Life is pointless

Originally posted by starchild10

Originally posted by morpheusxxz
Yes, I still have been trying to just survive and spend my days occupied with video games the whole day.

If you quit being so self obsessed and sorry for yourself and did something worthwhile with your time (like volunteering/helping others?) you might find life becomes worthwhile.

yeah, if he can't help himself, how can he help others?

you're not making any sense

Originally posted by Byrd

Originally posted by morpheusxxz
...perhaps it maybe that I am loosing my ability to keep myself occupied with illusions. Yes, I still have been trying to just survive and spend my days occupied with video games the whole day. For couple of weeks, it worked but again today I was haunted by the same question. I have cut connection with all my friends and I rarely meet anyone as every single one of them just talk about money/career/other illusions.

Actually, you defined your problem and the source of your problem right there.

Humans are social creatures. My snake is NOT a social creature -- rat snakes don't live together in groups, don't rely on each other for survival, interact only to mate and then go to someplace where there's no competition from other snakes. If she had the intelligence of a human, she could probably "live inside" video games and get all the emotional satisfaction she needed from hunting and chasing in a video game.

Humans are social. I have been reading a number of papers recently (on Psychology Today and other sites) about how Internet fosters a disconnect and a depression in many people. In general, scholars (you may not agree with them) and researchers think that as we get away from being with people AND getting outdoors (parks, the "get back to nature") we lose a lot of what our genetic makeup needs. We need physical activity, we need challenges, and we need interaction.

Have you thought about offering yourself as a volunteer to an organization like a museum or library or nature center? I do all of those things and find that it really helps. If I go too long without the sound of a human voice or something interesting to do in physical activity (identifying local butterflies in the park, for instance... and no, nobody has ever studied anything that simple as "what butterflies show up in your park and when do they show up") that your mental state swings toward depression and hopelessness.

Altruism in humans means more than just helping another person. It also helps us inside.

And that's my 2 cents' worth.

It maybe possible that "Internet fosters a disconnect and a depression in many people" but what you need to account for is that many people are introverts and feel much better when they are left alone. I agree that humans are social creatures but for some of us, being alone most of the time makes us feel better. There is a huge variation in the population of 7 billion and not everyone has to be same as the majority. And the main reason why I remain disconnected is that outer world seems like a chaos in which everyone blindly runs for money. It is not that I do not want to help these people in any way but I do not feel any good spending time with them. Perhaps this is why I discuss more with people online than in person as I can find like minded people online to talk with. And I think I can contribute more towards helping others while sitting infront on my screen than volunteering to an organization. Maybe I will try that too in future when I get chance.

EDIT: Here is a TED video I saw about introverts which I found to be very true.

TPTB want us to feel hopeless. The best way to get back at them, is to never give up. Never. Helping others gives meaning to life. Volunteer at an animal shelter. Find a lonely woman and bring happiness to her life. Help the homeless. The key is, to focus on others, not oneself.

i just wanted to say that it is strange you also feel that way. me and my fellow friends of like mind feel that way too. maybe its because of the singularity that we are all heading towards. but know that you are not alone.

times are changing fast and what illusions that once were able to occupy our focus from times past, will fade, and there will be new ones in place. but i feel that we are changing. just the other day there were viewers that are no longer watching the tv any more. more posts that are synchronized to what others are going through or thinking are popping up on a regular now.

the cross roads of where we are heading is either we continue to be trapped in a duality based reality or we move on to the next thing. it seems that our collective intelligence is becoming greater than the intelligence of the ones who created all this mess. we are aware or starting to realize what hinders us or "enslaves" us and are no longer tied to the reality that consist of problems, drama, substance, hate, war, illness, sadness, etc.

we know what we want, and things may seem like its not going to change now, but what is happening is what is needed and everything happens for a reason and operates at just the right time. just be true to your self, never forget who you are and what you stand for and the amazing gifts you bring to others, keep spreading the positive, love, light, and do the things you love and make you happy. and if this world does end up being "enslaved" just remember that they only have control over a lower vibrating dimension and that we will ascend into a greater one where we belong. we are all doing are part to increase and raise the vibration of this reality and speed everything up, so just be patient and hang in there. thank you for posting this!

Originally posted by Picollo30
i'm with the op here

i lost my dad 2 months ago he died in front of me with a heart attack and since that day i dont see life as i did before.i just want the days to pass rapidly or that i die sooner than later because i dont see a point in life. for me life is just that waiting for the day when my time comes cuz we are all going to die anyway.

