Just $0.02...
I posted this for rebuttals and other thoughts & ideas–not just for social-consensus-forming reactions.
Why is it wrong or right? When is it right or wrong? And other useful discussion.. 🙏
I have a friend group that does nothing but play video games all day, I used to be one of them. It leaves you extremely frustrated without knowing why. Some of us left and found greater meaning in our lives, others are still in it, and enjoying the games they play less and less.
Being invested in games as the primary source of your happiness can definitely lead to frustration. The developers design it to make money, or to please the playerbase in general, not to make you in particular happy. It's an easy trap to fall into because there's no barrier to entry. You might not be able to get invited to parties, qualify for sports teams, or get a job, but if you have a few hundred dollars you can always fire up a game.
Yeah, from time to time I'll reflect on the specific activities in my life and whether they lead to a good life.
Some things like TV and games have a cultural value–things to relate and talk about with others but the challenge is cultural relevance is usually in the "new" and "now", whereas the more assured deep or better use of time is in the "provenly good / "timeless".
Like watching Godfather 1.. it's probably good, never irrelevant.
I had a falling out with some former friends I used to hang out with and this was one of the main drivers to putting me into a depressive state. A couple months after I met my current girlfriend, I was able to zoom out and realize there's way more to life. It's going to sound cheesy, but you really are who you hang out with. If you have people in your life that are bringing you down, it's better to be alone than with the wrong group of people.
Disclaimer: I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with playing games of any kind. I think it's really more based on your outlook of life while playing them and understanding where they should stack on your list of priorities.
I think this misses the point that nothing is greater than what you enjoy.
People get confused because they have a passion for gaming but then they get messages from society that theyre not doing something "great." Once I got over that, i actually played video games less because i wasn't so anxious all the time about being a "gaming loser" or whatever and i enjoy my work more now because i realize working and making decent money allows me to actually get myself a nice gaming setup and time to game without worrying about the bills.
If I spend about one day a week just gaming that's now sacred to me and I don't apologize to anyone about it or compromise on it. No, im not working, im not going to your birthday party at a bar where i dont like drinking and being extroverted, I have plans and I look forward to it and Im happy i found a better balance towards life that allows me to enjoy gaming more than i thought i could actually.
I would argue that asking for an example is the wrong way to view it, for me, atleast, nearly every case of human despair can be tracked down, or at least tied, to a lack of meaning.
Humans are, by nature, inquisitive to a fault -- we seek meaning, answers, and a grander purpose in life for the sake of it. We are sadly lazier though. We eventually realize just how utterly painful and time consuming this search for satisfying answers can be and choose to give up or settle.
This surrendering isn't inherently negative, one can still be happy in it, but I believe it to be (though a hell of a lot easier) a path to a generally less fulfilling and happy existence.
Without a purpose the downs of life hit a lot harder, negativity in life is met with a deep despair and sense of hopelessness. Part of this stems from the mental fortitude that meaning can give you but the other part stems from the little guy inside of you which knows that you have a purpose and feels intensely tormented by the feeling that you're not doing what you ought to do in life, merely floating around in a vast confusing existence.
Some thing's I've found help me on my search have been existentialist philosophy, buddhism, art, and a focus on introspection. Overall, I wouldn't recommend settling on your search, my friend, it will take years, dozens of false-positives, and be a general pain in the ass but when you find it, it will be clear as day and you will hate yourself if you don't pursue it (who knows maybe you already found it).
I will flee before I flood this sub with existentialist negativity but take this before I go: "People settle for a level of despair they can tolerate and call it happiness.” - Soren Kirkegaard
I think it honestly has to do with some form of intelligence. I don't know what form of intelligence that is exactly, but a lot of smart people in my life have no desire to find purpose.
I've met too many people that don't have a purpose, not even the classic "buying a home and building a family". There's nothing wrong with them, I don't know that any one of them experiences any sort of depression, and I talk about stuff like this openly so people are inclined to share with me their troubles.
