Does life seem surreal to you too?

Of course, anyone with half a brain thinks like this at some point in their lives.

The reality is nobody has the answers, life is what you make it (literally), people tend to hold on to things with structure, things that look stable.Its scary to think we are on a speck of dirt floating at hundreds of thousands of miles through a vast void and nobody actually knows where we are and how we got here (literally in a void, and literally nobody knows!) . So if there is some sort of safety, like society and a semi stable job, then people will do that...its all about feeling secure That is what society and laws and humanity does, that is its literal purpose.

Is it fake: yes - we made it
Does it matter: no - in a couple hundred years nobody will even remember us or our kids

I guess most people kinda treat life or consciousness like a ride, just keep on riding until the end. I mean, the rules of the "game" are right there in front of you, and if you follow them (society) you can have a pretty ignorant and happy life. I do not understand people that just ride the ride though, we have been given a gift of complex thoughts for some reason, and it is obviously not to drink a six pack and watch the game with your friends.

reply to post by R3KR


De-realization isn't a thought, it is a sensation or perception of reality. It is hard to for someone that has never had it to understand. It would be like trying to describe fear or joy to someone that cannot feel emotion.

reply to post by jonnywhite


I think this is why people make the decisions they do. They want to be delusional and do it all together, so that they can escape the harsh reality, and yet by doing it together, they justify it and feel sane.

Your post prompted that thought to me. I will not be one of the people who tries to make life seem better. In other words, I feel compelled to keep track of the bad news, to be in touch with what it going on in the world. That is often the news that has the biggest impact on my future, versus the happy news that doesn't. (The new ipad is nice, but it will only cost me money I rather keep.) I consider the news I look for important. I must look for it to be ready for times ahead, to prepare accordingly. I do not trust anyone else to do this for me, to give me an accurate date or time to be prepared for what. So, I must do it.

reply to post by daynight42

42....I remember going through a phase in which I felt that I didn't belong here...as in...this body...or I felt as if Corporealism...was not my natural state. My Military Father soon had me understanding just how real I was...and at the time I thought it harsh but now that I am older...I am grateful for his....insight.

My Dad had the foresight to see something coming on in me that he probably went through but his Dad...my Grandfather was working his ass off and was probably too tired to notice. I am Wealthy now but came from VERY POOR beginnings. My Dad never lived in a Home until he bought one himself and my Mom was raised by Farmers where the Whole Family pitched in to send her to College as they were also poor.

As I grew up...I worked for everything I ever got and when I was about 14....I went through this...Who and What are we? Why are we here? Why am I here? What does life matter if we all die? And especially..like you...felt like Life was not what it seemed to be.

Well here is a bit of advice...LIFE IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS TO BE....BUT IT DOES NOT MATTER! When you are Cold and Hungry...it does not matter. When you are Hurt or Tired to the point of exhaustion....it does not matter...and Bullets Shot from a Gun KILL! And a Knife in the Hands of an Expert or even a KID....will make life seem VERY REAL TO YOU!

I have experienced what I am about to tell you first hand. You know all the stories you hear about that when you are about to die or Close to Death...you WHOLE LIFE FLASHES BEFORE YOUR EYES!? It's BULL S#!%! Nothing like that happens and do you know what really happens just before you realize that you are going to die or are about to be SHOT? A word comes to your mind. One word. A simple word. In actuality there is a two letter setup word that comes before it....OH....S#!%! THAT'S IT! That's the big to do that everyone talks about!

I was shot in the chest several times and I should have seen it coming but for some reason...I didn't. I was on a JOB...in this Hell Hole of a place with my Team and I am the Guy they depend on and I SCREWED UP! Thankfully...no one else was hurt except the SOB who shot me several times...I was wearing High Tech. Super Light Body Vest Weave. Because the guy who shot me was so close there was some ballistic penetration....and I went down hard on my side...I was SO ANGRY...an anger I have never felt before or since. I asked for my Rifle and it was given to me...I balanced part of my Rifle on a team mates body part and ended the threat. What scared me a bit was I was Happy and never before had I ever felt like that when ending a threat. Then as my Massive Adrenaline boost started to wear off....PAIN! Pain on a level that makes you know what true Reality is and that you are IN IT!

