How does one keep their sanity.
Sweetleaf
Veteran

Joined: 6 Jan 2011
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Posts: 35,157
Location: Somewhere in Colorado
Sweetleaf
Veteran

Joined: 6 Jan 2011
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Posts: 35,157
Location: Somewhere in Colorado
Also, if you don't want to go to college, and don't feel cut out for it, don't feel pressured in going; not everyone is cut out for college. The pressures escalate in finding a higher status job after college, and it doesn't sound like that is necessarily what you are looking for.
However, if you have the means and the desire, by all means go and enjoy it. I enjoyed college because, I never pressured myself into the idea of the necessity of some big career, I just wanted to learn things that would make my life better, in general, and give me a better opportunity to find a job.
I am in college, its the only thing I can think to do with myself right now....and it is intresting but yeah lets just say I am not nessisarly expecting to get a job out of it. but yeah I don't think working in a thrift store is going to make me feel any better...it still does nothing to adress how messed up things are. I don't know I just feel trapped in a society I don't belong in with no real way to do much about it and that combined with everything else just makes things really overwhelming....so sorry if i am not making a lot of sense or anything.
I've been unhappy with things in society for years. So I am preparing to go political in a way and looking for allies in my ideas.
Graduating from college and getting a job gets income, you can't really do without.
It would be nice to think that, but just look at history the same crap has been going on for generations...and society remains the same. And I just don't like the idea that all life is about is making income so that you can have kids to go make more income and thus continuously feeding the messed system we have. the 1% on top just keeps getting more powerful and everyone else seems to be becoming more passive.
Ok, let's put it this way: How do you want it to be?
I am not even totally sure, I mean I really have nothing else to compare anything with...but I guess I think it would be good if this society and the top corporations and government officials had their power taken away. So basically things have to hit the fan before they improve.......but who's going to attemt to do anything like that.
Most people don't have wealth. Don't know how much TV you watch, but many of the inflated expectations are presented there for commercialization. At least, avoid the commercials and news if you can. If you are fortunate you may find a niche to work in that isn't so bad. It depends on what type of job you want, but of course there aren't that many available jobs out there.As bad as things are, we have a lot of advantages today to make our life easier, than people could have dreamed of a couple of hundred years ago. Like toilet paper, hot showers, and airconditioning. When I was young and it was freezing outside, and I was able to get warm inside and take a hot shower, I often thought about those realities, and it made my problems seem a little smaller.
I do not watch t.v at all.....and I realise most people are not wealthy pretty much just 1% of them, are enjoying the high standards of living while screwing everyone else over. But everyone strives to get on top they fall for the illusion that if you just work hard you can get there.
As to your original question how do people keep their sanity. Life is measured in the western developed countries now as more stressful than it has been in decades. Many are suffering ill effects from it. One thing for sure is, that humans don't do well without a purpose and life has always been a game of struggle for those to succeed that found the best adaptations.
Yeah I have no idea what purpose there is to life.....which also gets a bit frusterating because it leaves me wondering why I even exist.
We do have some choice of how we contribute to the system. I worked a fairly low stress, low pay, and low status job many years in my life after graduating with three college degrees. It never hurt my feelings that I wasn't rich, I was just happy to be part of some game and have purpose in everyday life. Many times people asked me why I didn't have more ambition in life, but that wasn't what I valued; one of my degrees was in health and I decided that stress was not going to kill me at a very young age.
Also given how I feel about the whole set up...I don't see how having a job to contribute to the econonomy would give my life purpose. I don't care about being rich I never have yet society seems to think everyone should be highly competitive and constantly fight to keep their status...I am not that way at all I just like to be able to have enough to live on.
I don't want to sound too pessimistic, but in my opinion society has gotten to the point where no one is clearly in charge or understands the direction it is taking. And, in my opinion things are very possibly going to get much worse, when the sh** does hit the fan; those circumstances likely won't please anyone. About all we can do is the same thing our ancestors did for thousands of years, ride the wave of life as long as we can.
Finally, from my health background, the thing you have the most control of is your health and well being. Everything you do today in your youth will impact you years down the road. The biggest investment I every made in my life, was in making good exercise and diet choices, although as many other young people I was subject to at least on weekly outing of partial sobriety. Humans were designed to keep moving, and our sedentary lives, keep many from doing it. The impact to health and psychology of that one factor, is something we at least have some control over.
And I do get a fair amount of excercise, taking the buses and walking around on the college campus does involve quite a bit of walking which is how I like to get excercise.....as for diet choices I have been having a lot of trouble with my appetite I get hungry, then nothing seems good, then if something does look good I go to eat it and end up nauseous. So sometimes I have to eat based on what will go down the easiest(i think it could be related to PTSD issues, as I never had trouble eating before that.)
The purpose of life is easy to understand but harder to find. A look around the animal kingdom proves we are all here to survive and reproduce. Some of us don't have the same motivations to reproduce (have children) as others do and this presents a more difficult issue of purpose.
We must survive to live, but we have the instinct to help our species survive. I had a child that didn't live long, and always had an intuitive feeling that I was not cut out to breed, and having a severely disabled child reinforced that intuitive feeling, and made me feel somewhat guilty to have attempted reproduction.
Brought back all the memories of those kids in middle school that clearly let me know my existence was not acceptable to them.
I decided, I would do the best I could to help others, in the memory of my child, to make his life and my life meaningful. And that's what I did, until I used up the last drop of my energy many years later.
The majority of people are cut out to reproduce, some choose not too, but for those that feel they were not destined to reproduce the existential issues can be a little harder, I think. But, the difference you make in life is the impact you can have on others, if you take that direction.
Sweetleaf
Veteran

Joined: 6 Jan 2011
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Posts: 35,157
Location: Somewhere in Colorado
I've been unhappy with things in society for years. So I am preparing to go political in a way and looking for allies in my ideas.
Graduating from college and getting a job gets income, you can't really do without.
It would be nice to think that, but just look at history the same crap has been going on for generations...and society remains the same. And I just don't like the idea that all life is about is making income so that you can have kids to go make more income and thus continuously feeding the messed system we have. the 1% on top just keeps getting more powerful and everyone else seems to be becoming more passive.
Ok, let's put it this way: How do you want it to be?
I am not even totally sure, I mean I really have nothing else to compare anything with...but I guess I think it would be good if this society and the top corporations and government officials had their power taken away. So basically things have to hit the fan before they improve.......but who's going to attemt to do anything like that.
Most people don't have wealth. Don't know how much TV you watch, but many of the inflated expectations are presented there for commercialization. At least, avoid the commercials and news if you can. If you are fortunate you may find a niche to work in that isn't so bad. It depends on what type of job you want, but of course there aren't that many available jobs out there.As bad as things are, we have a lot of advantages today to make our life easier, than people could have dreamed of a couple of hundred years ago. Like toilet paper, hot showers, and airconditioning. When I was young and it was freezing outside, and I was able to get warm inside and take a hot shower, I often thought about those realities, and it made my problems seem a little smaller.
I do not watch t.v at all.....and I realise most people are not wealthy pretty much just 1% of them, are enjoying the high standards of living while screwing everyone else over. But everyone strives to get on top they fall for the illusion that if you just work hard you can get there.
As to your original question how do people keep their sanity. Life is measured in the western developed countries now as more stressful than it has been in decades. Many are suffering ill effects from it. One thing for sure is, that humans don't do well without a purpose and life has always been a game of struggle for those to succeed that found the best adaptations.
Yeah I have no idea what purpose there is to life.....which also gets a bit frusterating because it leaves me wondering why I even exist.
We do have some choice of how we contribute to the system. I worked a fairly low stress, low pay, and low status job many years in my life after graduating with three college degrees. It never hurt my feelings that I wasn't rich, I was just happy to be part of some game and have purpose in everyday life. Many times people asked me why I didn't have more ambition in life, but that wasn't what I valued; one of my degrees was in health and I decided that stress was not going to kill me at a very young age.
Also given how I feel about the whole set up...I don't see how having a job to contribute to the econonomy would give my life purpose. I don't care about being rich I never have yet society seems to think everyone should be highly competitive and constantly fight to keep their status...I am not that way at all I just like to be able to have enough to live on.