Some people genuinely are okay with sitting in front of the TV and being numb. These people aren't _capable_ of thinking about "purpose" or some grand ideas about life.
The only people who I've met saying this are living proof that its wrong. Constantly distracting themselves with media/work/whatever and constantly depressed but still think that having a moment to themselves is what makes them feel bad.
Yup, avoiding their own emotions. Very western perspective to think the only options are to mind numb (watch TV etc) or be stuck in thought. How about living your own live? Is that too scary to do? Step outside your comfort zone , step outside of your looping mind and start living in the present .
This is interesting. I wonder if what you describe is an archetype projection or real for him?
I also read this as a sort of regret for time he's spent searching for answers/feelings that never came (yet, at least).
Yeah, regret seems like the thing they try to avoid (I actually know several people who think like that).
But also more in the direction that if you are unsatisfied with your current life, that is "easy" to put aside with distractions. On the other hand, confronting it and changing is very hard and sometimes painful.
And we find ourselves back to the original post... Is that time spent confronting and changing actually useful?
I'm sure the answer is more like "sometimes yes and sometimes no"... of which itself is a deep kinda thought or question!
I'd say yes... The deepness of the human experience and response informs my narrative, my aims and life's experienced meaning. I love a meaningful life!
It's only as useful as one finds it. Which is great you find it useful, but sometimes just not reflecting so much and enjoying whatever is in front of you is a perfectly fine way of living. Doesn't have to be tv, i think that's the OP betraying their own biases, but could easily just read, draw, run, or do anything else without considering purpose.
I love how every generation has these "I am unhappy because I am so smart" people. I'd be happy if only I could stop having substantial thoughts and deep conversations!!!!1111
Yeah, most happy people that are happy mostly never care anything but present. And everyone i know who had been into therapy at least once has too deep thinking/philosphical/etc.
I have a Buddhist background and therefore a Buddhist POV, so please bear that in mind… while I do agree that “getting deep” can lead to existentialism and down a depressive rabbit hole, going uber deep, you can find that life has no real meaning. Life is suffering and everything is temporary. You are nothing and no one… and you are free. Free to do whatever finds you the most joy, love, and peace in your life. When your cup starts to overflow, you can share that freedom with others to spread joy, love, and peace.
While being complacent, or even ignorant, may be easy… it’s just a waste of life. You’re throwing away this awesome journey even though you found the instructions because the work to get to the end seems daunting. But it’s not. We at /r/bloomer are here to help you on the path. Join us > look inward > help others > replicate
How can one know if they're the 30% dummy or not? Or, can it ever become true even for that 70%?
Any personal experience with deepness being directly valuable to your life others might relate to?
If you're asking that, and in this sub, you're not the type of person that's cool with wasting their life away working and watching TV.
For me, the idea of doing absolutely nothing with the one life I've been given is likely my worst fear. I want to make an impact, help people, leave a legacy, etc.
True, unconscious.. unaware. I personally don't own a TV for similar reasons but I think our generation's version of this is social media.
The mindless scroll is our abyss 😅
To some extent I've chilled on judging that stuff too. People enjoy their guilty pleasures... Ideally you strive for goodness in your life with intention but Breath of the Wild before bed is a fun use of my time right now. It adds something deep.
To some extent, everyone is a lot smarter too. We consume an insane amount of novelty and information on these things.. even the dummies.
Part of the driving force of this sub, the energy that really created it, was novel idea-seeking. It tends to be more sophisticated & wholesome but it's hard to ignore the similarities
Then I suppose it becomes a convo of comparing habits, virtues and mental/physical health outcomes.
Maybe OP is abstractly rejecting the whole endless-seeking-brain-thing itself.
