then our brains change it into something that is true only for us. The universe does not "look" a certain way. It is a bunch of matter and energy floating and swirling around. When we, a mass of matter, view the world, we see it with "tainted glasses." We make our own beliefs out of skewed glimpses of the truth. That's why separating belief and fact can be so hard. |
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May 26, 2008 3:33 PM
#80
For me prolong life but die in the process... |
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May 26, 2008 4:45 PM
#81
Mod Edit: Please stay on topic. If you want to discuss things with someone, use the profile comments and messages. |
cyruzMay 26, 2008 4:56 PM
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May 27, 2008 11:03 AM
#82
I voted happiness. I wanted to vote love but happines means love and more. Love can come and go and never come back, while happines can always come back if it's gone ^_^ |
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May 27, 2008 10:11 PM
#83
I noticed how everyone is saying Happiness. so I have a question What if one cant find happiness ? |
Coming soon! |
May 27, 2008 11:22 PM
#84
Marls said: I noticed how everyone is saying Happiness. so I have a question What if one cant find happiness ? Exactly why I said it. Because if you can't find it, it sucks. |
May 28, 2008 12:52 AM
#85
Marls said: I noticed how everyone is saying Happiness. so I have a question What if one cant find happiness ? If you can't find it, make your own. No need to wait for something to happen to you, go out and make it happen. |
May 28, 2008 9:34 PM
#86
i said happiness, although for me that involves lots of money, enjoyment, and love |
May 29, 2008 2:05 AM
#87
Happiness. But like Young said, that can include some of the other options. |
May 29, 2008 3:05 AM
#88
We live to the day we die love, happiness and things around that is only things that help us to get through life. religion is a way to get hope, dont misunderstand me now this is what I think. If we dont have things like this then it will get hard to get through life. we are not more that just humans. and a human that dont have this things will often take there lifes. so everthig is importent to live even hate is but to only have hate is not good. same to only have love will not help you need to have everything. |
May 29, 2008 3:09 AM
#89
Marls said: I noticed how everyone is saying Happiness. so I have a question What if one cant find happiness ? More people have replied to other answers than happiness. Hardly 'everyone' is saying it. Not even a third of replies have been happiness. I myself voted enjoyment. What's the point of life if you don't enjoy it (protip: enjoyment = happiness!) |
May 29, 2008 3:21 AM
#90
Music is a very important thing in my life, I dont know what I would do whithout it :/ |
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May 29, 2008 4:55 AM
#91
Vampykitty77 said: Marls said: I noticed how everyone is saying Happiness. so I have a question What if one cant find happiness ? If you can't find it, make your own. No need to wait for something to happen to you, go out and make it happen. Yeah, dude. I like the way you put that, I agree. :D |
May 29, 2008 9:26 AM
#92
legos said: AnimusNathan said: legos said: That being said, life is not meaningless. Meaning is there if you honestly keep on looking for it. You will eventually find it, I promise. Just be sure to accept it when it comes, and not constantly doubt yourself, otherwise you will miss it.. I don't agree with thousand-eyes, but I think it's a bit odd that you basically tell him he's wrong, and his lack of belief in meaning is wrong. Then proceed to tell him that there is absolutely meaning. Telling someone to live life the way you think they SHOULD live. Is it really any different from him saying there's no meaning to life? I dunno. Maybe I'm being hypocritical. I'm such a loser...I actually wrote a whole response to this... Just to let you know right away, you completely ruined a simple motivational post. Thanks. Obviously you have to be a bit extreme to snap someone out a bad way of thinking so that they normalize their thoughts. However, what I said was true though and I stand by it 100%. I'm telling him that hes being foolish and is wrong to be depressed, and I'm saying that there is meaning. I have my reasons why I'm saying there is meaning, although these are unstated. I'm asking him to believe me that there is meaning for now, and actively seek it. If you want him to sit there and do nothing aside from feel sorry for himself and feel hopeless, you go ahead. I think that this is a waste of a life. Again, I'll repeat my commonly-used argument...how do you know so much at such a young age? How do you know that there is no meaning (or conversely meaning) in the world? Pessimists or people with poor perception of their limitations sit there and say that there is no meaning and give up. Included in this group are those who say, "I don't know and never will" and stop looking. Optimists keep their spirits up and continue to look, saying that there must be meaning, and if or when they find it, they live with it without being full of groundless doubts that destroy the satisfaction of having meaning. However, those who are too optimistic say, "I've got it...life, the universe, and everything," and stop questioning themselves (this is a bad thing). Who would you rather be? Who has a greater chance of going somewhere with their lives? . People like you all say the same thing. Clearly there is a difference between going through a phase of depression and actually suffering deep depression for 13 and on-going years. You have no idea. This isn't something that one can control. It's OUT of one's control. That's why I still have depression. This isn't some teenage phase of "oh, I'm so emo I want to kill myself." It's more serious than that. Most of the ones that have depression like me don't even speak to anyone about it, because we find it pointless. This also isn't me trying to attain sympathy on the boards by making negative comments to express how depressed I am, because I'm not going to do that. All I was saying was that unless you're in another person's shoes, you don't know what it's like for them and how they feel. Just as there are stronger people out there, there are the weak. The problem with society is that "positive" people think "negative" people are foolish and ridicule them without understanding their situation. No wonder people are taking their lives. Who cares? No one. Pessimists are usually realists. They