Discussion [Philosophy] Life is "like" a prison

[TAW122]

This is one of my ways of viewing life in general as well as my philosophy on life, existence, and being alive in general. I see life as an imposition of sentience into a non-sentient being. Basically before any of us existed or are conceived, we are nothing because we didn't exist (yet). However, when we are conceived, we are subjected into existence, thus becoming sentient without any say in it. Therefore, we are being put into a prison (life) that we have no say nor control over.

What do I mean by "life is a prison" though? Life is a state of conscious existence that we never agreed, consented, nor chose to be a part of and existence itself is a prison, where we are not free to go nor do what we want to. Instead, we are bound by the laws, rules, customs and regulations of the country, society, and community that we live in. If we choose to forgo and ignore or break these man-made constructs by the collective, we are punished for it. If we break laws, we are punished by the legal system. If we violate the social rules and norms, we are socially ostracized and/or have our reputation assassinated. If we try to take our own lives (CTB), but failed due our attempt being unsuccessful, poor methods, and/or intervention by others, we are punished by being forcibly locked up against our will in a psych ward (another prison), gaslighted, and treated like a prisoner (maybe even lower than an criminal prisoner).

During the course of one's life (prison sentence), one is indoctrinated by schools, society, government, and one's own peers and family. As said person grows up, during the next phase of this 'sentence' (existence), one is expected to wage-slave and pay taxes until one is unable to (due to age, illnesses, and/or early death by various causes). Assuming they live until old age, infirmity and other natural causes ends one 'sentence' (dying in prison). If said person had children, then they too, will undergo the same process and the each new generation, the cycle begins anew.

Therefore, life itself, is like a prison, where not only one does not have a say in being an participant of and are punished for going out of bounds or for trying to exit the prison (which is life). Does anyone see life similar to that of a prison?

Edit: Added another paragraph as well as corrected some punctuations.

 

[suffering]

100% agree

 

[Cuppatea856]

Life does feel like a prison. When my mom was older and she had to stop driving and moved to assisted living, She said, it's a pretty prison, but it's a prison, nonetheless.

 

[Shinkansen]

I feel like a soul imprisoned in a body of flesh, like a butterfly locked up in a jar.
only with death I will regain my freedom.

 

[GoodPersonEffed]

This is one of my ways of viewing life in general as well as my philosophy on life, existence, and being alive in general. I see life as an imposition of sentience into a non-sentient being. Basically before any of us existed or are conceived, we are nothing because we didn't exist (yet). However, when we are conceived, we are subjected into existence, thus becoming sentient without any say in it. Therefore, we are being put into a prison (life) that we have no say nor control over.

This is really interesting, especially as you say it is how you view existence.

There are five sentences above. The middle three sentences have two opposing ideas that appear to be irreconcilable: 1. Before we were coneived, we did not exist and were nothing. 2. Life is the imposition of sentience onto a non-sentient being.

If one does not exist prior to conception, then one is not any kind of being, non-sentient, sentient, or otherwise. Sentience comes with the conception of a human being.

If you did not exist prior to conception, then you were not brought into a prison from a state that was free from prison and therefore experience an an unjust sentence, but rather, you came into being in a prison environment.

I get the sense that perhaps there is resenment here for having had sentience unjustly imposed on your pre-conception being, as well as having a prison sentence unjustly imposed on that same being, as if you are so deeply offended that it stretches farther back than your conception, but to a time of perfection so perfect you were perfectly unaware. I don't know if this is true, I don't know if there is a foundation of resentment in this reason, and if there is, I don't argue against it or in agreement with it. I only argue the inherently opposing logic that forms the foundation of your argument but seems to me to reveal how you view existence and are perhaps trying to find a logical place to anchor your resenment for being in a prison and/or for being sentient in that prison. If you did not experience, life as a prison (and I'm not saying that it's not), would you condemn being made to be sentient? Would you still ponder your state of existence prior to conception? If you did, and if life were freedom rather than imprisonment, would you perhaps view it as being rescued from a void rather than kidnapped from it, or something along those lines?

 

[Sprite_Geist]

I see life as an imposition of sentience into a non-sentient being. Basically before any of us existed or are conceived, we are nothing because we didn't exist (yet). However, when we are conceived, we are subjected into existence, thus becoming sentient without any say in it.

I hope I don't sound like I'm parroting what you've already said, but you have made a good point about sentience. What you said ties in with the Free Will Paradox, and is 1 of the arguments for why we don't have free will/sentience... "Yes I have free will; I have no choice but to have it." - Christopher Hitchens.

If we try to take our own lives (CTB), but failed due our attempt being unsuccessful, poor methods, and/or intervention by others, we are punished by being forcibly locked up against our will in a psych ward (another prison), gaslighted, and treated like a prisoner (maybe even lower than an criminal prisoner).

Oh definitely worse than a prisoner... Much worse. Depending on what kind of criminal someone is they can still be seen as a human by many in society, but people who are in psych wards for whatever reason - attempted suicide, mental health issues, etc, are seen as just "crazies". As an example: in the place that I live there are people who are genuinely violent like hooligans who like fighting people; they get in trouble with the police a lot. Despite the fact that they are thugs though, and they are in and out of prison, people still see them as "normal" just because they aren't mentally ill. They are just seen as a "bunch of guys having fun". Yet there are people who are mentally ill who get treat as though they are scum just because of their illnesses; even though they are not criminals, or violent, or bad people at all. It's like the mentally ill are treated more like criminals, than the actual criminals. I've literally seen gangs of drunken loudmouths yell abuse at others that have mental health issues; even though these loudmouths are the same people who like swinging their fists about. Basically "normal" people can be violent or be jerks, but if a mentally ill or suicidal person acts the same they are "dangerous"... Double standards much?