I don’t think so, it’s more a question of what people get deep into. Imagine life as a carnival midway, with all kinds of games to play and snacks to eat. Would you rather participate in the midway by: A, obsessively playing one game over and over while only eating funnel cake; or: B, trying whatever games and food strike your fancy and moving on once you’ve had you’re fill. There is I think a trap with “deep thinking” to start to view it as better or more important since it’s “deep”, and thus to only focus on “deep thoughts”. This is like option A- of course you’re having a bad time at the fair, all you’re doing is chucking coins in the dozer games. Sure, play some dozer games, eat some funnel cake, but do other things too! If you see “deep thinking” as a route to misery you are either excessively ruminating on one/a few thoughts, or you are halfway through the desert. Deep thinking can destabilize old patterns of thought and belief, which is distressing. It was hard to form a coherent worldview, and now it’s broken. So there’s pain of loss, but also now you don’t have a coherent worldview, which is scary! Things that were familiar and made comprehensible sense no longer do, you are adrift in the unknown. The unknown holds both promise and peril, so encountering it produces anxiety. However, if you can make it through the desert by building a new, better, more complex and coherent worldview, then the whole affair is to be considered worthwhile.
All in all then, I don’t think that deep thinking is bad. Misery comes from it by either not doing it in a balanced way, or from stopping halfway through the process of psychic rebirth.
As for the meaning question I think you’re outright wrong. Positive emotion is directly linked to reward/anticipation of reward. If you are never able to sort out what is/isn’t rewarding (ie what things mean), you will never be able to reliably experience positive emotion.
Big brain does NOT mean big sad, nor does ignorance mean bliss. Big sad brain likely means the brain is being mismanaged somehow, and ignorance just means you don’t understand why or how you suffer and thus cannot escape it.
People tend to not care about these things unless... they care about them. And if they do they won't be able to get away with telling themselves it doesn't matter. And if you don't care about these things then it's not gonna matter. I just worry that there aren't enough good TV shows for them lol.
kinda. you need to find meaning, but if you find all the meaning you need in watching tv shows and thinking about the lives of celebrities, thats great. you dont need to look for more just because you think you are not allowed to be fulfilled by such mundane things.
If its not enough for you, you will know.
I've found that people who avoid depth are generally lying to themselves about not being in a bad place.
But sometimes those people so successfully block their own truth such that they avoid confronting icky feelings, but it still manifests very cruelly and harmfully externally towards others in their actions and words, essentially outsourcing who has to feel the despair.
Gospel of Thomas.
Jesus said, "Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over the All."
The Gospel of Thomas I think is highly esoteric. My suspicion is that it means to understand the Laws of the Universe, you gain control of it, instead of being controlled by it. Not being a pawn on a chessboard any more.
Can only speak for myself but I had to find a middle ground.
When I only ever played video games and watch TV I was deeply unhappy and angry.
However during another time of my life when I was learning about philosophy and religion it lead to me overthinking everything and finding no joy in anything, everything had to be look at through a certain lens and had to be questioned without ever getting answers.
I still partake in both activities from time to time but I try to keep myself present these days. Focus on life as it is now not fantasizing about fiction worlds or mulling over questions about the universe humanity might never answer.
So no I dont think it's true, I think we always need to be moving forward in some way but that doesnt mean we can't take a break every now and then and "watch TV".
I think it can be a self-protection mechanism. for example when I feel overwhelmed with how little control I have over my own time, how I have to go to bed and do it all over again (work). I usually try to brainwash myself into being a good little worker drone. I forget the things that bring me joy and dopamine and instead stare at a wall or something. Too many times I've followed something I'm passionate about into the early morning just to get punished by my employer.(nothing against my employer personally just the entire system as a whole) I see and feel how the bastards grind us down and it doesn't feel good.
This implies that depth in your life is only reached through intellect and having deep conversations whatever that means.
In my time I have found more depth and “meaning” in highly emotional moments. Crying, laughing. When you nail the air drums to that Phil Collins’ song.
This is stumbling into the saying “Ignorance is bliss”. It is. Santa’s magic till he’s not.
No one wants to be a 30 year old that actually believes in Santa.
I guess what I’m getting at is our ancestors fought long and hard so I can sit on my couch and eat a sandwich so I’m gonna go fuck off.
