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edgewaters
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10 May 2012, 12:38 am

Sweetleaf wrote:
I mean you know what I wonder about the 60's? I wonder why so many of them stopped and tried to conform to the BS that is society. I mean what the hell happened to people?


Basically ... they needed money ... to pay for the things they needed and wanted, to raise their kids as well or better than they'd been raised, to be independant, etc

Attempts to live outside the system mostly failed to meet long-term needs and security.



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10 May 2012, 12:39 am

Addendum. Would you believe it? Over the past two years I actually bought tickets to see two shows for which I never went. I still have the tickets for YES and Judas Priest. I think my aspiness got worse, or my avoidant personality disorder thing. I just know that if I spent $150 bucks to see The Wall I probably still won't go. Isn't that horrible? These are groups I've been waiting to see for 20 - 30 years! I can sit here and write out every single word for the entire The Wall double album. Hell, I even know how to play most of those songs on guitar. I even learned how to play 'Nobody Home' on piano. Sad.



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10 May 2012, 12:39 am

Sweetleaf wrote:
I always listen to Pink Floyd...they knew what the hell was going on....I mean you know what I wonder about the 60's? I wonder why so many of them stopped and tried to conform to the BS that is society. I mean what the hell happened to people? Why conform to this crap....100 channels of sh*t on the T.V to choose from, well why watch the freaking thing in the first place. I stopped watching t.v for the most part and it's great cause the media only tells lies anyways.


I was one of those people (I turned 16 in 1960), and I don't know why I quit. I was always an Aspie, of course, but I didn't know the word or what it was about until a few years ago, and then reading about it, after my diagnosis, I recognized everything about me that had always been puzzling. I think the main thing was that we got older, all of us, NTs and Aspies and Whatevers. I'm not in a perfect place now, of course, but I'm not as distressed as I have been at times, and I think I've grown. I gave up on Christianity at around 18 or so, but was always of a mystical turn of mind, and I wandered around through a lot of religions and also tried to make my own (find out what's Out There, whether it's God or whatever: it always seemed clear that there was more than just humans) in the Age of Aquarius, before the New Age started. Lots of mystical "technologies" like Astrology and Tarot and Crystal Reading and ECK and on and on, and meditation, looking inside, through all of them, _and_ Christianity later. And when I was around 40 I realized that Christianity was IT for me after all, but a mystical Christianity, enriched by the things I'd learned in other places (and found in the writings of the Christian Mystics over 2000 years worth, after I got back into it, not the Bible Literalist Christianity I'd been born into). I seldom watch television either, and when I do, five broadcast channels are plenty. I was a Pink Floyd fan too -- listened to Dark Side of the Moon over and over and over when I was pregnant, I'm surprised the baby wasn't marked (she had to be able to hear it too, and there's a lot of nonverbal there). I didn't like The Wall, though: it didn't "work" for me like the earlier ones. Well, that's just rambling. I hope you can get something out of it.


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10 May 2012, 12:40 am

redrobin62 wrote:
Addendum. Would you believe it? Over the past two years I actually bought tickets to see two shows for which I never went. I still have the tickets for YES


NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO



mglosenger
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10 May 2012, 3:46 am

Life on Earth is a nice idea that just never quite worked out for me. The pursuits of money and women, while occasionally interesting, always end up annoying me.

I get the sense that some people like it here, or else it would all be over. I can't find any good reason to spoil their fun. There's always other places, existences, consciousnesses, to be, that are wholly independent from Earth.

In another 1000 years, things will be different, one way or the other.

I've had some enjoyable bits here and there on Earth. I suppose that somehow capitalism and America and everything else are all the best possible things that could ever exist. Really, I can't define how I would improve the place. I'd basically have to completely change it to somewhere else, and that seems like a lot of work, and I'm not interested.

In particular, I find gravity, finite resources, and fear annoying, and Earth is nothing but those things right now (especially the first two).