The questions you are delving into maybe a fine way to look at yourself and the world and questioning everything is smart...but make no mistake...whatever system or makeup of what is real or not will quickly become a non-issue when you have something like this happen to you. From that point on you may still question what Reality is...but you will never ever question what the RULES ARE and how they APPLY TO YOU! My bit of advice...for what it is worth...but value of Life becomes Paramount when you are fighting to stay ALIVE! Split Infinity

reply to post by RealSpoke


First:
Goes right along with it.

Second:
Depression ?
Asking questions and looking at things objectively is not depression.

Originally posted by LesMisanthrope
reply to post by daynight42

 

This is not nihilism, friend. If anything, it is love of life. The people you see are the nihilists. You hate to watch life go to waste right before your eyes.

It appears surreal because we've been taught that man is something more than an animal. Once one realizes the base animalistic tendencies of man, and the lack of will shown by most to control them, the shocking reality is difficult to deal with.

The good thing about this is that you are now viewing mankind from an angle not many are privy to. In my opinion, it's difficult to watch, but very important. To me, it felt like a test—the kind where I was the only judge.

You may become disgusted by what you see and seek seclusion from the rabble. Seclusion is healthy if you can handle being alone; but it can be increasingly dangerous to an individual who still loves life. Some of the most important sustenance—love, companionship, humour and art etc.—is found back in the herd. Without these it may be impossible to live happily in a world where humans are almost everywhere. If we haven't been overcome by depression, we must eventually wade back into the rabble to find the things we love.

At man's core is a choice: either to create or destroy. Find the creators.

Become like the wolf. Don the clothing of a sheep. Go back to the herd and discover other wolves.

edit on 24-6-2012 by LesMisanthrope because: (no reason given)

Yes, you're right. I hate to see people wasting away their life. Many would say it's not my place to judge. Well, when I can plainly see that they are being controlled by others who are more powerful, it is very clear to me that they are now more useful to the powerful than they are to themselves or more importantly society. So much of value is available to us to use at birth, and so many people are too quick to throw it away.

I've been secluded for as long as I can remember. A walk in the park without talking to anyone is usually enough to make me feel connected to people. I prefer to be alone at home with my own thoughts, without interruptions. But, what you are saying sounds right. At this point, I feel a bit pulled to connect with someone, and maybe I will, and maybe it will be easier than I think. Yet, I will have to sort of reveal myself in layers as I feel would be appropriate to not shock someone else to the point they reject me as a potential friend.

Thank you for your post. It was insightful to me.

Originally posted by RealSpoke
reply to post by sirric

 

Most of those sound like symptoms of depression

There may be overlap. There is nothing happy about the feeling I had today. It was a curious feeling, though, and that was something worth appreciating. Not to say that you implied there is something wrong with depression or sadness, but there is plenty of reason to be sad or depressed sometimes. I certainly have my breaks, so I consider it normal.

I should also mention that the most insane people were some of the most brilliant. They had spiritual or psychological breaks. They snapped, and it changed them for life. I have read that that it how Beethoven wrote his 9th symphony. He had a very spiritual experience, and his talent was the ability to convey that experience using music. Where words would fail to describe it, music was able to convey it (to a degree). So, in that light, I try to view my tougher days as necessary to something that allow me to grow. The pains of growing, I guess.

reply to post by silent thunder


Indeed, on a perceptual level we can see reality at times as being quite surreal. We have been herded into a system that purposly causes us to feel disconnected. I do know that we can alter our perceptions through drugs, alcohol, and other substances, but then we are pulled back into this strange hard, cold, sometimes harsh, sometimes beautiful and amazing reality. Too many times people say "that's life" but is it? I think not...we are so much more, we can be so much more. We have the ability to feed and give habitat to every human on this planet. Yet we still cling to our system of slavery which causes us to wake up and feel these disconnections and perceptions which are skewed because we are afraid. We have all been afraid since we were born. Afraid to live, afraid to die, afraid of change...this life, this existence could be so amazing yet we arallowing ourselves to be e held back...we hold ourselves back by allowing other humans to control and enslave every aspect of our lives. This reality has been engineered and manipulated for so long now that we don't know how to truly be free, and how to truly coexist with our fellow man. I believe that we do have the power to change this reality from this system of slavery and misery...but some people just don't understand that.they are contributing to this holographic reality . We are content to just sit back...watch our television shows, our movies, play our games and have yet to figure out that there are ways to change the world. You don't have to sit back and let the system rule your life....you all have a choice. There are not enough jails to hold us all. There are not enough bullets to stop us all. And that is what we must understand.