I don't want to sound too pessimistic, but in my opinion society has gotten to the point where no one is clearly in charge or understands the direction it is taking. And, in my opinion things are very possibly going to get much worse, when the sh** does hit the fan; those circumstances likely won't please anyone. About all we can do is the same thing our ancestors did for thousands of years, ride the wave of life as long as we can.
Finally, from my health background, the thing you have the most control of is your health and well being. Everything you do today in your youth will impact you years down the road. The biggest investment I every made in my life, was in making good exercise and diet choices, although as many other young people I was subject to at least on weekly outing of partial sobriety. Humans were designed to keep moving, and our sedentary lives, keep many from doing it. The impact to health and psychology of that one factor, is something we at least have some control over.
And I do get a fair amount of excercise, taking the buses and walking around on the college campus does involve quite a bit of walking which is how I like to get excercise.....as for diet choices I have been having a lot of trouble with my appetite I get hungry, then nothing seems good, then if something does look good I go to eat it and end up nauseous. So sometimes I have to eat based on what will go down the easiest(i think it could be related to PTSD issues, as I never had trouble eating before that.)
The purpose of life is easy to understand but harder to find. A look around the animal kingdom proves we are all here to survive and reproduce. Some of us don't have the same motivations to reproduce (have children) as others do and this presents a more difficult issue of purpose.
We must survive to live, but we have the instinct to help our species survive. I had a child that didn't live long, and always had an intuitive feeling that I was not cut out to breed, and having a severely disabled child reinforced that intuitive feeling, and made me feel somewhat guilty to have attempted reproduction.
Brought back all the memories of those kids in middle school that clearly let me know my existence was not acceptable to them.
I decided, I would do the best I could to help others, in the memory of my child, to make his life and my life meaningful. And that's what I did, until I used up the last drop of my energy many years later.
The majority of people are cut out to reproduce, some choose not too, but for those that feel they were not destined to reproduce the existential issues can be a little harder, I think. But, the difference you make in life is the impact you can have on others, if you take that direction.
I think the only impact I have is giving others someone to take advantage of.....I mean I know what all bothers me but it feels like there is nothing I can really do.
I've been unhappy with things in society for years. So I am preparing to go political in a way and looking for allies in my ideas.
Graduating from college and getting a job gets income, you can't really do without.
It would be nice to think that, but just look at history the same crap has been going on for generations...and society remains the same. And I just don't like the idea that all life is about is making income so that you can have kids to go make more income and thus continuously feeding the messed system we have. the 1% on top just keeps getting more powerful and everyone else seems to be becoming more passive.
Ok, let's put it this way: How do you want it to be?
I am not even totally sure, I mean I really have nothing else to compare anything with...but I guess I think it would be good if this society and the top corporations and government officials had their power taken away. So basically things have to hit the fan before they improve.......but who's going to attemt to do anything like that.
Most people don't have wealth. Don't know how much TV you watch, but many of the inflated expectations are presented there for commercialization. At least, avoid the commercials and news if you can. If you are fortunate you may find a niche to work in that isn't so bad. It depends on what type of job you want, but of course there aren't that many available jobs out there.As bad as things are, we have a lot of advantages today to make our life easier, than people could have dreamed of a couple of hundred years ago. Like toilet paper, hot showers, and airconditioning. When I was young and it was freezing outside, and I was able to get warm inside and take a hot shower, I often thought about those realities, and it made my problems seem a little smaller.
I do not watch t.v at all.....and I realise most people are not wealthy pretty much just 1% of them, are enjoying the high standards of living while screwing everyone else over. But everyone strives to get on top they fall for the illusion that if you just work hard you can get there.
As to your original question how do people keep their sanity. Life is measured in the western developed countries now as more stressful than it has been in decades. Many are suffering ill effects from it. One thing for sure is, that humans don't do well without a purpose and life has always been a game of struggle for those to succeed that found the best adaptations.
Yeah I have no idea what purpose there is to life.....which also gets a bit frusterating because it leaves me wondering why I even exist.
We do have some choice of how we contribute to the system. I worked a fairly low stress, low pay, and low status job many years in my life after graduating with three college degrees. It never hurt my feelings that I wasn't rich, I was just happy to be part of some game and have purpose in everyday life. Many times people asked me why I didn't have more ambition in life, but that wasn't what I valued; one of my degrees was in health and I decided that stress was not going to kill me at a very young age.
Also given how I feel about the whole set up...I don't see how having a job to contribute to the econonomy would give my life purpose. I don't care about being rich I never have yet society seems to think everyone should be highly competitive and constantly fight to keep their status...I am not that way at all I just like to be able to have enough to live on.
I don't want to sound too pessimistic, but in my opinion society has gotten to the point where no one is clearly in charge or understands the direction it is taking. And, in my opinion things are very possibly going to get much worse, when the sh** does hit the fan; those circumstances likely won't please anyone. About all we can do is the same thing our ancestors did for thousands of years, ride the wave of life as long as we can.
Finally, from my health background, the thing you have the most control of is your health and well being. Everything you do today in your youth will impact you years down the road. The biggest investment I every made in my life, was in making good exercise and diet choices, although as many other young people I was subject to at least on weekly outing of partial sobriety. Humans were designed to keep moving, and our sedentary lives, keep many from doing it. The impact to health and psychology of that one factor, is something we at least have some control over.
And I do get a fair amount of excercise, taking the buses and walking around on the college campus does involve quite a bit of walking which is how I like to get excercise.....as for diet choices I have been having a lot of trouble with my appetite I get hungry, then nothing seems good, then if something does look good I go to eat it and end up nauseous. So sometimes I have to eat based on what will go down the easiest(i think it could be related to PTSD issues, as I never had trouble eating before that.)
The purpose of life is easy to understand but harder to find. A look around the animal kingdom proves we are all here to survive and reproduce. Some of us don't have the same motivations to reproduce (have children) as others do and this presents a more difficult issue of purpose.
We must survive to live, but we have the instinct to help our species survive. I had a child that didn't live long, and always had an intuitive feeling that I was not cut out to breed, and having a severely disabled child reinforced that intuitive feeling, and made me feel somewhat guilty to have attempted reproduction.
Brought back all the memories of those kids in middle school that clearly let me know my existence was not acceptable to them.
I decided, I would do the best I could to help others, in the memory of my child, to make his life and my life meaningful. And that's what I did, until I used up the last drop of my energy many years later.
The majority of people are cut out to reproduce, some choose not too, but for those that feel they were not destined to reproduce the existential issues can be a little harder, I think. But, the difference you make in life is the impact you can have on others, if you take that direction.
I think the only impact I have is giving others someone to take advantage of.....I mean I know what all bothers me but it feels like there is nothing I can really do.
There truly is nothing we can do about the direction of society, I hope you can find a place somewhere in it that gives you the comfort, that you don't feel now. There were times in my life, I didn't think I would ever find it, but was fortunate enough to find it. Hope you have that same fortune.
Why don't you get the following clear for yourself on paper:
1-What do you want things to be in the world?
2a-Where you think you do belong? If you don't know, make a description of it.
2b-Why do you think you don't belong in the current world?
3-Summarize everything else that is bothering you.
It gives an overview what's eating you and you can look further if there is something similar in the world already.
_________________
"It all start with Hoborg, a being who had to create, because... he had to. He make the world full of beauty and wonder. This world, the Neverhood, a world where he could live forever and ever more!"
Sweetleaf
Veteran

Joined: 6 Jan 2011
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Posts: 35,157
Location: Somewhere in Colorado
I've been unhappy with things in society for years. So I am preparing to go political in a way and looking for allies in my ideas.
Graduating from college and getting a job gets income, you can't really do without.
It would be nice to think that, but just look at history the same crap has been going on for generations...and society remains the same. And I just don't like the idea that all life is about is making income so that you can have kids to go make more income and thus continuously feeding the messed system we have. the 1% on top just keeps getting more powerful and everyone else seems to be becoming more passive.
Ok, let's put it this way: How do you want it to be?