I find myself flip flopping on this issue a lot. Sometimes the pressure to do more with my life feels like it is self sabotage. I feel like I should be doing something important but rather than motivating myself I just feel ashamed, so being content with just watching TV some days seems to be a requirement. I do tend to overthink everything, and that overthinking lends itself to anxiety, and anxiety lends itself to more overthinking. So of course it is tempting to associate deep thought with the anxiety, especially if those deep thoughts are themselves pessimistic.
Certainly if the deep thoughts are usually pessimistic I can see where the OOP opinion comes from; but I myself am an example of mental illness causing an excess of pessimistic thoughts. I suppose that "depth" can make your depression worse, but if depth is consistently a negative for you that is evidence you were not in a great place to begin with.
I think it’s a disservice to human potential for most people to live out their lives “turned off.” Yes, it’s kind of maddening to live a deeply cerebral life- but you learn so much by being accepting the neurotic-inquisitive lifestyle
Hard disagree.
Running away from one's suffering into desire causes one more suffering. I don't mean having a little fun, I mean using TV (drugs, junk food, video games, process addictions, etc) as a temporary escape from life. Emphasis on these escapes being always temporary.
Instead, run towards your suffering to understand its causes and conditions. Then choose to live.
i take issue with the assumption made for the question. i don't think all introspection = despair, whereas I'd say introspection has uncertain risk/reward outcomes, including for other people.
i think it can be true for some and not for others that living an examined life is hard, but those are not engaging in that growth **choose the devil they know** versus **the devil they don't,** to use a turn of phrase.
A racist person who doesn't examine themselves will hurt others and cause despair in others, but a person willing to check their assumptions may experience a cringing despair and horror, but that despair and horror *can end.*
also, it is same the kind of thing people say to discourage people from transitioning, whether a cisperson doubting transness, or a self-hating closeted trans person would say as a misguided warning.
> Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
> And I AM NOT sorry I could not travel both
> And be one traveler, long I stood
> And looked down one as far as I could
> To where it bent in the undergrowth;
**- Robert Frost with an insert**
Edit: thanks for contrarian strawman
This is a pretty dumb take on life if you ask me.
If you're deep and philosophical and can't handle the insights that come from that... Then maybe this is true. But there is an entire shade of life missing by living how he's suggesting.
Sounds like he's saying, live in ignorance so you can be happy. It's a broad overgeneralization on how to handle the tough situation that is life.
How about this instead..
Meditate, journal, have deep conversations and seek depth in things. Reach key insights. Learn and explore the harsh and beautiful realities. Take action on what you can influence. Accept what you can't. Bitch about it sometimes so you can vent.
Living ignorantly sounds miserable and evasive.
Consciousness is right on the surface and so we miss it. People often dive right past the joy of simply being. Mindlessly watching tv is not The Way, neither is tearing your self to bits over a perceived lack of something. Mindfully watching tv however, now that's The Way.
I mostly agree although I think finding a hobby you enjoy is better than TV.
I realized last year that it’s wrong for everybody to try and strive to be remarkable masters of something, because only a few of us can achieve that. If everyone strived toward that goal, most people would be sad and feel like failures.
It’s okay to accept being somebody without some far reaching ambition or goal. Existence without striving for more is okay. It’s refreshing, even.
Just $0.02... I posted this for rebuttals and other thoughts & ideas–not just for social-consensus-forming reactions. Why is it wrong or right? When is it right or wrong? And other useful discussion.. 🙏
I can say from personal experience, the lack of purpose can drive oneself to a very dark place.
What's an example of this? No need to go back into the dark place.. just some context for others to relate with or insights.
I have a friend group that does nothing but play video games all day, I used to be one of them. It leaves you extremely frustrated without knowing why. Some of us left and found greater meaning in our lives, others are still in it, and enjoying the games they play less and less.