Maybe this is some kind of sims or matrix game and we are the main characters in the game

edit on 8-4-2012 by Picollo30 because: (no reason given)

Ya know, so many posts here are advising depressed people to find meaning in helping others. Okay, so it wouldn't hurt. It's a bandage. But the truth is this is our ONE life! It's MY life. It's YOUR life. If we're going to be utterly selfish about anything, it should be our own sense of self.

My brother was the type that didn't feel whole unless he had a woman to take care of. Picollo, you say that you don't see life as you did before your dad passed away, as though his dying has somehow diminshed you. Look, I never knew my father. My manic-depressive, domineering mother is gone now. My sister and brother passed away. My wife was a lunatic, much like my mother, so I am very VERY happily divorced. I've lost two daughters.

And you know what - It's STILL my life! If I am going to be affected by my losses and the lunatics, then when something strikes me as funny, I am going to laugh THAT much harder. I get involved with things that *** I *** want to do, and more importantly I won't waste a minute of being talked into doing what I DON'T want to do. We like to feel that we are connected to the people around us. IT'S A LIE!

If you are in an operating room and about to be cut open, those loved ones aren't getting cut open too. No matter how much they worry, it's just YOU on that table.
This is YOUR surgery.
This is YOUR life!

Feel the pain, get over it, and then get on with your life.

what if there is no heaven or hell nor after life???


what if Near Death Experiences are just lucid dreams and nothing more? What if it's just birth and death?

that would be a terrible reality and it would shatter many beliefs. but that's what i think it's true. when you die you die and decompose and that's it.


how would you guys react and live your lives if someone today or tomorrow proved that afterlife is just a myth?

Originally posted by morpheusxxz

Originally posted by FlyersFan
reply to post by LoveisanArt

 

That's REALLY bad advice to tell an unhappy teenager.

He could have something that could be helped with medication or with sessions with a psychologist. I'm all for assisted suicide, but you really jumped on it a bit too fast for my taste. Also - Whatever is causing his problem now will just be there again in the next life because he hasn't worked through it in this life. That's how those things work. (at least, that's how 'they' say it works)

You really believe what they say, do you?

What about people smoking and drinking even after knowing that it might cause them to develop a disease and then maybe die in pain? What about people stuffing their stomach with junk food all the day even while knowing that it will eventually cause obesity and will make their life difficult?

Above stated cases and suicide is pretty similar. In both of these, people want to achieve the state of happiness knowing that they can die in the process. A person who smokes/drinks knowingly commits a slow suicide in pursuit of happiness. While a person in a state of depression commits suicide, again in pursuit of happiness by getting rid of his pain which mostly results in instant death.

No, they are NOT the same thing. People who cannot quit smoking are ADDICTS. Alcoholics are ADDICTS. They are not in control.

People who eat themselves to death have a host of psychological* problems that compel them to eat to the point of morbid obesity & disease. They are also out of control.

*I need to add often they also have physiological problems (low blood sugar, blocked absorption of nutrients, glandular problems, etc.)

"While a person in a state of depression commits suicide, again in pursuit of happiness by getting rid of his pain which mostly results in instant death."

A depressed person is not thinking straight. He is NOT pursuing happiness, he is trying to escape pain.

Are you dying of cancer and in excruciating pain? Suicide would be easier to understand in that case.

Dismissing suicide just by saying that it will result in going to hell afterlife shows one's fear of death. And even if the person who has committed suicide comes back here to complete his task, what is wrong with being released from pain and starting fresh?

The afterlife state one experiences is determined by the overall quality of your life and the state of consciousness at death.

A person who commits suicide is usually in a confused & negative state of consciousness at the time of death. Death will only continue that state. You escape nothing.

Plus you have created the negative karma of killing a perfectly good physical body.

Most suicides do not realize that killing their physical bodies does NOT end things. A suicide should be afraid.
His is not a normal death.

Originally posted by Matt1951
TPTB want us to feel hopeless. The best way to get back at them, is to never give up. Never. Helping others gives meaning to life. Volunteer at an animal shelter. Find a lonely woman and bring happiness to her life. Help the homeless. The key is, to focus on others, not oneself.

Matt. When someone is broken emotionally or mentally, not talking about the OP here, people in general. There must be a process of healing for that person in order for them to even be able to grasp the concept of helping others.

What you are presenting is too simplified when compared to the possible depths of depression a person can fall into.

Yes, what you are saying is positive, but the foundation to implement it needs to be somewhat centered to have beneficial effects.