I am not even totally sure, I mean I really have nothing else to compare anything with...but I guess I think it would be good if this society and the top corporations and government officials had their power taken away. So basically things have to hit the fan before they improve.......but who's going to attemt to do anything like that.
Most people don't have wealth. Don't know how much TV you watch, but many of the inflated expectations are presented there for commercialization. At least, avoid the commercials and news if you can. If you are fortunate you may find a niche to work in that isn't so bad. It depends on what type of job you want, but of course there aren't that many available jobs out there.As bad as things are, we have a lot of advantages today to make our life easier, than people could have dreamed of a couple of hundred years ago. Like toilet paper, hot showers, and airconditioning. When I was young and it was freezing outside, and I was able to get warm inside and take a hot shower, I often thought about those realities, and it made my problems seem a little smaller.
I do not watch t.v at all.....and I realise most people are not wealthy pretty much just 1% of them, are enjoying the high standards of living while screwing everyone else over. But everyone strives to get on top they fall for the illusion that if you just work hard you can get there.
As to your original question how do people keep their sanity. Life is measured in the western developed countries now as more stressful than it has been in decades. Many are suffering ill effects from it. One thing for sure is, that humans don't do well without a purpose and life has always been a game of struggle for those to succeed that found the best adaptations.
Yeah I have no idea what purpose there is to life.....which also gets a bit frusterating because it leaves me wondering why I even exist.
We do have some choice of how we contribute to the system. I worked a fairly low stress, low pay, and low status job many years in my life after graduating with three college degrees. It never hurt my feelings that I wasn't rich, I was just happy to be part of some game and have purpose in everyday life. Many times people asked me why I didn't have more ambition in life, but that wasn't what I valued; one of my degrees was in health and I decided that stress was not going to kill me at a very young age.
Also given how I feel about the whole set up...I don't see how having a job to contribute to the econonomy would give my life purpose. I don't care about being rich I never have yet society seems to think everyone should be highly competitive and constantly fight to keep their status...I am not that way at all I just like to be able to have enough to live on.
I don't want to sound too pessimistic, but in my opinion society has gotten to the point where no one is clearly in charge or understands the direction it is taking. And, in my opinion things are very possibly going to get much worse, when the sh** does hit the fan; those circumstances likely won't please anyone. About all we can do is the same thing our ancestors did for thousands of years, ride the wave of life as long as we can.
Finally, from my health background, the thing you have the most control of is your health and well being. Everything you do today in your youth will impact you years down the road. The biggest investment I every made in my life, was in making good exercise and diet choices, although as many other young people I was subject to at least on weekly outing of partial sobriety. Humans were designed to keep moving, and our sedentary lives, keep many from doing it. The impact to health and psychology of that one factor, is something we at least have some control over.
And I do get a fair amount of excercise, taking the buses and walking around on the college campus does involve quite a bit of walking which is how I like to get excercise.....as for diet choices I have been having a lot of trouble with my appetite I get hungry, then nothing seems good, then if something does look good I go to eat it and end up nauseous. So sometimes I have to eat based on what will go down the easiest(i think it could be related to PTSD issues, as I never had trouble eating before that.)
The purpose of life is easy to understand but harder to find. A look around the animal kingdom proves we are all here to survive and reproduce. Some of us don't have the same motivations to reproduce (have children) as others do and this presents a more difficult issue of purpose.
We must survive to live, but we have the instinct to help our species survive. I had a child that didn't live long, and always had an intuitive feeling that I was not cut out to breed, and having a severely disabled child reinforced that intuitive feeling, and made me feel somewhat guilty to have attempted reproduction.
Brought back all the memories of those kids in middle school that clearly let me know my existence was not acceptable to them.
I decided, I would do the best I could to help others, in the memory of my child, to make his life and my life meaningful. And that's what I did, until I used up the last drop of my energy many years later.
The majority of people are cut out to reproduce, some choose not too, but for those that feel they were not destined to reproduce the existential issues can be a little harder, I think. But, the difference you make in life is the impact you can have on others, if you take that direction.
I think the only impact I have is giving others someone to take advantage of.....I mean I know what all bothers me but it feels like there is nothing I can really do.
There truly is nothing we can do about the direction of society, I hope you can find a place somewhere in it that gives you the comfort, that you don't feel now. There were times in my life, I didn't think I would ever find it, but was fortunate enough to find it. Hope you have that same fortune.
See I can't accept that there is nothing anyone can do, I can't accept society how it is....I wish I could but once you see the truth its hard to go back to the blissful state of ignorance and go on with life. I mean when I was a child I always had faith that things would get better....and I tended to pray for the people who where picking on me and all that.....but as I kept getting older and things got progressivly worse and I decided religion was crap which was a good thing for me but I also realised things don't change after highschool.......people are still out to screw each other over.
Sweetleaf
Veteran

Joined: 6 Jan 2011
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Posts: 35,157
Location: Somewhere in Colorado
1-What do you want things to be in the world?
2a-Where you think you do belong? If you don't know, make a description of it.
2b-Why do you think you don't belong in the current world?
3-Summarize everything else that is bothering you.
It gives an overview what's eating you and you can look further if there is something similar in the world already.
Well I suppose that might help.....though I don't know how I want things to be exactly I just can't stand how they are, I have no idea where I think I belong I feel like I don't belong anywhere. but I suppose maybe if I write things down and think about them it could help.
Sweetleaf
Veteran

Joined: 6 Jan 2011
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Posts: 35,157
Location: Somewhere in Colorado
That all being said I am trying to take college courses that can relate to the issues I have with things, so that maybe I can find some oppurtunity to get involved with trying to change things for the better. But I just feel like the odds are against me, I mean as i said in the beginning of this society brands people like me as irrelevent......so what can I do? I mean I have to admit people do have pretty good ways of forcing conformity upon everyone based on what is socially acceptable.
I've been unhappy with things in society for years. So I am preparing to go political in a way and looking for allies in my ideas.
Graduating from college and getting a job gets income, you can't really do without.
It would be nice to think that, but just look at history the same crap has been going on for generations...and society remains the same. And I just don't like the idea that all life is about is making income so that you can have kids to go make more income and thus continuously feeding the messed system we have. the 1% on top just keeps getting more powerful and everyone else seems to be becoming more passive.
Ok, let's put it this way: How do you want it to be?
I am not even totally sure, I mean I really have nothing else to compare anything with...but I guess I think it would be good if this society and the top corporations and government officials had their power taken away. So basically things have to hit the fan before they improve.......but who's going to attemt to do anything like that.
Most people don't have wealth. Don't know how much TV you watch, but many of the inflated expectations are presented there for commercialization. At least, avoid the commercials and news if you can. If you are fortunate you may find a niche to work in that isn't so bad. It depends on what type of job you want, but of course there aren't that many available jobs out there.As bad as things are, we have a lot of advantages today to make our life easier, than people could have dreamed of a couple of hundred years ago. Like toilet paper, hot showers, and airconditioning. When I was young and it was freezing outside, and I was able to get warm inside and take a hot shower, I often thought about those realities, and it made my problems seem a little smaller.
I do not watch t.v at all.....and I realise most people are not wealthy pretty much just 1% of them, are enjoying the high standards of living while screwing everyone else over. But everyone strives to get on top they fall for the illusion that if you just work hard you can get there.
As to your original question how do people keep their sanity. Life is measured in the western developed countries now as more stressful than it has been in decades. Many are suffering ill effects from it. One thing for sure is, that humans don't do well without a purpose and life has always been a game of struggle for those to succeed that found the best adaptations.
Yeah I have no idea what purpose there is to life.....which also gets a bit frusterating because it leaves me wondering why I even exist.
We do have some choice of how we contribute to the system. I worked a fairly low stress, low pay, and low status job many years in my life after graduating with three college degrees. It never hurt my feelings that I wasn't rich, I was just happy to be part of some game and have purpose in everyday life. Many times people asked me why I didn't have more ambition in life, but that wasn't what I valued; one of my degrees was in health and I decided that stress was not going to kill me at a very young age.
Also given how I feel about the whole set up...I don't see how having a job to contribute to the econonomy would give my life purpose. I don't care about being rich I never have yet society seems to think everyone should be highly competitive and constantly fight to keep their status...I am not that way at all I just like to be able to have enough to live on.