Imagine if everyone just decided to not pay taxes....I mean everyone all at once refusing to play by the rules that have been set into motion by other humans. Imagine if everyone got together and decided that all of the banks in the world hold nothing of value no paper no gold nothing they have is worth anything....take away their power. You see?

Are you all beginning to see what we can do? What we are capable of if we all just quit allowing ourselves to be manipulated by a failed system of enslavement...we were meant for so much more than we are being allowed to be....and this is what causes the rift that drives our perception to disconnect and be altered by those who know exactly what they are doing. We can change the world....but we cannot do it alone...the monetary system must fall.

reply to post by R3KR


That depression comment was a directed towards this particular post by sirric


Number 1,3,4,5,6, and 7 can all be symptoms of depression

As a person who under a dozen different screen names in a never ending game of banned ball where you must change ones IP & identity at least once a season to dodge the bizarre and arbitrary judgment of the anonymous jury of moderators who censor what is designed to be the ultimate loci of freedom and the first amendment... despite this paradoxical state of existence I love this site and everyone here and I must say as one who has grazed the fertile philosophical plains of ATS since August 12, 2004, I have read thousands of threads and easily a million words... well, this is the best thread, well, ever...

Even beats Serpo... (obscure inside joke old timer reference)

I often tell people who mock my obsession with ATS and another site I am prohibited from naming are not just about conspiracies but in fact its about the people- these frickin brilliant full on geniuses that msy be missrsble isolated and suicidal as Sylvia Plath but who are all- truly 95% of you- truly brilliant and quite special...

But how can "tinfoil hat" people be closeted talents whose gift is a rare alchemical blend of existential, emotional, intellectual and spiritual sensibilities combine to create a concsciousness and awareness as avant garde as anti-fashion, and as such, all you gifted people collectivize and co-create a beat author written like lead pencil jazz improvised and realized in a random array of prose called posts- pure poetry- all of them..

Like Benzedrine ATS is a stimulant and source of symbiosis and thus ATS and sites similar is the "thematic undercurrent" of all conspiracy theorizing--- a quest for truth...

Conspiracy suggests manipulation of truth... we are QED all seekers of truth here- from a diehard believer like me to a non shill authentic skeptic who requires proof where I place faith- we are sisters and brothers sharing a singular interest of discovering the truth, about 9/11, aliens, Elvis, JFK, the moon, illuminati , life, the universe and everything as my favorite author once phrased it as a title within his genius trilogy...

Anyway I will post tomorrow WHY this is the #1 thread on ATS ever- but for now I want to hammer home one point- you are all geniuses and this pain, thus sensitivity to what is indeed not only an illusion but in fact an illusion that enjoys the flexibility of Quantum Dynamics- the ability for the observer and observed, the subject and the object, the creator and the creation to reverse their perceptive point of observation and control the simulation by metaphysical means of self-determination.

T Patrick Murray

My whole life. Whenever I get to feeling totally disillusioned , right then my dog will come bounding up the stairs and all waggy tail and head down say ,"Hi, less go for a walk!" Total, unrequited, unconditional love. Just exactly what I needed. So I tune out and we go outside and sniff and bark. The sun, clouds, trees and birds on the wing fix me . For a while...

I watered my moms plants that were bone dry. She was gone all day and so tired when she came home... perfect.

The neighbor is sick again and off to the hospital. The cat is outside looking frightened so I called her daughter and offered to feed and play with it if she so needs... perfect.

I made some posts on here that were not received real well but thought I had told the truth as I saw it, despite what others said... perfect.

Tomorrow is another day.

reply to post by daynight42


Well I don't know. I just felt like your OP when I was depressed which included bouts of de-relization. I googled it when I when I was having it, that's why I know that it was called. You might just be stressed out but if it continues for a long stretch of time I'd consider seeing a therapist. It isn't a healthy mental state. I haven't had it in a long time and I'm glad.

reply to post by AutOmatIc

That's the problem though, it's impossible to get everybody to go along with plans like this. People always say that we should all stop buying gasoline, and refuse to pay taxes, etc etc. But in order for something like this to work everybody has to participate, which won't happen, because there are always one or two people in a crowd that defend the system.

reply to post by RealSpoke


I am always amazed to read posts from one total stranger to another where they express a genuine care for that person. See, without governments in the way we all seem to get along quite nicely....I'd be willing to bet if you put a thousand....or even a hundred of us together we would get along just fine and not try to bomb each other or steal each other's resources

reply to post by RealSpoke


Lol that was written by someone who is "asleep". They can only think in ways that have been programmed into them so obviously someone that doesn't think as they do must have a "disorder" or "condition". And then they go on to find an excuse for this. They obviously pick drugs and some other crap... They have not experienced the "awakening" so how could they ever possibly understand?