Des

reply to post by morpheusxxz


OK, I'll bite. Firstly I am guessing you are quite young as you mention your video games. Video games...really? Yep, those really help you find the value in your life.

Listen up Buck-o. I am middle aged with several medical problems. I need two knees replaced, one thumb joint and then neck surgery to correct a malformation. I take care of my bio-pop who has Alzheimer's and as is usual his disease is getting worse. He requires 24/7 care and because we live remote we cannot get any help. My husband who has a rare bone disease needs both of his hips replaced AGAIN, and some complicated spinal surgery to correct the damage from an accident 15yrs ago. He also has a benign tumor in his head that cannot be completely excised because of its proximity to a nerve bundle. He has constant migraine-like symptoms.

Because of responsibilities here and also financial restraints I have not seen my son in nearly 10yrs, nor any of my friends and family that I left behind when I came here for a supposedly temporary stay. And just as a little icing on the cake, one of my dogs came down with a deadly disease that is incredibly expensive to treat and I have very little money; since I can no longer work because of health and having to take care of everyone else. Oh, and I struggle with depression and being overwhelmed every day. Who wouldn't?

But you know what? I get out of bed every single morning and thank the Creator for another day. I am trying to leave the world a better place than I found it. That is our directive. So, while I am in pain and getting everyone else through their day I reflect on my beautiful son and the amazing music he creates. I go outside to feed the birds and wonder at their beauty and at all of the time and quirks of evolution that has brought them to where they are now with their infinite variety and beauty. I walk by the little river that runs by my house and hope I am able to help make the changes in law that will keep her safe and healthy for generations to come. When I am able I make jewelry to give to people who just need a lift for the day; cancer patients, the elderly shut ins, or children who are having a hard home life.I always carry crayons and little toys in my tote bag to help those little ones I come across in my journeys who are angry, frightened or sad. I go to yard sales and flea mkts to buy books to pass along to those who have no books. I rescue thrown away pets and find them forever homes. I stop by to talk to the odd man who lives in our town with his raccoons and possums in his little shack built from cast off from the dump, to see if he needs anything or just to make sure he is OK.

I am just one poor old crone with limited resources and mobility, but I am NOT going to let the assholes in the world, who are intent on destroying it take me down. I have seen recently lots of young people like you who for some reason think that "life is too hard; what's the point?" Well, I personally am a little tired of it. If you have enough free time to just sit and think about yourself, (and play video games), then you have too much free time. Get off your ass and do something for someone else. Nowhere in the handbook does it say that your happiness is guaranteed. Happiness is a choice. So make yours or shut up.

In this world, in this life, in this incarnation, we must be the change we hope to see. No excuses.

reply to post by Destinyone


Destiny,
If someone is clinically depressed, they need to see a doctor and get on anti-depressants.
I have found simple messages are the best way to communicate.
Too many words, the essence gets lost.

regards,

reply to post by jaguarsky


wow, what have you done for yourself lately!!? Life is not all about taking care of others - even if telling some random person on the internet they should shut up and take care of themself. Your anger is palpable in your writing yet you pretend to be ok with it...

Originally posted by Picollo30
what if there is no heaven or hell nor after life???


what if Near Death Experiences are just lucid dreams and nothing more? What if it's just birth and death?

that would be a terrible reality and it would shatter many beliefs. but that's what i think it's true. when you die you die and decompose and that's it.

edit on 8-4-2012 by Picollo30 because: (no reason given)

how would you guys react and live your lives if someone today or tomorrow proved that afterlife is just a myth?

edit on 8-4-2012 by Picollo30 because: (no reason given)

It will be a very good thing because it would reveal every person's character. People refrain from doing evil things just because they are afraid of the hell and not because they do not want to be evil. In my opinion, a good person doesn't needs the fear of hell or incentives of heaven to be good & helpful to his fellow mates.

The point of life is 'to experience', that's it.

Originally posted by Byrd

Humans are social creatures.

This is the best, in a nutshell, advice and solution the OP is going to get.

We are social creatures and when we stop interacting with each other we lose purpose and directions. It's also important to interact with many people, so that your perspective on life's journey does not dull.

Force yourself out of the house, apartment or whatever hole you have dug yourself into. Start by getting out and having a coffee at a local coffee house, where you can interact socially. Maybe at first you just smile at someone, then progress to starting conversations.

Guess what? You'll be surprised your not the only one that is looking for purpose in life.