Therefore, life itself, is like a prison, where not only one does not have a say in being an participant of and are punished for going out of bounds or for trying to exit the prison (which is life). Does anyone see life similar to that of a prison?

I'm sure that there are a lot of folks out there in the world, and there's definately people in this community that feel that same. I think the reason that this community was made, and why people join it, is exactly because of entrapment in this world. They feel imprisoned by the social stigma of wanting to end their own lives in order to escape.

 

[TAW122]

This is really interesting, especially as you say it is how you view existence.

There are five sentences above. The middle three sentences have two opposing ideas that appear to be irreconcilable: 1. Before we were coneived, we did not exist and were nothing. 2. Life is the imposition of sentience onto a non-sentient being.

If one does not exist prior to conception, then one is not any kind of being, non-sentient, sentient, or otherwise. Sentience comes with the conception of a human being.

If you did not exist prior to conception, then you were not brought into a prison from a state that was free from prison and therefore experience an an unjust sentence, but rather, you came into being in a prison environment.

I get the sense that perhaps there is resenment here for having had sentience unjustly imposed on your pre-conception being, as well as having a prison sentence unjustly imposed on that same being, as if you are so deeply offended that it stretches farther back than your conception, but to a time of perfection so perfect you were perfectly unaware. I don't know if this is true, I don't know if there is a foundation of resentment in this reason, and if there is, I don't argue against it or in agreement with it. I only argue the inherently opposing logic that forms the foundation of your argument but seems to me to reveal how you view existence and are perhaps trying to find a logical place to anchor your resenment for being in a prison and/or for being sentient in that prison. If you did not experience, life as a prison (and I'm not saying that it's not), would you condemn being made to be sentient? Would you still ponder your state of existence prior to conception? If you did, and if life were freedom rather than imprisonment, would you perhaps view it as being rescued from a void rather than kidnapped from it, or something along those lines?

Good point about the existence before conception thing and yes, which is why the life sentence (or rather prison sentence in this example) would have made sense. All living things were forced into this prison and serving an indefinite sentence (as each individual passes/expires at different times to different causes). As for resentment, I would say I'm more resentful towards the general humanity not just for their inability to see reason, but also the hypocrisy and what not. What brought sentience through conception is the living things that created it, so in the human's case, it was two humans of opposite genders (male and female; father and mother) through their reproductive organs' biological functions produced the materials to conceive another human being. The last question, given the assumption of freedom in your example, it would be less torturous, but said 'freedom' would still be bound to the limitations, rules, and boundaries that exist in said existence.

I hope I don't sound like I'm parroting what you've already said, but you have made a good point about sentience. What you said ties in with the Free Will Paradox, and is 1 of the arguments for why we don't have free will/sentience... "Yes I have free will; I have no choice but to have it." - Christopher Hitchens.



Oh definitely worse than a prisoner... Much worse. Depending on what kind of criminal someone is they can still be seen as a human by many in society, but people who are in psych wards for whatever reason - attempted suicide, mental health issues, etc, are seen as just "crazies". As an example: in the place that I live there are people who are genuinely violent like hooligans who like fighting people; they get in trouble with the police a lot. Despite the fact that they are thugs though, and they are in and out of prison, people still see them as "normal" just because they aren't mentally ill. They are just seen as a "bunch of guys having fun". Yet there are people who are mentally ill who get treat as though they are scum just because of their illnesses; even though they are not criminals, or violent, or bad people at all. It's like the mentally ill are treated more like criminals, than the actual criminals. I've literally seen gangs of drunken loudmouths yell abuse at others that have mental health issues; even though these loudmouths are the same people who like swinging their fists about. Basically "normal" people can be violent or be jerks, but if a mentally ill or suicidal person acts the same they are "dangerous"... Double standards much?



I'm sure that there are a lot of folks out there in the world, and there's definately people in this community that feel that same. I think the reason that this community was made, and why people join it, is exactly because of entrapment in this world. They feel imprisoned by the social stigma of wanting to end their own lives in order to escape.

Interest quote by Hitchens and it means that one is given free will by default (without having to do anything). As for the comparison between real criminals and just being 'treated' like a criminal, yes the main difference and key point is that people who are "mentally ill" by societal standards are treated like they have no credibility. Having credibility and a voice is one of the most important things a human being has as worth; it's also one of the last lines of defense against opposing claims and any opposition. To strip a human being of that is to reduce said human being to a status less than that of an human (even less than animal ironically; as animals are treated better even). It is indeed double standards and one of the reasons I hate society in general so much. Your last paragraph also makes a lot of sense too. Ever since I've joined this community (or even the SS subreddit before it got shut down), I felt some semblance of belonging and understanding. It has brought me some needed comfort and a voice to be heard, not censored, not judged, and also empathy for my plights.

 

[Leshen]

I'd even go a step further and say that we might already be in hell.

 

[TAW122]

I'd even go a step further and say that we might already be in hell.

I think hell (metaphorically) would be prison in a prison (actual prison as in "incarceration") or a psych ward (which is essentially just like a prison but for mental/health related issues) .