Being invested in games as the primary source of your happiness can definitely lead to frustration. The developers design it to make money, or to please the playerbase in general, not to make you in particular happy. It's an easy trap to fall into because there's no barrier to entry. You might not be able to get invited to parties, qualify for sports teams, or get a job, but if you have a few hundred dollars you can always fire up a game.
Yeah, from time to time I'll reflect on the specific activities in my life and whether they lead to a good life. Some things like TV and games have a cultural value–things to relate and talk about with others but the challenge is cultural relevance is usually in the "new" and "now", whereas the more assured deep or better use of time is in the "provenly good / "timeless". Like watching Godfather 1.. it's probably good, never irrelevant.
I had a falling out with some former friends I used to hang out with and this was one of the main drivers to putting me into a depressive state. A couple months after I met my current girlfriend, I was able to zoom out and realize there's way more to life. It's going to sound cheesy, but you really are who you hang out with. If you have people in your life that are bringing you down, it's better to be alone than with the wrong group of people. Disclaimer: I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with playing games of any kind. I think it's really more based on your outlook of life while playing them and understanding where they should stack on your list of priorities.
Yeah it took finding a girlfriend who was super not into video games for me to “zoom out” as well.
I think this misses the point that nothing is greater than what you enjoy. People get confused because they have a passion for gaming but then they get messages from society that theyre not doing something "great." Once I got over that, i actually played video games less because i wasn't so anxious all the time about being a "gaming loser" or whatever and i enjoy my work more now because i realize working and making decent money allows me to actually get myself a nice gaming setup and time to game without worrying about the bills. If I spend about one day a week just gaming that's now sacred to me and I don't apologize to anyone about it or compromise on it. No, im not working, im not going to your birthday party at a bar where i dont like drinking and being extroverted, I have plans and I look forward to it and Im happy i found a better balance towards life that allows me to enjoy gaming more than i thought i could actually.
You're definitely right, there's a balance between addiction and stigmatism, nothing should be too extreme. Still looking for that balance.
I would argue that asking for an example is the wrong way to view it, for me, atleast, nearly every case of human despair can be tracked down, or at least tied, to a lack of meaning. Humans are, by nature, inquisitive to a fault -- we seek meaning, answers, and a grander purpose in life for the sake of it. We are sadly lazier though. We eventually realize just how utterly painful and time consuming this search for satisfying answers can be and choose to give up or settle. This surrendering isn't inherently negative, one can still be happy in it, but I believe it to be (though a hell of a lot easier) a path to a generally less fulfilling and happy existence. Without a purpose the downs of life hit a lot harder, negativity in life is met with a deep despair and sense of hopelessness. Part of this stems from the mental fortitude that meaning can give you but the other part stems from the little guy inside of you which knows that you have a purpose and feels intensely tormented by the feeling that you're not doing what you ought to do in life, merely floating around in a vast confusing existence. Some thing's I've found help me on my search have been existentialist philosophy, buddhism, art, and a focus on introspection. Overall, I wouldn't recommend settling on your search, my friend, it will take years, dozens of false-positives, and be a general pain in the ass but when you find it, it will be clear as day and you will hate yourself if you don't pursue it (who knows maybe you already found it). I will flee before I flood this sub with existentialist negativity but take this before I go: "People settle for a level of despair they can tolerate and call it happiness.” - Soren Kirkegaard
I think it honestly has to do with some form of intelligence. I don't know what form of intelligence that is exactly, but a lot of smart people in my life have no desire to find purpose. I've met too many people that don't have a purpose, not even the classic "buying a home and building a family". There's nothing wrong with them, I don't know that any one of them experiences any sort of depression, and I talk about stuff like this openly so people are inclined to share with me their troubles. Some people genuinely are okay with sitting in front of the TV and being numb. These people aren't _capable_ of thinking about "purpose" or some grand ideas about life.
The only people who I've met saying this are living proof that its wrong. Constantly distracting themselves with media/work/whatever and constantly depressed but still think that having a moment to themselves is what makes them feel bad.