look at the world in a negative light, but the world is negative. Look at the news of what's going on in the world. Go out there and experience it yourself and you'll understand that the world isn't sunshine. People will betray you. People will deceive you. But, like I said before, this is coming from ME who has experienced what has made me pessimistic. You don't know what the darker part of reality holds and what hitting rock bottom is like. It's not pretty at all. I'm not a child like you assume I am. I'm well in my mid 20s. Yet, that is irrelevant to how I feel about the world and life. On a side note. If you were trying to be motivational, then I appreciate it. But, I don't appreciate being called 'foolish' for being what I am. Consider. As for the whole 'life has no value' option that I voted for? I stand by what I said earlier. I believe that there is no point to life when death is in the future. We struggle so hard, yet die so easy. And yes, that was only from a logical standpoint. That's going to be my last response. |
gOOgOO-PupilsMay 29, 2008 9:56 AM
May 29, 2008 5:58 PM
#93
gOOgOO-Pupils said: People like you all say the same thing. Clearly there is a difference between going through a phase of depression and actually suffering deep depression for 13 and on-going years. You have no idea. This isn't something that one can control. It's OUT of one's control. That's why I still have depression. This isn't some teenage phase of "oh, I'm so emo I want to kill myself." It's more serious than that. Most of the ones that have depression like me don't even speak to anyone about it, because we find it pointless. This also isn't me trying to attain sympathy on the boards by making negative comments to express how depressed I am, because I'm not going to do that. All I was saying was that unless you're in another person's shoes, you don't know what it's like for them and how they feel. Just as there are stronger people out there, there are the weak. The problem with society is that "positive" people think "negative" people are foolish and ridicule them without understanding their situation. No wonder people are taking their lives. Who cares? No one. Pessimists are usually realists. They look at the world in a negative light, but the world is negative. Look at the news of what's going on in the world. Go out there and experience it yourself and you'll understand that the world isn't sunshine. People will betray you. People will deceive you. But, like I said before, this is coming from ME who has experienced what has made me pessimistic. You don't know what the darker part of reality holds and what hitting rock bottom is like. It's not pretty at all. I'm not a child like you assume I am. I'm well in my mid 20s. Yet, that is irrelevant to how I feel about the world and life. On a side note. If you were trying to be motivational, then I appreciate it. But, I don't appreciate being called 'foolish' for being what I am. Consider. As for the whole 'life has no value' option that I voted for? I stand by what I said earlier. I believe that there is no point to life when death is in the future. We struggle so hard, yet die so easy. And yes, that was only from a logical standpoint. That's going to be my last response. Of course there is a such thing as clinical depression. After all, your moods are based on neurochemicals, right? If someone has a genetic condition and/or something bad happened in their life, then of course they are more likely to be depressed and stay depressed. "oh, I'm so emo I want to kill myself" lol...good example. Made me laugh. All I'm saying is that if you just see yourself as the victim of your genetics/development completely, you feel comfort because it isn't your fault, but then nothing will change. You have your reason, and you can see that you are thinking only negatively, and you can control your thoughts to some degree, though not completely. Let the medicine help out. Medicine + cognitive behavior therapy, right? Recognize your dominant negative thoughts. It is not all bad. There's plenty of positive in the world. Maybe keep your mind occupied with doing good things so that you don't dwell on your thoughts. Be thankful and be patient. There are plenty of people who have it much, much worse than you. Maybe something good will happen to you? Who are you to say that it won't? That's only pessimism and doubt speaking, not reason. I don't know your situation at all, and I'm sorry that I said anything to offend you. That was not my intention at all, and I definitely at least was trying to do something good. I'm not one of those people that look down on all people because I'm some kind of strong perfect person. Trust me...I have so many flaws. Everyone does. One of my parents is a psychiatrist as well and I hear about this stuff all the time, so I'm really not insensitive. Maybe it was just a misguided effort. Yes, without an idea of God and the resulting meaning or purpose of the human being, complete nihilism is the logical outcome. I don't know why people don't understand this. Edit- I really did take a bad tone in my first reply. I should always be gentle. I'm sorry to all that I wronged. Please forgive me. |
legosMay 29, 2008 6:22 PM
May 30, 2008 2:32 PM
#94
I didnt vote, couldnt decide lol love but you need to be happy but also having fun is important and also helping others do the same |
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May 30, 2008 4:10 PM
#95
Happiness Love To reach for the Truth behind the universe. To advance mankind. Enjoyment In that order. I guess Love and Happiness could be interchangable. |
May 30, 2008 6:54 PM
#97
Happiness, Love and Enjoyment. You really do need all 3. Although friendship should also be on the list... |
May 30, 2008 8:28 PM
#98
Happiness! |
Watch first, decide later! |
Jun 7, 2008 4:24 PM
#99
Why isn't "be intelligent" on the list? If you're intelligent, you can reach for the Truth behind the universe, do research to prolong life but die in the process, be famous by doing something extraordinary, have money because it's easy if you're intelligent and can do many things, do something to advance mankind, enjoy life maybe?, producing off-spring to continue one's legacy because with intelligent you can attract someone... ?, find love and happiness maybe...? |
Jun 7, 2008 4:28 PM
#100
I am a complete hopeless romantic, so it's happiness and love for me! I really like how you linked it all together Allek ^^ I seem to be posting after you quite abit i think, i feel like a post stalker! |
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