I don't want to sound too pessimistic, but in my opinion society has gotten to the point where no one is clearly in charge or understands the direction it is taking. And, in my opinion things are very possibly going to get much worse, when the sh** does hit the fan; those circumstances likely won't please anyone. About all we can do is the same thing our ancestors did for thousands of years, ride the wave of life as long as we can.
Finally, from my health background, the thing you have the most control of is your health and well being. Everything you do today in your youth will impact you years down the road. The biggest investment I every made in my life, was in making good exercise and diet choices, although as many other young people I was subject to at least on weekly outing of partial sobriety. Humans were designed to keep moving, and our sedentary lives, keep many from doing it. The impact to health and psychology of that one factor, is something we at least have some control over.
And I do get a fair amount of excercise, taking the buses and walking around on the college campus does involve quite a bit of walking which is how I like to get excercise.....as for diet choices I have been having a lot of trouble with my appetite I get hungry, then nothing seems good, then if something does look good I go to eat it and end up nauseous. So sometimes I have to eat based on what will go down the easiest(i think it could be related to PTSD issues, as I never had trouble eating before that.)
The purpose of life is easy to understand but harder to find. A look around the animal kingdom proves we are all here to survive and reproduce. Some of us don't have the same motivations to reproduce (have children) as others do and this presents a more difficult issue of purpose.
We must survive to live, but we have the instinct to help our species survive. I had a child that didn't live long, and always had an intuitive feeling that I was not cut out to breed, and having a severely disabled child reinforced that intuitive feeling, and made me feel somewhat guilty to have attempted reproduction.
Brought back all the memories of those kids in middle school that clearly let me know my existence was not acceptable to them.
I decided, I would do the best I could to help others, in the memory of my child, to make his life and my life meaningful. And that's what I did, until I used up the last drop of my energy many years later.
The majority of people are cut out to reproduce, some choose not too, but for those that feel they were not destined to reproduce the existential issues can be a little harder, I think. But, the difference you make in life is the impact you can have on others, if you take that direction.
I think the only impact I have is giving others someone to take advantage of.....I mean I know what all bothers me but it feels like there is nothing I can really do.
There truly is nothing we can do about the direction of society, I hope you can find a place somewhere in it that gives you the comfort, that you don't feel now. There were times in my life, I didn't think I would ever find it, but was fortunate enough to find it. Hope you have that same fortune.
See I can't accept that there is nothing anyone can do, I can't accept society how it is....I wish I could but once you see the truth its hard to go back to the blissful state of ignorance and go on with life.
Interesting, it was big topic of concern for me when I was in school, but once I got busy in working and the day to day structure of it, I largely lost that concern, mostly focusing on getting through each day to the next one. After 9/11, I got involved again, and became a little obsessed with it. I think it is possible to ignore it, if one is in the right niche. But, from my experience of College, it is a think tank of sorts, where most everything is discussed.
Don't know where you live, but can tell for sure that cultures operate much differently in various areas of the country. There is an extremely small community outside my city where people spend their life in trailers drinking beer, hunting and fishing, working an odd job here and there; some of the happiest people I have met, but they are not trapped in the same rat race that others are. Their meager way of life allows it, and it serves them well.
I can no longer work, because of health issues, and if were not married, I would be totally isolated. I used to work around hundreds of people everyday; those were truly the happiest days of my life. It was in the 80's and 90's and a Military Bowling Center, at that time people still bowled in leagues, appreciated each other, and wanted to get out and do things together. That culture has changed with the advent of "home entertainment" and our culture of isolated pursuits.
As the leagues dwindled, I sensed that the same phenonmenon was happening across the US. I was extremely excited over technological changes in the home that would stimulate my mind and senses, but as I look back much has been lost that will likely never be regained.
I was pushed into the rat race of power and status after this; a place that was not for me that would take my life energy away. I grew up feeling like I didn't belong, found a place where I could belong, and don't have the ability now to find somewhere to belong.
Having purpose in life does make the difference. As long as you are physically capable, there is the possibility that you will find it and enjoy life beyond your expectations at this point. The only requirement at this point is not to give up.
The advice that Wallourdes gave is really good. If you do write it down and research the possibilities that sound somewhat welcoming to you, it may set short term goals to work for, for the future. Looking forward is what really makes humans happy; dread is the equivalent of moving backwards. And believe me I have been moving backwards long enough to understand how hard it can be. But, when I was young and healthy; the possibilities were comparitively unlimited.
Sweetleaf
Veteran

Joined: 6 Jan 2011
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Posts: 35,157
Location: Somewhere in Colorado
I've been unhappy with things in society for years. So I am preparing to go political in a way and looking for allies in my ideas.
Graduating from college and getting a job gets income, you can't really do without.
It would be nice to think that, but just look at history the same crap has been going on for generations...and society remains the same. And I just don't like the idea that all life is about is making income so that you can have kids to go make more income and thus continuously feeding the messed system we have. the 1% on top just keeps getting more powerful and everyone else seems to be becoming more passive.
Ok, let's put it this way: How do you want it to be?
I am not even totally sure, I mean I really have nothing else to compare anything with...but I guess I think it would be good if this society and the top corporations and government officials had their power taken away. So basically things have to hit the fan before they improve.......but who's going to attemt to do anything like that.
Most people don't have wealth. Don't know how much TV you watch, but many of the inflated expectations are presented there for commercialization. At least, avoid the commercials and news if you can. If you are fortunate you may find a niche to work in that isn't so bad. It depends on what type of job you want, but of course there aren't that many available jobs out there.As bad as things are, we have a lot of advantages today to make our life easier, than people could have dreamed of a couple of hundred years ago. Like toilet paper, hot showers, and airconditioning. When I was young and it was freezing outside, and I was able to get warm inside and take a hot shower, I often thought about those realities, and it made my problems seem a little smaller.
I do not watch t.v at all.....and I realise most people are not wealthy pretty much just 1% of them, are enjoying the high standards of living while screwing everyone else over. But everyone strives to get on top they fall for the illusion that if you just work hard you can get there.
As to your original question how do people keep their sanity. Life is measured in the western developed countries now as more stressful than it has been in decades. Many are suffering ill effects from it. One thing for sure is, that humans don't do well without a purpose and life has always been a game of struggle for those to succeed that found the best adaptations.
Yeah I have no idea what purpose there is to life.....which also gets a bit frusterating because it leaves me wondering why I even exist.
We do have some choice of how we contribute to the system. I worked a fairly low stress, low pay, and low status job many years in my life after graduating with three college degrees. It never hurt my feelings that I wasn't rich, I was just happy to be part of some game and have purpose in everyday life. Many times people asked me why I didn't have more ambition in life, but that wasn't what I valued; one of my degrees was in health and I decided that stress was not going to kill me at a very young age.
Also given how I feel about the whole set up...I don't see how having a job to contribute to the econonomy would give my life purpose. I don't care about being rich I never have yet society seems to think everyone should be highly competitive and constantly fight to keep their status...I am not that way at all I just like to be able to have enough to live on.
I don't want to sound too pessimistic, but in my opinion society has gotten to the point where no one is clearly in charge or understands the direction it is taking. And, in my opinion things are very possibly going to get much worse, when the sh** does hit the fan; those circumstances likely won't please anyone. About all we can do is the same thing our ancestors did for thousands of years, ride the wave of life as long as we can.
Finally, from my health background, the thing you have the most control of is your health and well being. Everything you do today in your youth will impact you years down the road. The biggest investment I every made in my life, was in making good exercise and diet choices, although as many other young people I was subject to at least on weekly outing of partial sobriety. Humans were designed to keep moving, and our sedentary lives, keep many from doing it. The impact to health and psychology of that one factor, is something we at least have some control over.
And I do get a fair amount of excercise, taking the buses and walking around on the college campus does involve quite a bit of walking which is how I like to get excercise.....as for diet choices I have been having a lot of trouble with my appetite I get hungry, then nothing seems good, then if something does look good I go to eat it and end up nauseous. So sometimes I have to eat based on what will go down the easiest(i think it could be related to PTSD issues, as I never had trouble eating before that.)