I have no real suggestions for you but perhaps some form of commiseration is helpful. Perhaps I merely want to write these things somewhere and somehow this seems like a good thread. Perhaps I've already written these things tens (hundreds?) of times already and nobody cares but somehow this will make some difference :)

I also note that I used to listen to Pink Floyd all the time myself and I stopped once I realized that their music is almost entirely depressing, without even trying to offer any actual solution. Roger Waters sounds really angry but yet he makes no attempt to do anything about it.. I think he just likes being angry. When they had Syd Barrett they at least wrote some nicely surreal lyrics, but then those too were largely depressing. Pink Floyd are after all basically a blues band, albeit with electric guitars and keyboards and a psychedelic leaning.

All that said, I don't know that I have any actual solution either (beyond get rid of everyone or create an infinite power source [neither of which is apparently ever going to happen here on Earth]). I really have simply given up on life on Earth. If you have too, then you may as well just sit back and relax. Being angry or depressed has never gotten me anywhere, except when I then took action to avoid feeling those ways.



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10 May 2012, 3:55 am

As far as what is reality, it's whatever you want it to be. The question then is if you are willing to put in the effort required to make reality how you like it. If not, then so be it. 'Suicide' (death of the Earthly body) is an easy way out, if you can get past the basic fear of the unknown. But then, every day is unknown, and everyone on Earth dies and leaves Earth eventually.

Another technique is to interpret everything as metaphor and make the metaphors refer to the things you want. With this technique you can make having no job and potentially being homeless and dying due to exposure/malnutrition the 'exact opposite', by which I mean the exact opposite of the 'popular belief', by which I mean I'm not really sure anymore. It's impossible to define. You see. Metaphors. 'Deeper meaning'. Whatever you want to call it. If you don't understand what I mean, then that's not my problem :) Oh, my preferred metaphor would be me being all-powerful, only doing what I truly want to do instead of feeling forced to do things I never did actually enjoy, yet felt somehow compelled to do (fear of death, ultimately). What's the worst that can happen, that I die, which will happen anyway? And, ultimately, I never really wanted to do anything here on Earth.. I wanted to watch things happen.. but I stared too deeply into the viewscreen and thought I was part of it, and my imagination is so very powerful.. and perhaps it seemed like a good idea at the time.. oh, surely I can help them, etc etc. How else would I learn, though? Mmm.

Yeah, so reality is whatever you want it to be. Well, really, I'm saying reality is whatever I want it to be :)



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10 May 2012, 12:12 pm

edgewaters wrote:
Sweetleaf wrote:
I mean you know what I wonder about the 60's? I wonder why so many of them stopped and tried to conform to the BS that is society. I mean what the hell happened to people?


Basically ... they needed money ... to pay for the things they needed and wanted, to raise their kids as well or better than they'd been raised, to be independant, etc

Attempts to live outside the system mostly failed to meet long-term needs and security.


Yeah well I don't feel like giving up was the answer.....I suppose though living outside the system is as most thing are easier said than done. Even so I just don't see how someone could just forget about the person they are all for the sake of conforming to a society they were in opposition to. I mean I can't even imagine the internal conflict that would cause.


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10 May 2012, 12:14 pm

redrobin62 wrote:
Addendum. Would you believe it? Over the past two years I actually bought tickets to see two shows for which I never went. I still have the tickets for YES and Judas Priest. I think my aspiness got worse, or my avoidant personality disorder thing. I just know that if I spent $150 bucks to see The Wall I probably still won't go. Isn't that horrible? These are groups I've been waiting to see for 20 - 30 years! I can sit here and write out every single word for the entire The Wall double album. Hell, I even know how to play most of those songs on guitar. I even learned how to play 'Nobody Home' on piano. Sad.


What.....why didn't you give me the Judas Priest ticket? :evil: lol


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10 May 2012, 12:26 pm

My ex-boyfriend told me that I have a skewered perception of life. Reality is whatever you make it out to be. I know that I live in my head way too much and there are times where I slip too far into it. When those times happen I need to grab on to something or somebody so I don't live inside my head. I keep a list of distractions around and I look at that to keep me busy. I'll call my good friend who is an awesome listener and she helps me cope with things. I'll try and keep myself busy or do the things that I like doing the most so I don't slip into a downward spiral into my head. The more active you are, the better.