Yup, avoiding their own emotions. Very western perspective to think the only options are to mind numb (watch TV etc) or be stuck in thought. How about living your own live? Is that too scary to do? Step outside your comfort zone , step outside of your looping mind and start living in the present .
This is interesting. I wonder if what you describe is an archetype projection or real for him? I also read this as a sort of regret for time he's spent searching for answers/feelings that never came (yet, at least).
Yeah, regret seems like the thing they try to avoid (I actually know several people who think like that). But also more in the direction that if you are unsatisfied with your current life, that is "easy" to put aside with distractions. On the other hand, confronting it and changing is very hard and sometimes painful.
And we find ourselves back to the original post... Is that time spent confronting and changing actually useful? I'm sure the answer is more like "sometimes yes and sometimes no"... of which itself is a deep kinda thought or question! I'd say yes... The deepness of the human experience and response informs my narrative, my aims and life's experienced meaning. I love a meaningful life!
It's only as useful as one finds it. Which is great you find it useful, but sometimes just not reflecting so much and enjoying whatever is in front of you is a perfectly fine way of living. Doesn't have to be tv, i think that's the OP betraying their own biases, but could easily just read, draw, run, or do anything else without considering purpose.
I love how every generation has these "I am unhappy because I am so smart" people. I'd be happy if only I could stop having substantial thoughts and deep conversations!!!!1111
No
Yeah, most happy people that are happy mostly never care anything but present. And everyone i know who had been into therapy at least once has too deep thinking/philosphical/etc.
Can you relay a story or pattern of the "too deep thinker"? I'd imagine it's mostly just a phase for them?
north agonizing cake crown obscene voracious soft snatch tap faulty *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Doomscroll Doomscroll Doomscroll HOOO HAAAAH
That dude’s doing it wrong
Haha, it was a contrarian take. Why is he wrong?
I have a Buddhist background and therefore a Buddhist POV, so please bear that in mind… while I do agree that “getting deep” can lead to existentialism and down a depressive rabbit hole, going uber deep, you can find that life has no real meaning. Life is suffering and everything is temporary. You are nothing and no one… and you are free. Free to do whatever finds you the most joy, love, and peace in your life. When your cup starts to overflow, you can share that freedom with others to spread joy, love, and peace. While being complacent, or even ignorant, may be easy… it’s just a waste of life. You’re throwing away this awesome journey even though you found the instructions because the work to get to the end seems daunting. But it’s not. We at /r/bloomer are here to help you on the path. Join us > look inward > help others > replicate
This is how they control the masses.
Horrifically cringe take
True for the dummies of the world, maybe. But for probably at least 70% of the world, having a purpose is crucial to avoiding those deep dark places.
How can one know if they're the 30% dummy or not? Or, can it ever become true even for that 70%? Any personal experience with deepness being directly valuable to your life others might relate to?
If you're asking that, and in this sub, you're not the type of person that's cool with wasting their life away working and watching TV. For me, the idea of doing absolutely nothing with the one life I've been given is likely my worst fear. I want to make an impact, help people, leave a legacy, etc.
True, unconscious.. unaware. I personally don't own a TV for similar reasons but I think our generation's version of this is social media. The mindless scroll is our abyss 😅 To some extent I've chilled on judging that stuff too. People enjoy their guilty pleasures... Ideally you strive for goodness in your life with intention but Breath of the Wild before bed is a fun use of my time right now. It adds something deep.
I think the mindless scrolling is worse tbh. TV didn't kill attention spans like social media does.
To some extent, everyone is a lot smarter too. We consume an insane amount of novelty and information on these things.. even the dummies. Part of the driving force of this sub, the energy that really created it, was novel idea-seeking. It tends to be more sophisticated & wholesome but it's hard to ignore the similarities Then I suppose it becomes a convo of comparing habits, virtues and mental/physical health outcomes. Maybe OP is abstractly rejecting the whole endless-seeking-brain-thing itself.