The purpose of life is easy to understand but harder to find. A look around the animal kingdom proves we are all here to survive and reproduce. Some of us don't have the same motivations to reproduce (have children) as others do and this presents a more difficult issue of purpose.
We must survive to live, but we have the instinct to help our species survive. I had a child that didn't live long, and always had an intuitive feeling that I was not cut out to breed, and having a severely disabled child reinforced that intuitive feeling, and made me feel somewhat guilty to have attempted reproduction.
Brought back all the memories of those kids in middle school that clearly let me know my existence was not acceptable to them.
I decided, I would do the best I could to help others, in the memory of my child, to make his life and my life meaningful. And that's what I did, until I used up the last drop of my energy many years later.
The majority of people are cut out to reproduce, some choose not too, but for those that feel they were not destined to reproduce the existential issues can be a little harder, I think. But, the difference you make in life is the impact you can have on others, if you take that direction.
I think the only impact I have is giving others someone to take advantage of.....I mean I know what all bothers me but it feels like there is nothing I can really do.
There truly is nothing we can do about the direction of society, I hope you can find a place somewhere in it that gives you the comfort, that you don't feel now. There were times in my life, I didn't think I would ever find it, but was fortunate enough to find it. Hope you have that same fortune.
See I can't accept that there is nothing anyone can do, I can't accept society how it is....I wish I could but once you see the truth its hard to go back to the blissful state of ignorance and go on with life.
Interesting, it was big topic of concern for me when I was in school, but once I got busy in working and the day to day structure of it, I largely lost that concern, mostly focusing on getting through each day to the next one. After 9/11, I got involved again, and became a little obsessed with it. I think it is possible to ignore it, if one is in the right niche. But, from my experience of College, it is a think tank of sorts, where most everything is discussed.
Don't know where you live, but can tell for sure that cultures operate much differently in various areas of the country. There is an extremely small community outside my city where people spend their life in trailers drinking beer, hunting and fishing, working an odd job here and there; some of the happiest people I have met, but they are not trapped in the same rat race that others are. Their meager way of life allows it, and it serves them well.
I can no longer work, because of health issues, and if were not married, I would be totally isolated. I used to work around hundreds of people everyday; those were truly the happiest days of my life. It was in the 80's and 90's and a Military Bowling Center, at that time people still bowled in leagues, appreciated each other, and wanted to get out and do things together. That culture has changed with the advent of "home entertainment" and our culture of isolated pursuits.
As the leagues dwindled, I sensed that the same phenonmenon was happening across the US. I was extremely excited over technological changes in the home that would stimulate my mind and senses, but as I look back much has been lost that will likely never be regained.
I was pushed into the rat race of power and status after this; a place that was not for me that would take my life energy away. I grew up feeling like I didn't belong, found a place where I could belong, and don't have the ability now to find somewhere to belong.
Having purpose in life does make the difference. As long as you are physically capable, there is the possibility that you will find it and enjoy life beyond your expectations at this point. The only requirement at this point is not to give up.
The advice that Wallourdes gave is really good. If you do write it down and research the possibilities that sound somewhat welcoming to you, it may set short term goals to work for, for the future. Looking forward is what really makes humans happy; dread is the equivalent of moving backwards. And believe me I have been moving backwards long enough to understand how hard it can be. But, when I was young and healthy; the possibilities were comparitively unlimited.
Well yeah that all makes sense, I just feel like I can't handle it all......I mean maybe you have experianced this but it's amazingly hard to function or see anything positive when you feel like your head is going to explode from the stress. Half the time I feel like I am fighting with all I have against an inevidable mental breakdown.....which then gets me thinking death might be more pleasent then the alternative as far as i know if you end up losing your mind you'll just be drugged up in a mental institution for the rest of life. I mean when I was younger I could think about how as a child its normal to sometimes get overly upset and have a hard time dealing with things.....but now that I am an adult I feel like there is more at stake I guess.
There are niche's where people that are non-conforming work. Everyone I worked with at the Bowling Center were non-conformists. It's a matter of finding a place like this, that you fit in. As you look around in the world today, there are more people that don't fit in, than probably ever before, so at least you are not alone in this pursuit. I don't think you will be happy in an environment that heavily require social conformity, but there are still places that don't, if you search hard enough.
They are not normally mainstream places. Another place I can think of are health food co-op stores. You can get the feel when you walk into some of these places that freedom of expression among differences of individuals is not the problem it would be in other places.
Again though, a good start is to research and imagine all the things you might like to do, possibly visit those places and get a sense of your comfort level. While you are in college you still have plenty of time to do this, and might even get your feet wet in it part time, if it doesn't seem too stressful.
Sweetleaf
Veteran

Joined: 6 Jan 2011
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Posts: 35,157
Location: Somewhere in Colorado
There are niche's where people that are non-conforming work. Everyone I worked with at the Bowling Center were non-conformists. It's a matter of finding a place like this, that you fit in. As you look around in the world today, there are more people that don't fit in, than probably ever before, so at least you are not alone in this pursuit. I don't think you will be happy in an environment that heavily require social conformity, but there are still places that don't, if you search hard enough.
They are not normally mainstream places. Another place I can think of are health food co-op stores. You can get the feel when you walk into some of these places that freedom of expression among differences of individuals is not the problem it would be in other places.
Again though, a good start is to research and imagine all the things you might like to do, possibly visit those places and get a sense of your comfort level. While you are in college you still have plenty of time to do this, and might even get your feet wet in it part time, if it doesn't seem too stressful.
Yeah that is true, I mean all I can really do is try and find something I am intrested in and maybe get involved with it. at least for now.
I've been unhappy with things in society for years. So I am preparing to go political in a way and looking for allies in my ideas.
Graduating from college and getting a job gets income, you can't really do without.
It would be nice to think that, but just look at history the same crap has been going on for generations...and society remains the same. And I just don't like the idea that all life is about is making income so that you can have kids to go make more income and thus continuously feeding the messed system we have. the 1% on top just keeps getting more powerful and everyone else seems to be becoming more passive.
Ok, let's put it this way: How do you want it to be?
I am not even totally sure, I mean I really have nothing else to compare anything with...but I guess I think it would be good if this society and the top corporations and government officials had their power taken away. So basically things have to hit the fan before they improve.......but who's going to attemt to do anything like that.
Most people don't have wealth. Don't know how much TV you watch, but many of the inflated expectations are presented there for commercialization. At least, avoid the commercials and news if you can. If you are fortunate you may find a niche to work in that isn't so bad. It depends on what type of job you want, but of course there aren't that many available jobs out there.As bad as things are, we have a lot of advantages today to make our life easier, than people could have dreamed of a couple of hundred years ago. Like toilet paper, hot showers, and airconditioning. When I was young and it was freezing outside, and I was able to get warm inside and take a hot shower, I often thought about those realities, and it made my problems seem a little smaller.
I do not watch t.v at all.....and I realise most people are not wealthy pretty much just 1% of them, are enjoying the high standards of living while screwing everyone else over. But everyone strives to get on top they fall for the illusion that if you just work hard you can get there.
As to your original question how do people keep their sanity. Life is measured in the western developed countries now as more stressful than it has been in decades. Many are suffering ill effects from it. One thing for sure is, that humans don't do well without a purpose and life has always been a game of struggle for those to succeed that found the best adaptations.
Yeah I have no idea what purpose there is to life.....which also gets a bit frusterating because it leaves me wondering why I even exist.
We do have some choice of how we contribute to the system. I worked a fairly low stress, low pay, and low status job many years in my life after graduating with three college degrees. It never hurt my feelings that I wasn't rich, I was just happy to be part of some game and have purpose in everyday life. Many times people asked me why I didn't have more ambition in life, but that wasn't what I valued; one of my degrees was in health and I decided that stress was not going to kill me at a very young age.
Also given how I feel about the whole set up...I don't see how having a job to contribute to the econonomy would give my life purpose. I don't care about being rich I never have yet society seems to think everyone should be highly competitive and constantly fight to keep their status...I am not that way at all I just like to be able to have enough to live on.