Peace Out,

RT

Originally posted by Picollo30
what if there is no heaven or hell nor after life???


what if Near Death Experiences are just lucid dreams and nothing more? What if it's just birth and death?

that would be a terrible reality and it would shatter many beliefs. but that's what i think it's true. when you die you die and decompose and that's it.

edit on 8-4-2012 by Picollo30 because: (no reason given)

how would you guys react and live your lives if someone today or tomorrow proved that afterlife is just a myth?

edit on 8-4-2012 by Picollo30 because: (no reason given)

Doesn't matter if there's an afterlife or not (though there definitely is not). We are HERE. We are NOW. Shouldn't a child in the first grade enjoy the first grade instead of worrying about what it'll be like in the second grade? If you buy a new car, should you be concerned about where your NEXT car is coming from? Well, this world is our first grade, and these fleshy bodies are our car. Learn how to live in THIS life, and then drive the hell out of it.

Originally posted by jaguarsky
reply to post by morpheusxxz

 

OK, I'll bite. Firstly I am guessing you are quite young as you mention your video games. Video games...really? Yep, those really help you find the value in your life.

Listen up Buck-o. I am middle aged with several medical problems. I need two knees replaced, one thumb joint and then neck surgery to correct a malformation. I take care of my bio-pop who has Alzheimer's and as is usual his disease is getting worse. He requires 24/7 care and because we live remote we cannot get any help. My husband who has a rare bone disease needs both of his hips replaced AGAIN, and some complicated spinal surgery to correct the damage from an accident 15yrs ago. He also has a benign tumor in his head that cannot be completely excised because of its proximity to a nerve bundle. He has constant migraine-like symptoms.

Because of responsibilities here and also financial restraints I have not seen my son in nearly 10yrs, nor any of my friends and family that I left behind when I came here for a supposedly temporary stay. And just as a little icing on the cake, one of my dogs came down with a deadly disease that is incredibly expensive to treat and I have very little money; since I can no longer work because of health and having to take care of everyone else. Oh, and I struggle with depression and being overwhelmed every day. Who wouldn't?

But you know what? I get out of bed every single morning and thank the Creator for another day. I am trying to leave the world a better place than I found it. That is our directive. So, while I am in pain and getting everyone else through their day I reflect on my beautiful son and the amazing music he creates. I go outside to feed the birds and wonder at their beauty and at all of the time and quirks of evolution that has brought them to where they are now with their infinite variety and beauty. I walk by the little river that runs by my house and hope I am able to help make the changes in law that will keep her safe and healthy for generations to come. When I am able I make jewelry to give to people who just need a lift for the day; cancer patients, the elderly shut ins, or children who are having a hard home life.I always carry crayons and little toys in my tote bag to help those little ones I come across in my journeys who are angry, frightened or sad. I go to yard sales and flea mkts to buy books to pass along to those who have no books. I rescue thrown away pets and find them forever homes. I stop by to talk to the odd man who lives in our town with his raccoons and possums in his little shack built from cast off from the dump, to see if he needs anything or just to make sure he is OK.

I am just one poor old crone with limited resources and mobility, but I am NOT going to let the assholes in the world, who are intent on destroying it take me down. I have seen recently lots of young people like you who for some reason think that "life is too hard; what's the point?" Well, I personally am a little tired of it. If you have enough free time to just sit and think about yourself, (and play video games), then you have too much free time. Get off your ass and do something for someone else. Nowhere in the handbook does it say that your happiness is guaranteed. Happiness is a choice. So make yours or shut up.

In this world, in this life, in this incarnation, we must be the change we hope to see. No excuses.

Brava to you Jaguarsky! If anyone has cause to feel sorry for him/herself, you do. What a host of problems.

You're not a alone though. (small comfort) I've heard similar stories from other sources. The huge Boomer population is aging.

I hope you find some time for yourself. I really believe in the power of meditation, but it's not for everyone.

Just taking some time to listen to beautiful music. Take a healing pine/spruce oil bath, etc. Get out in Nature --it's wonderfully healing.

Find a large tree to hug for five - ten minutes -- a nice way to recharge your batteries -- literally.

reply to post by GmoS719


I respectfully disagree with you.

This person, from my understanding a young person, is reaching out and by your comment, you slapped his reaching out for help hands - not nice.

Most people don't even begin to question the "deep stuff" until they are older.

This person, needs a little motivation, a little sympathy and a little advice.

Yes he/she is having a pity party at the moment but we all have our own little pity parties now and then and that is okay if it's only now and than.

If depression is a regular occurrence, then maybe professional help is inorder.

Life can throw us some pretty rough curves.

It's not how many times you get knocked down, it's how many times you get right back up that counts.