In my opinion other people hit the nail on the head. If you have woken up and start asking questions like "what is the point in all this"? Or "are we really meant to be in this rat race"? If you begin to see the total corruption within the system and the lies you are told day in and day out, is it any wonder that you will begin to feel disconnected from the majority?

The good thing is though that you are not alone! More and more people are coming to realize what is going on! And your feelings are quite natural, it wouldn't really make sense if you realized the ridiculousness of the system/life and still felt as everyone else does.

I've accepted these feelings and I'm quite fine with it. I know that more and more will wake up and I do my part talking to people in order to hopefully get a few others thinking too.

All I can say is I feel the same way. I try to stay out of the shopping centers, those are the worst places for me! I feel like most people are in a zombified state. Im happy im not alone with this! It does seem like more and more people are waking up to this and I hope we will change the way our society works.

All I can say is I feel the same way. I try to stay out of the shopping centers, those are the worst places for me! I feel like most people are in a zombified state. Im happy im not alone with this! It does seem like more and more people are waking up to this and I hope we will change the way our society works.

Originally posted by mee30
The good thing is though that you are not alone! More and more people are coming to realize what is going on! And your feelings are quite natural, it wouldn't really make sense if you realized the ridiculousness of the system/life and still felt as everyone else does.

I've accepted these feelings and I'm quite fine with it. I know that more and more will wake up and I do my part talking to people in order to hopefully get a few others thinking too.

If you got some others thinking, that would be a start, but I don't see those people going much farther because they want to stay in "the game." They take comfort in it. I have really encountered resistance in trying to share ideas and information with people. I have been flat out told that that person did not want to hear it. In other words, "it hurts. Stop telling me this." The logical conclusion is that they prefer to be lied to, and that is exactly what the media does on an ongoing basis.

If ignorance is bliss, then does that mean that enlightenment is a painful state to be in, or that it can be until one gradually comes to terms with it? I would guess at first, it can be shocking, and that it stings for a while. Eventually, our minds adjust and hopefully come to accept it, trying more and more to discover what is true, even though it isn't always pleasant. There are some comforting truths mixed in too. That is what makes it worth it, for me, I guess. It's that hope that in the end, it will be worth it. Or, rather the process is worth it. (That is, I rather not imply that there is an end to the path of finding truth; it's more an ongoing process to me.)

Originally posted by AutOmatIc
reply to post by RealSpoke

 

I am always amazed to read posts from one total stranger to another where they express a genuine care for that person. See, without governments in the way we all seem to get along quite nicely....I'd be willing to bet if you put a thousand....or even a hundred of us together we would get along just fine and not try to bomb each other or steal each other's resources

HA! I WISH THAT WERE TRUE! Trust me on this one....even in a group of let's say 25 people....on average...there is going to be a person who is a thief...a person who is abusive physically...a person who is or has a very close capacity given the right conditions to be a Murderer or is a Killer for their own selfish plans....a Spineless Complainer...a EGO MANIAC...a Brilliant Individual....a Brilliant EVIL Individual....and so on.

The person you work next to...the Soccer Mom...the Carpenter Neighbor you always borrow tools from...EVERY SINGLE PERSON has a DARK SIDE as well as a LIGHT SIDE. It is in their ability to keep balance that decides whether they are a Fisherman/Hunter...or the Guy who ends up Killing his wife and children because he thinks...true or not...She is having an affair.

How do I know this...because I have been to places and seen people react to things that the ordinary American or European Group in a Community does not. Survival Instincts will rule and you would be surprised what a person is capable of doing. Even the little Old Lady across the street who makes everyone a Cheese Cake for Christmas....would slit your throat for the right reasons to live. Split Infinity

Time seems to be going faster, but I noticed once I moved back to the country I feel better and it slowed down a little bit. Being in nature helped me, and you don't realize what a blessing it is to actually see the stars at night, until it's gone. I feel almost claustrophobic now when I'm in the city and and I can't see any stars due to the light pollution. Though, sometimes I have fits where I feel like I'm walking in a dream. Particularly when my diet and body becomes out of whack and I experience a lot more anxiety and panic attacks.