I don't want to sound too pessimistic, but in my opinion society has gotten to the point where no one is clearly in charge or understands the direction it is taking. And, in my opinion things are very possibly going to get much worse, when the sh** does hit the fan; those circumstances likely won't please anyone. About all we can do is the same thing our ancestors did for thousands of years, ride the wave of life as long as we can.
Finally, from my health background, the thing you have the most control of is your health and well being. Everything you do today in your youth will impact you years down the road. The biggest investment I every made in my life, was in making good exercise and diet choices, although as many other young people I was subject to at least on weekly outing of partial sobriety. Humans were designed to keep moving, and our sedentary lives, keep many from doing it. The impact to health and psychology of that one factor, is something we at least have some control over.
And I do get a fair amount of excercise, taking the buses and walking around on the college campus does involve quite a bit of walking which is how I like to get excercise.....as for diet choices I have been having a lot of trouble with my appetite I get hungry, then nothing seems good, then if something does look good I go to eat it and end up nauseous. So sometimes I have to eat based on what will go down the easiest(i think it could be related to PTSD issues, as I never had trouble eating before that.)
The purpose of life is easy to understand but harder to find. A look around the animal kingdom proves we are all here to survive and reproduce. Some of us don't have the same motivations to reproduce (have children) as others do and this presents a more difficult issue of purpose.
We must survive to live, but we have the instinct to help our species survive. I had a child that didn't live long, and always had an intuitive feeling that I was not cut out to breed, and having a severely disabled child reinforced that intuitive feeling, and made me feel somewhat guilty to have attempted reproduction.
Brought back all the memories of those kids in middle school that clearly let me know my existence was not acceptable to them.
I decided, I would do the best I could to help others, in the memory of my child, to make his life and my life meaningful. And that's what I did, until I used up the last drop of my energy many years later.
The majority of people are cut out to reproduce, some choose not too, but for those that feel they were not destined to reproduce the existential issues can be a little harder, I think. But, the difference you make in life is the impact you can have on others, if you take that direction.
I think the only impact I have is giving others someone to take advantage of.....I mean I know what all bothers me but it feels like there is nothing I can really do.
There truly is nothing we can do about the direction of society, I hope you can find a place somewhere in it that gives you the comfort, that you don't feel now. There were times in my life, I didn't think I would ever find it, but was fortunate enough to find it. Hope you have that same fortune.
See I can't accept that there is nothing anyone can do, I can't accept society how it is....I wish I could but once you see the truth its hard to go back to the blissful state of ignorance and go on with life.
Interesting, it was big topic of concern for me when I was in school, but once I got busy in working and the day to day structure of it, I largely lost that concern, mostly focusing on getting through each day to the next one. After 9/11, I got involved again, and became a little obsessed with it. I think it is possible to ignore it, if one is in the right niche. But, from my experience of College, it is a think tank of sorts, where most everything is discussed.
Don't know where you live, but can tell for sure that cultures operate much differently in various areas of the country. There is an extremely small community outside my city where people spend their life in trailers drinking beer, hunting and fishing, working an odd job here and there; some of the happiest people I have met, but they are not trapped in the same rat race that others are. Their meager way of life allows it, and it serves them well.
I can no longer work, because of health issues, and if were not married, I would be totally isolated. I used to work around hundreds of people everyday; those were truly the happiest days of my life. It was in the 80's and 90's and a Military Bowling Center, at that time people still bowled in leagues, appreciated each other, and wanted to get out and do things together. That culture has changed with the advent of "home entertainment" and our culture of isolated pursuits.
As the leagues dwindled, I sensed that the same phenonmenon was happening across the US. I was extremely excited over technological changes in the home that would stimulate my mind and senses, but as I look back much has been lost that will likely never be regained.
I was pushed into the rat race of power and status after this; a place that was not for me that would take my life energy away. I grew up feeling like I didn't belong, found a place where I could belong, and don't have the ability now to find somewhere to belong.
Having purpose in life does make the difference. As long as you are physically capable, there is the possibility that you will find it and enjoy life beyond your expectations at this point. The only requirement at this point is not to give up.
The advice that Wallourdes gave is really good. If you do write it down and research the possibilities that sound somewhat welcoming to you, it may set short term goals to work for, for the future. Looking forward is what really makes humans happy; dread is the equivalent of moving backwards. And believe me I have been moving backwards long enough to understand how hard it can be. But, when I was young and healthy; the possibilities were comparitively unlimited.
Well yeah that all makes sense, I just feel like I can't handle it all......I mean maybe you have experianced this but it's amazingly hard to function or see anything positive when you feel like your head is going to explode from the stress. Half the time I feel like I am fighting with all I have against an inevidable mental breakdown.....which then gets me thinking death might be more pleasent then the alternative as far as i know if you end up losing your mind you'll just be drugged up in a mental institution for the rest of life. I mean when I was younger I could think about how as a child its normal to sometimes get overly upset and have a hard time dealing with things.....but now that I am an adult I feel like there is more at stake I guess.
I think I understand some of what you are saying here. I went through a period of that when I was in my early 20's and was lucky I didn't get institutionalized. I had severe issues with Autism, but escaped diagnosis as a young child; they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me, but by the skin of my teeth and fortune of finding successful coping mechanisms I escaped what looked like what the doctors thought was inevitable institutionalization. I was extremely intelligent, but my emotional/social knowledge was extremely low.
I lived with that fear in the back of my mind for the rest of my life. In my forties I got so stressed that my adrenal glands got stuck on for two years. You know the feeling you get after you hit your finger with a hammer? That's the state of vigilance I was in. My extreme physical Fitness took me far into it without exhaustion. I ended up not sleeping but an hour a night for 35 straight days and with no sleep at all for the next five days.
At that point I realized how important death was, although I couldn't bring myself to suicide. I was hospitalized and could finally sleep with Ativan, but had an extremely hard time weening myself off of it. That was over three years ago, and I am still alive. Three years ago I didn't think I would live another second.
The important thing though were those twenty something years in the middle where I felt like I was the luckiest person in the world to be alive and part of something. I'm glad I didn't miss out on that.
Sweetleaf
Veteran

Joined: 6 Jan 2011
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Posts: 35,157
Location: Somewhere in Colorado
I've been unhappy with things in society for years. So I am preparing to go political in a way and looking for allies in my ideas.
Graduating from college and getting a job gets income, you can't really do without.
It would be nice to think that, but just look at history the same crap has been going on for generations...and society remains the same. And I just don't like the idea that all life is about is making income so that you can have kids to go make more income and thus continuously feeding the messed system we have. the 1% on top just keeps getting more powerful and everyone else seems to be becoming more passive.
Ok, let's put it this way: How do you want it to be?
I am not even totally sure, I mean I really have nothing else to compare anything with...but I guess I think it would be good if this society and the top corporations and government officials had their power taken away. So basically things have to hit the fan before they improve.......but who's going to attemt to do anything like that.
Most people don't have wealth. Don't know how much TV you watch, but many of the inflated expectations are presented there for commercialization. At least, avoid the commercials and news if you can. If you are fortunate you may find a niche to work in that isn't so bad. It depends on what type of job you want, but of course there aren't that many available jobs out there.As bad as things are, we have a lot of advantages today to make our life easier, than people could have dreamed of a couple of hundred years ago. Like toilet paper, hot showers, and airconditioning. When I was young and it was freezing outside, and I was able to get warm inside and take a hot shower, I often thought about those realities, and it made my problems seem a little smaller.
I do not watch t.v at all.....and I realise most people are not wealthy pretty much just 1% of them, are enjoying the high standards of living while screwing everyone else over. But everyone strives to get on top they fall for the illusion that if you just work hard you can get there.
As to your original question how do people keep their sanity. Life is measured in the western developed countries now as more stressful than it has been in decades. Many are suffering ill effects from it. One thing for sure is, that humans don't do well without a purpose and life has always been a game of struggle for those to succeed that found the best adaptations.
Yeah I have no idea what purpose there is to life.....which also gets a bit frusterating because it leaves me wondering why I even exist.