It was bad for me last summer, I fell into a deep depression and I became so introverted that I got this huge anxiety complex and I eventually ended up going crazy, throwing things around and I had to be hospitalized for two weeks. I'm glad that I got help because it really grounded me and everybody was so nice. I didn't feel like I was some crazy person and I met people who had similar problems. I enrolled into an outpatient day program for 7 weeks and I really enjoyed it, it helped me so much.

I know it's hard to accept yourself sometimes but I think that I'm finally starting to accept that I have some quirks that I'll never get rid of. There's help out there but you have to want it. Sometimes it may be hard to get that help but you have to fight for it. It's okay to be different just try to stay grounded so you don't fall into a depression.



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10 May 2012, 12:28 pm

mglosenger wrote:
Life on Earth is a nice idea that just never quite worked out for me. The pursuits of money and women, while occasionally interesting, always end up annoying me.

I get the sense that some people like it here, or else it would all be over. I can't find any good reason to spoil their fun. There's always other places, existences, consciousnesses, to be, that are wholly independent from Earth.

In another 1000 years, things will be different, one way or the other.

I've had some enjoyable bits here and there on Earth. I suppose that somehow capitalism and America and everything else are all the best possible things that could ever exist. Really, I can't define how I would improve the place. I'd basically have to completely change it to somewhere else, and that seems like a lot of work, and I'm not interested.

In particular, I find gravity, finite resources, and fear annoying, and Earth is nothing but those things right now (especially the first two).

I have no real suggestions for you but perhaps some form of commiseration is helpful. Perhaps I merely want to write these things somewhere and somehow this seems like a good thread. Perhaps I've already written these things tens (hundreds?) of times already and nobody cares but somehow this will make some difference :)

I also note that I used to listen to Pink Floyd all the time myself and I stopped once I realized that their music is almost entirely depressing, without even trying to offer any actual solution. Roger Waters sounds really angry but yet he makes no attempt to do anything about it.. I think he just likes being angry. When they had Syd Barrett they at least wrote some nicely surreal lyrics, but then those too were largely depressing. Pink Floyd are after all basically a blues band, albeit with electric guitars and keyboards and a psychedelic leaning.

All that said, I don't know that I have any actual solution either (beyond get rid of everyone or create an infinite power source [neither of which is apparently ever going to happen here on Earth]). I really have simply given up on life on Earth. If you have too, then you may as well just sit back and relax. Being angry or depressed has never gotten me anywhere, except when I then took action to avoid feeling those ways.



Well uhh I wouldn't say he doesn't do anything about it and since when is there a rule that says songs and albums have to give you a 'solution' to an issue the point is to express issues but no musician/singer has all the answers so all they can really do is put ideas and concepts out there for people to think about....also he and the other musicians who did the instruments put on an amazing show and that means a lot to all the Pink Floyd fans who were there. Yeah the music is depressing and there are negative emotions because that was their experience of life, so they made music about it and its music I really enjoy I find listening to such music theraputic....that said sometimes I'm not in the mood for Pink Floyd so I might go a while without listening to them but I can't imagine trashing all my albums, posters, shirts ect. and never listening to their music again.

Also I don't feel I have much of a choice about being angry or depressed......as for the anger I feel like I haven't expressed enough of it I've always been an extreme introvert so yeah I've put up with a lot that's angered me but just kept it to myself and suppressed it. As for the depression well I've been depressed for a very long time and its kind of hard to see the bright side when your whole world is black. But I'm still trying to live life regardless of that, I just don't think anyone should expect me to do it with a big smile on my face.


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Sweetleaf
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10 May 2012, 12:38 pm

lostgirl1986 wrote:
My ex-boyfriend told me that I have a skewered perception of life. Reality is whatever you make it out to be. I know that I live in my head way too much and there are times where I slip too far into it. When those times happen I need to grab on to something or somebody so I don't live inside my head. I keep a list of distractions around and I look at that to keep me busy. I'll call my good friend who is an awesome listener and she helps me cope with things. I'll try and keep myself busy or do the things that I like doing the most so I don't slip into a downward spiral into my head. The more active you are, the better.