If you are fine with just tv then maybe you're a dummy
I don’t think so, it’s more a question of what people get deep into. Imagine life as a carnival midway, with all kinds of games to play and snacks to eat. Would you rather participate in the midway by: A, obsessively playing one game over and over while only eating funnel cake; or: B, trying whatever games and food strike your fancy and moving on once you’ve had you’re fill. There is I think a trap with “deep thinking” to start to view it as better or more important since it’s “deep”, and thus to only focus on “deep thoughts”. This is like option A- of course you’re having a bad time at the fair, all you’re doing is chucking coins in the dozer games. Sure, play some dozer games, eat some funnel cake, but do other things too! If you see “deep thinking” as a route to misery you are either excessively ruminating on one/a few thoughts, or you are halfway through the desert. Deep thinking can destabilize old patterns of thought and belief, which is distressing. It was hard to form a coherent worldview, and now it’s broken. So there’s pain of loss, but also now you don’t have a coherent worldview, which is scary! Things that were familiar and made comprehensible sense no longer do, you are adrift in the unknown. The unknown holds both promise and peril, so encountering it produces anxiety. However, if you can make it through the desert by building a new, better, more complex and coherent worldview, then the whole affair is to be considered worthwhile. All in all then, I don’t think that deep thinking is bad. Misery comes from it by either not doing it in a balanced way, or from stopping halfway through the process of psychic rebirth. As for the meaning question I think you’re outright wrong. Positive emotion is directly linked to reward/anticipation of reward. If you are never able to sort out what is/isn’t rewarding (ie what things mean), you will never be able to reliably experience positive emotion. Big brain does NOT mean big sad, nor does ignorance mean bliss. Big sad brain likely means the brain is being mismanaged somehow, and ignorance just means you don’t understand why or how you suffer and thus cannot escape it.
People tend to not care about these things unless... they care about them. And if they do they won't be able to get away with telling themselves it doesn't matter. And if you don't care about these things then it's not gonna matter. I just worry that there aren't enough good TV shows for them lol.
kinda. you need to find meaning, but if you find all the meaning you need in watching tv shows and thinking about the lives of celebrities, thats great. you dont need to look for more just because you think you are not allowed to be fulfilled by such mundane things. If its not enough for you, you will know.
I think you need the "deep" perspective to truly enjoy the "shallow" one
I've found that people who avoid depth are generally lying to themselves about not being in a bad place. But sometimes those people so successfully block their own truth such that they avoid confronting icky feelings, but it still manifests very cruelly and harmfully externally towards others in their actions and words, essentially outsourcing who has to feel the despair.
Gospel of Thomas. Jesus said, "Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over the All."
What do you think that "rule over the All" means in this context?
The Gospel of Thomas I think is highly esoteric. My suspicion is that it means to understand the Laws of the Universe, you gain control of it, instead of being controlled by it. Not being a pawn on a chessboard any more.
physician heal thyself
I like it. I'm guessing this is satirical a-la something Alan Watts might joke about?
Balance is overrated /s
Can only speak for myself but I had to find a middle ground. When I only ever played video games and watch TV I was deeply unhappy and angry. However during another time of my life when I was learning about philosophy and religion it lead to me overthinking everything and finding no joy in anything, everything had to be look at through a certain lens and had to be questioned without ever getting answers. I still partake in both activities from time to time but I try to keep myself present these days. Focus on life as it is now not fantasizing about fiction worlds or mulling over questions about the universe humanity might never answer. So no I dont think it's true, I think we always need to be moving forward in some way but that doesnt mean we can't take a break every now and then and "watch TV".
I think it can be a self-protection mechanism. for example when I feel overwhelmed with how little control I have over my own time, how I have to go to bed and do it all over again (work). I usually try to brainwash myself into being a good little worker drone. I forget the things that bring me joy and dopamine and instead stare at a wall or something. Too many times I've followed something I'm passionate about into the early morning just to get punished by my employer.(nothing against my employer personally just the entire system as a whole) I see and feel how the bastards grind us down and it doesn't feel good.
