Being Jaded/Cynical

Hi everyone. This is my first thread even though I've been a member for years. My 21st birthday is in a few days and I've been thinking a lot about my outlook on life. I'm a pretty cynical person. A couple years ago I started to notice things (at least in terms of entertainment.) were not as good as they used to be. I used to love going to the movies. I have no desire to do this anymore simply because it seems like a waste of time. The last one I saw was the Dark Knight Rises (very disappointed). I've stopped going to the movies, watching tv listening to any recent music and more recently playing video games. This kills me because I used to be very passionate about all these things(maybe not tv so much). I was reluctant to get back on ATS because I noticed the same things.

So I guess what I want to discuss here is cynicism. Is it healthy/normal to be a little jaded with life in general? Is it just me? I don't like being "mr. Can't enjoy anything" and would dearly like to hear some good music or watch a good move from the last 5 years or so. People around me don't seem to mind settling for mediocre anything. I understand there's some hidden gems out there but it's worth sifting through the crap and spending time/money looking for them.

I look forward to being more active on here. I'm interested in UFO and occult culture. I'll do a thread on one of those topics next time. Maybe lighten the mood haha.

Well I'm not sure WTH is "normal" these days. All I can say is that I've felt the same way since I was 17. I'm now 30 and still spend 9/10 days pretty damned cynical and jaded.

The main problem with this is that although you may be true to yourself, you'll alienate your friends and family to an extent in the process. I now try to be easy on the family and basically just keep quiet with my views. That may prove to be a wise path if you continue on like this.

reply to post by nomnom


I absolutely agree. I learned that the reason I was being alienated was because people thought I was an opinionated little A-hole. It's very important to be true to yourself. As a compromise I tend to keep quiet about most things I don't like and not spend too much energy hating.

losing interest in things you once enjoyed could be a sign of depression, then again,being sensative to the world around you and realizing what a mess it is would make anyone cynical. Good luck!

reply to post by Laserfloyd72


What up Laser. Congratulations, you are waking up and slipping out of the matrix......It happened to me pretty similar to that too. Never watched tv that much but found myself getting angry that it was 5 minutes of show, 5 minutes of commercials. What a joke. The whole world is set up to turn you into a consumer, to buy things you don't need that break so you can buy them again even though you didn't need them in the first place.

When I Woke up the grass was greener, the sky was bluer, the world was more beautiful. Don't try to force yourself to get back to enjoying crappy tv or movies or even a lot of music. READ, learn as much as you can about everything that interests you. Meditation helps center yourself and learn a little about spirituality. Humans are freaking amazing. Reconnect with nature. There are millions of distractions that are designed to deter you from finding the power you possess as a human. And don't get cynical, the world is what it is but when you are happy you project a much better vibration into it.

I hope that helps a little. I have so much more to learn and am on a never ending search for truth. It is really quite amazing.

AWA

reply to post by Laserfloyd72


I found myself in my mid twenties becoming very cynical, and went on being this way for quite some time. I will say this, let some of it go. I know it's hard not to see everything the way you already do, but trust me you have to let some of it just slide and concentrate more on what directly influences you in your life. I found my friends and family distancing themselves because of my "attitude", but it wasn't an attitude to me it was my perception of the world around me.

It took some time for me to be able to see that being cynical about everything was not only hurting my relationships, but it was causing me to be almost slightly depressed I guess you could say. The bad thing is that cynicism is like a bad habit that is hard to break. It's easier to control if you start concentrating on your life and not so much on the things around you that are less important.

Start with your family and friends and work on mending those relationships. Trust me that is the best place to start, and work on it from there. Go out and have fun with your friends even if you have to fake it at first, It will come back to you, it's kind of like riding a bike in a sense.

Good quote I heard recently,

"Not all Optimism is Dumb, not all Pessimism is Wise."

reply to post by Night Star


I respectfully must disagree to the depression thing. That is what so many psychiatrists would have you to believe to get you on the prescriptions that make you so much worse off. The kid is likely realizing something is up with the way this society works and he's not feeling it. It's like putting a square peg in a round hole. And when it doesn't fit he's bound to feel a little cynical. Maybe he feels alone because he's surrounded by people that are trying to convince him to do what society demands...College, Job, Car, Family, House, Perpetual Debt, Disconnect from feelings and spirituality, blah, blah. Rather than the depression thing I think he should find whatever make him happy and do it.

Just saying a depression diagnosis has probably ruined more than a few lives when all a person really needed was a little self discovery and change of scenery. Much love though Night Star

AWA

reply to post by AwakeWeAre


Waking up from the matrix is how it's best described. There was a South Park episode that captured how I felt perfectly, complete with matrix analogies. Things like tv seem especially insane when you look at it objectively. The most painful part of it is that the vast majority of people don't think like this or don't want to.

No worry's OP. Pessimists live longer than optimists. Please see the following link. But it's ok to smell and enjoy the roses along the way. Try a little harder to enjoy life.

www.huffingtonpost.com...

reply to post by AwakeWeAre


Thanks for the reply. I've been misdiagnosed a couple of times actually. Tried meds. Stopped taking them right away and got out of my funk by myself. So you're right it's not simply a depression related issue. It's undeniable that the world is hilariously backwards. I cope with it by not taking myself too seriously.

reply to post by SpaDe_


I've been considering all of these things. Like I said I don't like to be that guy. I've let a great deal of it go because it has made my life hell. It's a waste of energy. It's very hard to let go of that part that makes me want to roll my eyes at something or someone

reply to post by SinMaker


Ah yes haha they may live longer but there is a quality of life to be concerned about!

Originally posted by Laserfloyd72
reply to post by SinMaker

 

Ah yes haha they may live longer but there is a quality of life to be concerned about!

Sometimes you just have to wear rose colored glasses. Don't take life so seriously and learn how to laugh. I was you when I was younger. Hang in there.

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It's almost as if this IS the conspiracy right here. It makes us paranoid, yet we pursue it more because we are all looking for answers to a very individual problem.

I am too cynical and jaded. I am many years older than you but it wasn't until after 9/11 that I started my quest for the truth. I am also angry. Everything that I ever was taught to believe in turned out to be nothing but lies. I have had depression all of my life, or as far back as I can remember but after 9/11 I totally lost it. The advent of the internet has woken millions of Americans. I was better when I didn't know everything that I know now.