It was bad for me last summer, I fell into a deep depression and I became so introverted that I got this huge anxiety complex and I eventually ended up going crazy, throwing things around and I had to be hospitalized for two weeks. I'm glad that I got help because it really grounded me and everybody was so nice. I didn't feel like I was some crazy person and I met people who had similar problems. I enrolled into an outpatient day program for 7 weeks and I really enjoyed it, it helped me so much.

I know it's hard to accept yourself sometimes but I think that I'm finally starting to accept that I have some quirks that I'll never get rid of. There's help out there but you have to want it. Sometimes it may be hard to get that help but you have to fight for it. It's okay to be different just try to stay grounded so you don't fall into a depression.


I've never came out of my depression.....in the first place but in my case I do try to avoid falling into the next level of depression which is suicidal. But yeah I'm working on trying to see what help is available and such....I will admit though I do kind of worry about if the help will make things worse because that is what happened when I was prescribed Prozac.


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10 May 2012, 12:48 pm

Yeah, I understand what you mean about the depression. I mean, I still have it too but I'm not at the lowest of lows and contemplating suicide like last summer.

It's okay to be nervous about getting help especially if a lot of people aren't supportive around you. I'm sorry to hear that you had a bad experience with one drug but maybe that drug wasn't for you. Sometimes you have to keep switching drugs until you find the right one. Even if you just get counselling, that's one foot in the door already. Maybe you could ask an understanding friend to go to the doctor with you to make the first step as support, I did that once and it helped.



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10 May 2012, 12:55 pm

lostgirl1986 wrote:
Yeah, I understand what you mean about the depression. I mean, I still have it too but I'm not at the lowest of lows and contemplating suicide like last summer.

It's okay to be nervous about getting help especially if a lot of people aren't supportive around you. I'm sorry to hear that you had a bad experience with one drug but maybe that drug wasn't for you. Sometimes you have to keep switching drugs until you find the right one. Even if you just get counselling, that's one foot in the door already. Maybe you could ask an understanding friend to go to the doctor with you to make the first step as support, I did that once and it helped.


Maybe but I refuse to try any more SSRIs....and I've been in counseling thus far it hasn't helped so I am really hoping the place I am scheduling an appointment at is for real about being able to do psych assessments and help with diagnoses. Then maybe I can see what help other than counseling is available. I mean I have friends I can talk to about how I feel without having to pay...and hopefully this place is for real about the sliding scale fee/no fee(if no income) as well.


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10 May 2012, 2:31 pm

Sweetleaf wrote:
edgewaters wrote:
Sweetleaf wrote:
I mean you know what I wonder about the 60's? I wonder why so many of them stopped and tried to conform to the BS that is society. I mean what the hell happened to people?


Basically ... they needed money ... to pay for the things they needed and wanted, to raise their kids as well or better than they'd been raised, to be independant, etc

Attempts to live outside the system mostly failed to meet long-term needs and security.


Yeah well I don't feel like giving up was the answer.....I suppose though living outside the system is as most thing are easier said than done. Even so I just don't see how someone could just forget about the person they are all for the sake of conforming to a society they were in opposition to. I mean I can't even imagine the internal conflict that would cause.


I guess I don't see things as being quite so black-and-white. The true meaning "conforming to society" is a pretty vague and abstract concept that's more an emotional revulsion than anything. I'm not saying that society is great or anything, just that it doesn't have to have such importance. I think people who are not into the idea of "conforming to society" can find peace by separating those things they have to do just to live life from what is really important in terms of actually giving them true fulfillment. I think at some point you have to find a way to distance yourself from all the meaningless BS and just find a way to laugh at it. I mean, I know a friend who one day just decided to throw his television set out of his second story window.



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10 May 2012, 2:41 pm

marshall wrote:
Sweetleaf wrote:
edgewaters wrote:
Sweetleaf wrote:
I mean you know what I wonder about the 60's? I wonder why so many of them stopped and tried to conform to the BS that is society. I mean what the hell happened to people?