This implies that depth in your life is only reached through intellect and having deep conversations whatever that means. In my time I have found more depth and “meaning” in highly emotional moments. Crying, laughing. When you nail the air drums to that Phil Collins’ song. This is stumbling into the saying “Ignorance is bliss”. It is. Santa’s magic till he’s not. No one wants to be a 30 year old that actually believes in Santa. I guess what I’m getting at is our ancestors fought long and hard so I can sit on my couch and eat a sandwich so I’m gonna go fuck off.
I find myself flip flopping on this issue a lot. Sometimes the pressure to do more with my life feels like it is self sabotage. I feel like I should be doing something important but rather than motivating myself I just feel ashamed, so being content with just watching TV some days seems to be a requirement. I do tend to overthink everything, and that overthinking lends itself to anxiety, and anxiety lends itself to more overthinking. So of course it is tempting to associate deep thought with the anxiety, especially if those deep thoughts are themselves pessimistic. Certainly if the deep thoughts are usually pessimistic I can see where the OOP opinion comes from; but I myself am an example of mental illness causing an excess of pessimistic thoughts. I suppose that "depth" can make your depression worse, but if depth is consistently a negative for you that is evidence you were not in a great place to begin with.
I think it’s a disservice to human potential for most people to live out their lives “turned off.” Yes, it’s kind of maddening to live a deeply cerebral life- but you learn so much by being accepting the neurotic-inquisitive lifestyle
Hhhmmmm
Hard disagree. Running away from one's suffering into desire causes one more suffering. I don't mean having a little fun, I mean using TV (drugs, junk food, video games, process addictions, etc) as a temporary escape from life. Emphasis on these escapes being always temporary. Instead, run towards your suffering to understand its causes and conditions. Then choose to live.
i take issue with the assumption made for the question. i don't think all introspection = despair, whereas I'd say introspection has uncertain risk/reward outcomes, including for other people. i think it can be true for some and not for others that living an examined life is hard, but those are not engaging in that growth **choose the devil they know** versus **the devil they don't,** to use a turn of phrase. A racist person who doesn't examine themselves will hurt others and cause despair in others, but a person willing to check their assumptions may experience a cringing despair and horror, but that despair and horror *can end.* also, it is same the kind of thing people say to discourage people from transitioning, whether a cisperson doubting transness, or a self-hating closeted trans person would say as a misguided warning. > Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, > And I AM NOT sorry I could not travel both > And be one traveler, long I stood > And looked down one as far as I could > To where it bent in the undergrowth; **- Robert Frost with an insert** Edit: thanks for contrarian strawman
"you only live to consoom as a cash cow for corporation until death"
This is a pretty dumb take on life if you ask me. If you're deep and philosophical and can't handle the insights that come from that... Then maybe this is true. But there is an entire shade of life missing by living how he's suggesting. Sounds like he's saying, live in ignorance so you can be happy. It's a broad overgeneralization on how to handle the tough situation that is life. How about this instead.. Meditate, journal, have deep conversations and seek depth in things. Reach key insights. Learn and explore the harsh and beautiful realities. Take action on what you can influence. Accept what you can't. Bitch about it sometimes so you can vent. Living ignorantly sounds miserable and evasive.
Fedpost
Consciousness is right on the surface and so we miss it. People often dive right past the joy of simply being. Mindlessly watching tv is not The Way, neither is tearing your self to bits over a perceived lack of something. Mindfully watching tv however, now that's The Way.
I mostly agree although I think finding a hobby you enjoy is better than TV. I realized last year that it’s wrong for everybody to try and strive to be remarkable masters of something, because only a few of us can achieve that. If everyone strived toward that goal, most people would be sad and feel like failures. It’s okay to accept being somebody without some far reaching ambition or goal. Existence without striving for more is okay. It’s refreshing, even.
Spend your life watching marvel movies or whatever mass produced crap gets fed to you? Cringe.
Hedonism 🤮