Now, everyone here on ATS reading this probably has access to a computer, clean water, got a shower this morning, had a nice McCoffee and McMuffin, didn't hopefully have a intimate encounter against their will and is in some kind of shelter that can keep the rain off their head and keep them warm and safe from tigers, lions and bears.

Today, at least 27,000 fellow human beings (mostly babies) will die of starvation and lack of available, clean water.

My girlfriend goes to Africa every year and both nieces and nephew have all lived in Africa for 4 years in the Peace Corps.

That's a idea for this person, join the Peace Corps, good for your resume and you will see how many people really live depressive lives.

Anyone reading this had the sheer luck (yes luck) of being born in a repetitively comfortable setting.

A roof over your head, food in your belly, a safe bed to sleep in......................life could be a lot worse.

Many people, live in war torn countries, seeing their little brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers blown apart. Their house a pile of rubble, the terror of being killed at any moment.

Yes everyone deserves a pity party now and then but lets all try to be positive today.

We ATS members, while some of us have gone through some pretty heavy brown stuff but are basically luckier than most people on this planet at present.

Believe me, life could and might get a lot worse.

Let's be encouraging, helpful, loving towards each other, if for just one day - this day, many celebrate as Easter Sunday / Spring.

Spring is celebrated because it signifies life beginning anew - hope.

Again, can't say it enough, sad, lonely, depressed - get out into nature, take a walk, better yet, go out and adopt a dog (or cat), put a nice collar and leash on them and take a walk somewhere where there are trees and grass.

Take a St. John's Wort gel cap or tablet - it's a natural herb that elevates the mood (so does walking, running, aerobic exercise.

If you are bedridden, well at least you are breathing and like I say (now to two dogs as we just adopted another death row doggie) "Good morning Vietnam, we just got another day, let's make the most of it...........some people didn't get another day - Mike Wallace (granted he was 93) died last night - (famous journalist).

He did not get another day (today).



I'm happiest when I have done something for someone else.

Get your mom flowers, wish I could, she has been dead 50 years.

Adopt a homeless animal, even a little one - if you can't volunteer at a animal shelter, a old folks home, a homeless shelter, a food pantry.

Take a hike.

If you have the money, take mom and pop out to ihop.

Or make them a nice lunch.

Watch a uplifting movie, something light and funny.

Read a good novel under a big tree.

Feel the sun on your face.



Here is another picture of our newest family member. Scruffy - he was in a kill shelter. My youngest son adopted him, he made a difference in a little 20 pound dog's life - he said adopting Scruff made him feel like he gained a purpose to life.

They are outside playing, running around now.



Scruff was at the Humane Animal Welfare Society - hawspets.org - (262) 542-8851 - 701 Northview Rd, Waukesha, WI

For those of you out there that just feel betrayed, unloved, like nobody understands you - rescue a dog (or cat).

I feel hopeless and like life is meaningless sometimes.

But then I realize that just because I don't get the dubious honor of living forever, doesn't mean that life means nothing. Life means a lot - in fact, life means almost everything to almost everyone. Just because that's more than you can say for yourself doesn't subtract any value from life.

If you stare up into the sky and you see how utterly infinitesimal this planet is, or how completely and thoroughly meaningless it would be to the other end of the Cosmos if a meteor came rolling into our neighborhood and smashed it to pieces, you can feel insignificant. But that's just because you're looking in the wrong place. Who cares what the other end of the Cosmos thinks (or doesn't think) about us? Or what people you'll never meet think about you?

Frankly, what gives us the right to claim life is pointless? It isn't pointless to a child seeing a butterfly for the first time; it isn't pointless to a war veteran getting to see his family again; it isn't pointless to the rebel who has fought for and won dignity and independence; and it isn't pointless to the early bird (or to the worm). There's a beauty in the way life progresses, in the way a man can live on in his children, the way immortality can be achieved by affecting people who will always remember something about you and pass it on to someone else. That beauty transcends mere experience, so the fact that you can't be around to watch (or control) it, has absolutely no effect on its objective importance.

The idea that "life is pointless" originates with the silly notion that a thing's purpose must exist somewhere outside of itself. Nonsense. Life is its own purpose and consciousness is its own reward.

Welcome to the reason i've been depressed for the last 7 years

I feel similar about the world as a whole, very similar, but but whether life is pointless or not is rather subjective. If you genuinely feel this way, it is your perspective and thoughts of the world that is reflecting such an opinion. You shape your world.

The more suitable title would be: "My life feels pointless"