Basically ... they needed money ... to pay for the things they needed and wanted, to raise their kids as well or better than they'd been raised, to be independant, etc

Attempts to live outside the system mostly failed to meet long-term needs and security.


Yeah well I don't feel like giving up was the answer.....I suppose though living outside the system is as most thing are easier said than done. Even so I just don't see how someone could just forget about the person they are all for the sake of conforming to a society they were in opposition to. I mean I can't even imagine the internal conflict that would cause.


I guess I don't see things as being quite so black-and-white. The true meaning "conforming to society" is a pretty vague and abstract concept that's more an emotional revulsion than anything. I'm not saying that society is great or anything, just that it doesn't have to have such importance. I think people who are not into the idea of "conforming to society" can find peace by separating those things they have to do just to live life from what is really important in terms of actually giving them true fulfillment. I think at some point you have to find a way to distance yourself from all the meaningless BS and just find a way to laugh at it. I mean, I know a friend who one day just decided to throw his television set out of his second story window.


Ok I know that is kind of vague and abstract but how else am I supposed to word what I'm trying to express? I mean I am not trying to go into the true deeper meanings of such terms and debate about it. Point is I just find it sad it seemed like people were more willing to try a different way and could have maybe even made progress with it.......and for whatever reason it just died and everyone decided it was time to grow up and since growing up is I guess synonymous with succeeding in this society(according to a lot of people it seems). Well there was no more trying to change things.

Also that is the thing I cannot function in the society......so its not like I can go to work detatch myself and then come home and be myself while distancing myself from the crap I had to put up with that day. It's like I can't even make money to get away from this society and I could totally see myself throwing a t.v out the window I've certainly had the urge more than once when annoying commercials come on.


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marshall
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10 May 2012, 6:41 pm

Sweetleaf wrote:
marshall wrote:
Sweetleaf wrote:
edgewaters wrote:
Sweetleaf wrote:
I mean you know what I wonder about the 60's? I wonder why so many of them stopped and tried to conform to the BS that is society. I mean what the hell happened to people?


Basically ... they needed money ... to pay for the things they needed and wanted, to raise their kids as well or better than they'd been raised, to be independant, etc

Attempts to live outside the system mostly failed to meet long-term needs and security.


Yeah well I don't feel like giving up was the answer.....I suppose though living outside the system is as most thing are easier said than done. Even so I just don't see how someone could just forget about the person they are all for the sake of conforming to a society they were in opposition to. I mean I can't even imagine the internal conflict that would cause.


I guess I don't see things as being quite so black-and-white. The true meaning "conforming to society" is a pretty vague and abstract concept that's more an emotional revulsion than anything. I'm not saying that society is great or anything, just that it doesn't have to have such importance. I think people who are not into the idea of "conforming to society" can find peace by separating those things they have to do just to live life from what is really important in terms of actually giving them true fulfillment. I think at some point you have to find a way to distance yourself from all the meaningless BS and just find a way to laugh at it. I mean, I know a friend who one day just decided to throw his television set out of his second story window.


Ok I know that is kind of vague and abstract but how else am I supposed to word what I'm trying to express? I mean I am not trying to go into the true deeper meanings of such terms and debate about it. Point is I just find it sad it seemed like people were more willing to try a different way and could have maybe even made progress with it.......and for whatever reason it just died and everyone decided it was time to grow up and since growing up is I guess synonymous with succeeding in this society(according to a lot of people it seems). Well there was no more trying to change things.

Also that is the thing I cannot function in the society......so its not like I can go to work detatch myself and then come home and be myself while distancing myself from the crap I had to put up with that day. It's like I can't even make money to get away from this society and I could totally see myself throwing a t.v out the window I've certainly had the urge more than once when annoying commercials come on.


I hope I'm not coming off as annoying or unhelpful. I just see somewhat of a false dichotomy. It's possible to try and change society from the inside rather than believing you have to completely cut yourself off. I'm not trying to minimize the fact that you have trouble functioning in this society. I just wish it was easier to not have to focus on how messed up everything is every waking moment. Sorry I don't have the greatest answers.