This will be difficult to communicate, but... why?

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ialdabaoth
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25 Mar 2012, 4:52 am

Why do you eat when you are hungry? No, I'm not asking the question that's answered by "because I need to" or "because it feels good". I'm asking a deeper question than that.

Why does it matter that it feels better to be fed than hungry? And more crucially, why does it matter that it matters?

Why do you bother to maintain yourself? Why do you bother to communicate, to manipulate your world, to continue to sustain yourself, to exist?

And no, I'm not asking the question that is answered by "because we have built-in biological drives to do these things." Why do those drives matter? Why do you bother to follow them?

And no, I'm not asking the question that is answered by some BS philosophy, or personal creed. Why do you have those philosophies and those creeds in the first place? Why bother to believe anything? And if you don't, why bother to not believe anything?

Why do you bother? Why do you try? And if you don't, why do you try not to try?



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25 Mar 2012, 5:09 am

Because we are always looking for a good feeling, or at least to diminish a bad one.

That's my best guess.


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nat4200
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25 Mar 2012, 5:19 am

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TallyMan
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25 Mar 2012, 5:20 am

The urge to eat when hungry is part of the fundamental programming of the brain. It is a hard-wired drive put there by evolution. Any animals that did not have that programming were not viable to survive. People can try to go against their core programming and "not bother to eat etc" but it would be a hard battle and they would generally lose.


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ialdabaoth
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25 Mar 2012, 5:55 am

But why is survival relevant? And secondarily, why is relevance relevant?



arielhawksquill
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25 Mar 2012, 6:02 am

"Why is there stuff, instead of just nothing at all?" is a question that has been posed by many thinkers. You may find it interesting to read some existentialist philosophy--if you never have I highly recommend it.

For myself, I don't find existence to be a "bother", and I think your word choice there reveals something of your own temperament. I am usually motivated by curiousity and pleasure-seeking, personally.

Is it existence itself you don't want to engage in, or is it the difference between this world and your perfect one that makes you want to refuse it? You certainly wouldn't be alone if it's the latter--there are ascetic sects of many religions that deny the world by refusing its pleasures. Ask yourself this: if you were magically transported to your own imaginary world (if you're a spectrum person I pretty much assume you have one) would you find eating and such necessities a bother to maintain your existence there?



ialdabaoth
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25 Mar 2012, 6:22 am

arielhawksquill wrote:
"Why is there stuff, instead of just nothing at all?" is a question that has been posed by many thinkers. You may find it interesting to read some existentialist philosophy--if you never have I highly recommend it.

For myself, I don't find existence to be a "bother", and I think your word choice there reveals something of your own temperament. I am usually motivated by curiousity and pleasure-seeking, personally.

Is it existence itself you don't want to engage in, or is it the difference between this world and your perfect one that makes you want to refuse it? You certainly wouldn't be alone if it's the latter--there are ascetic sects of many religions that deny the world by refusing its pleasures. Ask yourself this: if you were magically transported to your own imaginary world (if you're a spectrum person I pretty much assume you have one) would you find eating and such necessities a bother to maintain your existence there?


It's existence itself that I don't want to engage in; I feel like it's a fool's game. Of course, that's probably just learned helplessness talking (of course, THAT'S probably just bitter cynicism talking (of course, THAT'S probably just deep self-loathing talking (of c- oh, f**k it.)))



nat4200
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25 Mar 2012, 6:29 am

Redacted



Last edited by nat4200 on 21 Apr 2012, 1:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

ialdabaoth
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25 Mar 2012, 6:36 am

nat4200 wrote:
ialdabaoth wrote:
It's existence itself that I don't want to engage in; I feel like it's a fool's game. Of course, that's probably just learned helplessness talking (of course, THAT'S probably just bitter cynicism talking (of course, THAT'S probably just deep self-loathing talking (of c- oh, f**k it.)))

I thought that might have been the 'subtext' behind this thread (but was hoping it wasn't and was philosophical in nature).