We do have some choice of how we contribute to the system. I worked a fairly low stress, low pay, and low status job many years in my life after graduating with three college degrees. It never hurt my feelings that I wasn't rich, I was just happy to be part of some game and have purpose in everyday life. Many times people asked me why I didn't have more ambition in life, but that wasn't what I valued; one of my degrees was in health and I decided that stress was not going to kill me at a very young age.
Also given how I feel about the whole set up...I don't see how having a job to contribute to the econonomy would give my life purpose. I don't care about being rich I never have yet society seems to think everyone should be highly competitive and constantly fight to keep their status...I am not that way at all I just like to be able to have enough to live on.
I don't want to sound too pessimistic, but in my opinion society has gotten to the point where no one is clearly in charge or understands the direction it is taking. And, in my opinion things are very possibly going to get much worse, when the sh** does hit the fan; those circumstances likely won't please anyone. About all we can do is the same thing our ancestors did for thousands of years, ride the wave of life as long as we can.
Finally, from my health background, the thing you have the most control of is your health and well being. Everything you do today in your youth will impact you years down the road. The biggest investment I every made in my life, was in making good exercise and diet choices, although as many other young people I was subject to at least on weekly outing of partial sobriety. Humans were designed to keep moving, and our sedentary lives, keep many from doing it. The impact to health and psychology of that one factor, is something we at least have some control over.
And I do get a fair amount of excercise, taking the buses and walking around on the college campus does involve quite a bit of walking which is how I like to get excercise.....as for diet choices I have been having a lot of trouble with my appetite I get hungry, then nothing seems good, then if something does look good I go to eat it and end up nauseous. So sometimes I have to eat based on what will go down the easiest(i think it could be related to PTSD issues, as I never had trouble eating before that.)
The purpose of life is easy to understand but harder to find. A look around the animal kingdom proves we are all here to survive and reproduce. Some of us don't have the same motivations to reproduce (have children) as others do and this presents a more difficult issue of purpose.
We must survive to live, but we have the instinct to help our species survive. I had a child that didn't live long, and always had an intuitive feeling that I was not cut out to breed, and having a severely disabled child reinforced that intuitive feeling, and made me feel somewhat guilty to have attempted reproduction.
Brought back all the memories of those kids in middle school that clearly let me know my existence was not acceptable to them.
I decided, I would do the best I could to help others, in the memory of my child, to make his life and my life meaningful. And that's what I did, until I used up the last drop of my energy many years later.
The majority of people are cut out to reproduce, some choose not too, but for those that feel they were not destined to reproduce the existential issues can be a little harder, I think. But, the difference you make in life is the impact you can have on others, if you take that direction.
I think the only impact I have is giving others someone to take advantage of.....I mean I know what all bothers me but it feels like there is nothing I can really do.
There truly is nothing we can do about the direction of society, I hope you can find a place somewhere in it that gives you the comfort, that you don't feel now. There were times in my life, I didn't think I would ever find it, but was fortunate enough to find it. Hope you have that same fortune.
See I can't accept that there is nothing anyone can do, I can't accept society how it is....I wish I could but once you see the truth its hard to go back to the blissful state of ignorance and go on with life.
Interesting, it was big topic of concern for me when I was in school, but once I got busy in working and the day to day structure of it, I largely lost that concern, mostly focusing on getting through each day to the next one. After 9/11, I got involved again, and became a little obsessed with it. I think it is possible to ignore it, if one is in the right niche. But, from my experience of College, it is a think tank of sorts, where most everything is discussed.
Don't know where you live, but can tell for sure that cultures operate much differently in various areas of the country. There is an extremely small community outside my city where people spend their life in trailers drinking beer, hunting and fishing, working an odd job here and there; some of the happiest people I have met, but they are not trapped in the same rat race that others are. Their meager way of life allows it, and it serves them well.
I can no longer work, because of health issues, and if were not married, I would be totally isolated. I used to work around hundreds of people everyday; those were truly the happiest days of my life. It was in the 80's and 90's and a Military Bowling Center, at that time people still bowled in leagues, appreciated each other, and wanted to get out and do things together. That culture has changed with the advent of "home entertainment" and our culture of isolated pursuits.
As the leagues dwindled, I sensed that the same phenonmenon was happening across the US. I was extremely excited over technological changes in the home that would stimulate my mind and senses, but as I look back much has been lost that will likely never be regained.
I was pushed into the rat race of power and status after this; a place that was not for me that would take my life energy away. I grew up feeling like I didn't belong, found a place where I could belong, and don't have the ability now to find somewhere to belong.
Having purpose in life does make the difference. As long as you are physically capable, there is the possibility that you will find it and enjoy life beyond your expectations at this point. The only requirement at this point is not to give up.
The advice that Wallourdes gave is really good. If you do write it down and research the possibilities that sound somewhat welcoming to you, it may set short term goals to work for, for the future. Looking forward is what really makes humans happy; dread is the equivalent of moving backwards. And believe me I have been moving backwards long enough to understand how hard it can be. But, when I was young and healthy; the possibilities were comparitively unlimited.
Well yeah that all makes sense, I just feel like I can't handle it all......I mean maybe you have experianced this but it's amazingly hard to function or see anything positive when you feel like your head is going to explode from the stress. Half the time I feel like I am fighting with all I have against an inevidable mental breakdown.....which then gets me thinking death might be more pleasent then the alternative as far as i know if you end up losing your mind you'll just be drugged up in a mental institution for the rest of life. I mean when I was younger I could think about how as a child its normal to sometimes get overly upset and have a hard time dealing with things.....but now that I am an adult I feel like there is more at stake I guess.
I think I understand some of what you are saying here. I went through a period of that when I was in my early 20's and was lucky I didn't get institutionalized. I had severe issues with Autism, but escaped diagnosis as a young child; they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me, but by the skin of my teeth and fortune of finding successful coping mechanisms I escaped what looked like what the doctors thought was inevitable institutionalization. I was extremely intelligent, but my emotional/social knowledge was extremely low.
I lived with that fear in the back of my mind for the rest of my life. In my forties I got so stressed that my adrenal glands got stuck on for two years. You know the feeling you get after you hit your finger with a hammer? That's the state of vigilance I was in. My extreme physical Fitness took me far into it without exhaustion. I ended up not sleeping but an hour a night for 35 straight days and with no sleep at all for the next five days.
At that point I realized how important death was, although I couldn't bring myself to suicide. I was hospitalized and could finally sleep with Ativan, but had an extremely hard time weening myself off of it. That was over three years ago, and I am still alive. Three years ago I didn't think I would live another second.
The important thing though were those twenty something years in the middle where I felt like I was the luckiest person in the world to be alive and part of something. I'm glad I didn't miss out on that.
Well yeah I guess the best thing I can do is just try and live a life I want, I mean maybe I'll die an early death maybe I'll lose my mind but if I get stuck on that then I can't enjoy much of what happens right now in my life. I guess i just wish I could get rid of the idea that I am doomed to one of those fates...but it feels like something I can never escape. But on the brightside I have been dealing with these kinds of feelings for quite some time and I've made it this far......I guess I just feel like I am one of those people that has good intentions and wants to do something relevent to that but ends up having to pay the ultimate price of sanity or their soul......depending on whether they fight to change things or decide to give in.
I've been unhappy with things in society for years. So I am preparing to go political in a way and looking for allies in my ideas.
Graduating from college and getting a job gets income, you can't really do without.
It would be nice to think that, but just look at history the same crap has been going on for generations...and society remains the same. And I just don't like the idea that all life is about is making income so that you can have kids to go make more income and thus continuously feeding the messed system we have. the 1% on top just keeps getting more powerful and everyone else seems to be becoming more passive.
Ok, let's put it this way: How do you want it to be?
I am not even totally sure, I mean I really have nothing else to compare anything with...but I guess I think it would be good if this society and the top corporations and government officials had their power taken away. So basically things have to hit the fan before they improve.......but who's going to attemt to do anything like that.
Most people don't have wealth. Don't know how much TV you watch, but many of the inflated expectations are presented there for commercialization. At least, avoid the commercials and news if you can. If you are fortunate you may find a niche to work in that isn't so bad. It depends on what type of job you want, but of course there aren't that many available jobs out there.As bad as things are, we have a lot of advantages today to make our life easier, than people could have dreamed of a couple of hundred years ago. Like toilet paper, hot showers, and airconditioning. When I was young and it was freezing outside, and I was able to get warm inside and take a hot shower, I often thought about those realities, and it made my problems seem a little smaller.