Would you like to elaborate on why you may feel the way that you do?


I'm not sure if it's worth the effort to, but I'm also not sure if it's worth the effort not to, so again - f**k it.

The universe is probably billions of years old, and billions of light-years across, and we are but a mote of dust.

So if there's anything worth doing, it's worth doing because it makes you feel good and keeps you going, not because of any higher principle.

Ultimately, thanks to entropy that's worse than a zero-sum game.

Thanks to economics, politics and sociology, I'm not even equipped to play it.

There is no reason for the system to keep me around. Even if I find some way to parasitically leech from it, I'm still not doing myself or anyone else any favors.

If my options are "despicable welfare bum" and "hopeless dead-end reject", why bother?

It seems like the only lives worth living are lives like Paris Hilton, or Kim Jong Il, or Henry Kissinger. Us "little people" have no reason to be, except as slaves and cattle.

I don't like being an object.



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25 Mar 2012, 6:54 am

as the previous poster put it "curiosity and pleasure seeking" keep me bothering.
But also a couple of "duties" some guilt and terrible fear of death/fear in general.

Re duties, I think or feel somewhat of a responsibility to at least use the gift of consciousness, ideally to 'better' the world as it were but at least cherish life.
The other duty type of feeling is to really 'achieve'
Something special, being arrogant and romantic, I've long since convinced myself I can. By something special I don't mean learn to work 9to5 etc that would be outright wasteful, methinks. Rather something that is unique, or as unique as can be and either 'artistic' or helpful/therapeutic if that makes any sense.

clearly these ideas are at least coloured by emotion and as such are not necessarily logical,
Iand can vary. On a bad day I'm inclined to think it's not worth trying with people or even really myself.
Of course, to a few that know it looks as though I rarely bother at all. But I do and in my way i'm almost always "trying" , just internally and seemingly against my own mind. If nothing else, I should like to finish writing a big old blue album. Practically
Speaking, this would probably mean recording since I can properly'write' it.. Compose, arrange and produce then.

As for other, you know, regular folk... I have no idea why the bother and would probably challenge them to justify it.



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25 Mar 2012, 7:10 am

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ialdabaoth
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25 Mar 2012, 7:13 am

nat4200 wrote:
^I'm sorry, this part sounds like depression rather than actual objective reasoning


What's the point of objective reasoning?

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If you are questioning the order of things you are not "cattle", and if you are free to choose between those options you are not a "slave".


So what? If I feel like a slave, I'm a slave. If I can't stop feeling like a slave, then what does it matter how shiny and pretty my chains are?

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It sounds like you are having trouble seeing a way out of your 'plight' though, and I'm truely sorry for that, because I know it doesn't always get better (even if it sometimes does/does for some people).


Exactly. It's all just stuff that happens.



nat4200
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25 Mar 2012, 7:22 am

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ASMJT
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25 Mar 2012, 9:26 pm

ialdabaoth wrote:
Why do you eat when you are hungry? No, I'm not asking the question that's answered by "because I need to" or "because it feels good". I'm asking a deeper question than that.

Why does it matter that it feels better to be fed than hungry? And more crucially, why does it matter that it matters?

Why do you bother to maintain yourself? Why do you bother to communicate, to manipulate your world, to continue to sustain yourself, to exist?

And no, I'm not asking the question that is answered by "because we have built-in biological drives to do these things." Why do those drives matter? Why do you bother to follow them?

And no, I'm not asking the question that is answered by some BS philosophy, or personal creed. Why do you have those philosophies and those creeds in the first place? Why bother to believe anything? And if you don't, why bother to not believe anything?

Why do you bother? Why do you try? And if you don't, why do you try not to try?


I would surmise part of the answer could be found in your username itself, don't you think?


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TeaEarlGreyHot
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25 Mar 2012, 10:37 pm

Self-awareness.


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25 Mar 2012, 11:01 pm

Umm why wouldnt you not eat when your hungry? I dont know why can fish breathe underwater and humans cant? Answer they have gills.