I do not watch t.v at all.....and I realise most people are not wealthy pretty much just 1% of them, are enjoying the high standards of living while screwing everyone else over. But everyone strives to get on top they fall for the illusion that if you just work hard you can get there.
As to your original question how do people keep their sanity. Life is measured in the western developed countries now as more stressful than it has been in decades. Many are suffering ill effects from it. One thing for sure is, that humans don't do well without a purpose and life has always been a game of struggle for those to succeed that found the best adaptations.
Yeah I have no idea what purpose there is to life.....which also gets a bit frusterating because it leaves me wondering why I even exist.
We do have some choice of how we contribute to the system. I worked a fairly low stress, low pay, and low status job many years in my life after graduating with three college degrees. It never hurt my feelings that I wasn't rich, I was just happy to be part of some game and have purpose in everyday life. Many times people asked me why I didn't have more ambition in life, but that wasn't what I valued; one of my degrees was in health and I decided that stress was not going to kill me at a very young age.
Also given how I feel about the whole set up...I don't see how having a job to contribute to the econonomy would give my life purpose. I don't care about being rich I never have yet society seems to think everyone should be highly competitive and constantly fight to keep their status...I am not that way at all I just like to be able to have enough to live on.
I don't want to sound too pessimistic, but in my opinion society has gotten to the point where no one is clearly in charge or understands the direction it is taking. And, in my opinion things are very possibly going to get much worse, when the sh** does hit the fan; those circumstances likely won't please anyone. About all we can do is the same thing our ancestors did for thousands of years, ride the wave of life as long as we can.
Finally, from my health background, the thing you have the most control of is your health and well being. Everything you do today in your youth will impact you years down the road. The biggest investment I every made in my life, was in making good exercise and diet choices, although as many other young people I was subject to at least on weekly outing of partial sobriety. Humans were designed to keep moving, and our sedentary lives, keep many from doing it. The impact to health and psychology of that one factor, is something we at least have some control over.
And I do get a fair amount of excercise, taking the buses and walking around on the college campus does involve quite a bit of walking which is how I like to get excercise.....as for diet choices I have been having a lot of trouble with my appetite I get hungry, then nothing seems good, then if something does look good I go to eat it and end up nauseous. So sometimes I have to eat based on what will go down the easiest(i think it could be related to PTSD issues, as I never had trouble eating before that.)
The purpose of life is easy to understand but harder to find. A look around the animal kingdom proves we are all here to survive and reproduce. Some of us don't have the same motivations to reproduce (have children) as others do and this presents a more difficult issue of purpose.
We must survive to live, but we have the instinct to help our species survive. I had a child that didn't live long, and always had an intuitive feeling that I was not cut out to breed, and having a severely disabled child reinforced that intuitive feeling, and made me feel somewhat guilty to have attempted reproduction.
Brought back all the memories of those kids in middle school that clearly let me know my existence was not acceptable to them.
I decided, I would do the best I could to help others, in the memory of my child, to make his life and my life meaningful. And that's what I did, until I used up the last drop of my energy many years later.
The majority of people are cut out to reproduce, some choose not too, but for those that feel they were not destined to reproduce the existential issues can be a little harder, I think. But, the difference you make in life is the impact you can have on others, if you take that direction.
I think the only impact I have is giving others someone to take advantage of.....I mean I know what all bothers me but it feels like there is nothing I can really do.
There truly is nothing we can do about the direction of society, I hope you can find a place somewhere in it that gives you the comfort, that you don't feel now. There were times in my life, I didn't think I would ever find it, but was fortunate enough to find it. Hope you have that same fortune.
See I can't accept that there is nothing anyone can do, I can't accept society how it is....I wish I could but once you see the truth its hard to go back to the blissful state of ignorance and go on with life.
Interesting, it was big topic of concern for me when I was in school, but once I got busy in working and the day to day structure of it, I largely lost that concern, mostly focusing on getting through each day to the next one. After 9/11, I got involved again, and became a little obsessed with it. I think it is possible to ignore it, if one is in the right niche. But, from my experience of College, it is a think tank of sorts, where most everything is discussed.
Don't know where you live, but can tell for sure that cultures operate much differently in various areas of the country. There is an extremely small community outside my city where people spend their life in trailers drinking beer, hunting and fishing, working an odd job here and there; some of the happiest people I have met, but they are not trapped in the same rat race that others are. Their meager way of life allows it, and it serves them well.
I can no longer work, because of health issues, and if were not married, I would be totally isolated. I used to work around hundreds of people everyday; those were truly the happiest days of my life. It was in the 80's and 90's and a Military Bowling Center, at that time people still bowled in leagues, appreciated each other, and wanted to get out and do things together. That culture has changed with the advent of "home entertainment" and our culture of isolated pursuits.
As the leagues dwindled, I sensed that the same phenonmenon was happening across the US. I was extremely excited over technological changes in the home that would stimulate my mind and senses, but as I look back much has been lost that will likely never be regained.
I was pushed into the rat race of power and status after this; a place that was not for me that would take my life energy away. I grew up feeling like I didn't belong, found a place where I could belong, and don't have the ability now to find somewhere to belong.
Having purpose in life does make the difference. As long as you are physically capable, there is the possibility that you will find it and enjoy life beyond your expectations at this point. The only requirement at this point is not to give up.
The advice that Wallourdes gave is really good. If you do write it down and research the possibilities that sound somewhat welcoming to you, it may set short term goals to work for, for the future. Looking forward is what really makes humans happy; dread is the equivalent of moving backwards. And believe me I have been moving backwards long enough to understand how hard it can be. But, when I was young and healthy; the possibilities were comparitively unlimited.
Well yeah that all makes sense, I just feel like I can't handle it all......I mean maybe you have experianced this but it's amazingly hard to function or see anything positive when you feel like your head is going to explode from the stress. Half the time I feel like I am fighting with all I have against an inevidable mental breakdown.....which then gets me thinking death might be more pleasent then the alternative as far as i know if you end up losing your mind you'll just be drugged up in a mental institution for the rest of life. I mean when I was younger I could think about how as a child its normal to sometimes get overly upset and have a hard time dealing with things.....but now that I am an adult I feel like there is more at stake I guess.
I think I understand some of what you are saying here. I went through a period of that when I was in my early 20's and was lucky I didn't get institutionalized. I had severe issues with Autism, but escaped diagnosis as a young child; they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me, but by the skin of my teeth and fortune of finding successful coping mechanisms I escaped what looked like what the doctors thought was inevitable institutionalization. I was extremely intelligent, but my emotional/social knowledge was extremely low.
I lived with that fear in the back of my mind for the rest of my life. In my forties I got so stressed that my adrenal glands got stuck on for two years. You know the feeling you get after you hit your finger with a hammer? That's the state of vigilance I was in. My extreme physical Fitness took me far into it without exhaustion. I ended up not sleeping but an hour a night for 35 straight days and with no sleep at all for the next five days.
At that point I realized how important death was, although I couldn't bring myself to suicide. I was hospitalized and could finally sleep with Ativan, but had an extremely hard time weening myself off of it. That was over three years ago, and I am still alive. Three years ago I didn't think I would live another second.
The important thing though were those twenty something years in the middle where I felt like I was the luckiest person in the world to be alive and part of something. I'm glad I didn't miss out on that.
Well yeah I guess the best thing I can do is just try and live a life I want, I mean maybe I'll die an early death maybe I'll lose my mind but if I get stuck on that then I can't enjoy much of what happens right now in my life. I guess i just wish I could get rid of the idea that I am doomed to one of those fates...but it feels like something I can never escape. But on the brightside I have been dealing with these kinds of feelings for quite some time and I've made it this far......I guess I just feel like I am one of those people that has good intentions and wants to do something relevent to that but ends up having to pay the ultimate price of sanity or their soul......depending on whether they fight to change things or decide to give in.
Keep fighting and hopefully things will change for you that will push those fears further into the background. Good Luck!