What is the point of it all?

[Darkover]

I've been pondering this for some time now, but I still haven't found myself a satisfying answer.

For the vast majority of us, from the years 18 to 70(+) life is essentially mostly work and sleep, but what is the point of it all, to what end?

40, 50 years of labor for what, so we can spend the last 10-15 years of our lives struggling to do anything with the free time we are now in abundance of? And let's be clear, most people will only get 5 years of actual quality time before something health-related crops up.

I know the literal reason for working is obviously financial, but it all seems so pointless in the end.

working for decades with a skyrocketing cost of living and barely the ability to scrape by on a 9-5, let alone do anything fun or save up for a house, is not a mental illness.

It's a normal human emotional reaction to hopelessness. Let me repeat: feeling sad and hopeless is not necessarily a mental illness. It can have absolutely understandable causes.

What do young people today have to work towards? They've seen 9/11, the Iraq war, the 08 financial crisis, Brexit, the pandemic, skyrocketing inflation and our politics descending into a joke. They can't save for a house, they can't afford kids, they can't afford to rent without housemates, but they don't have time or money to go out and have fun and meet a partner.

The only thing that will help is sorting out our society so it isn't so fucked. And no, chucking everyone on antidepressants or into a 6 week CBT course after 6 months isn't going to make those like them happy to live like this.

 

[TransientEternal]

The people who don't have to live that way are the ones that push the anti-CTB narrative. The government can't tax the dead. The people close to you also don't want to suffer from your death.

 

[The Schizoid]

The point of "it all" is to just experience it, but to a depressed person, it feels like there is no point as they cannot have satisfying experiences.

Try to maybe think of a satisfying time in your life, if you can. You probably weren't thinking of meaning, purpose etc because you were simply interested in pursuing certain activities that you enjoyed. Simple as that.

 

[sserafim]

There is no point (except to suffer and generate loosh for the archons, if you believe in that)

 

[XINGBATAI]

Yup. I agree with your feelings on the matter. I love the planet and think this world is physically beautiful; I just hate the way most people are forced to live by the fucked up people running the show. I was born in the wrong time period. In the past, people still had to earn money, but their life didn't revolve around it. People knew how to survive and were largely self sufficient. Today, people can't even satisfy the basic necessities of life: food, water, shelter. We have allocated that responsibility to our governments, and in return we waste our lives earning paper. We are completely dependent on government, and that is exactly how they want it. That is why so many people are "existing " but very few are actually living. It really is lamentable.

 

[Return2themoonlight]

Something I ask myself every single day

 

[Circles]

I wish people could learn more about nihilistic ideas. Once you realize there's no point to life at all then in some ways we are free in that regard. Maybe not entirely free in life, but we are free to choose our own paths or our own deaths.

 

[Captive_Mind515]

The point is the game cannot be won, but some people think there is some value in trying to lose in style!

And some people don't.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I'm not sure why you think there is or should be a point to it. Is it a lingering doubt about whether there's a God?

Otherwise- it's cause and effect. Our parents f*cked and- we are the result. Why they did that is unique to them. Maybe they were in love and couldn't resist the instinctual drive to reproduce. Maybe they wanted something of their own to love, maybe they were just horny and careless. Maybe they actually enjoyed life and it didn't even occur to them that you might not. But whatever the reason, they did what they did and, we are the unfortunate result.

Or is it more just being puzzled as to how or why other people seem to find meaning in their lives? Enough to want to give life to new beings quite often. I don't know really. You'd need to ask them I suppose but, I'm pretty sure there isn't a set meaning for everyone. I think a lot of people at least try to find meaning because it's so depressing to live without it. Our resisdent nihilists can call them delussional or even cowardly for denying the 'truth' all they want but ultimately- we're stuck here. Finding meaning in life can simply be a coping mechanism.

It's like faith almost. Someone who finds fulfilment in life doesn't necessarily need everyone to agree with them or, even to find fulfilment in the same thing. But, denying them that is also kind of dismissive of their experience of life. If they're happy to work their wage slave job- that's up to them really. It may not appeal to us- at all and I agree with you by the way. I don't see the big appeal but I guess it must suit some people enough for them not to be so unhappy that they're on here too.

 

[TheSpookyNameGuy]

Literally nothing, the whole point was to spurt out, survive to procreation and keep mentally stable till nature disposes of you.

The problem is now that we live too long and don't live the way we were supposed to, hunting and fucking like rabbits.

We have too much time to ponder things we weren't supposed to, still too primitive and it will never change.

The human experience doesn't have a happy ending, it's an abomination and we all need to come together to recognise it.

Then we shall wash it all away in nuclear fire, that is how we evolve, we have to choose total human extinction.

Not popular, it is the truth however.

 

[divinemistress36]

Depression makes you feel like there is no point to anything

 

[sserafim]

Depression makes you feel like there is no point to anything

I agree but I think that nihilism could also make you feel that way too, regardless of whether you're depressed or not. I guess the better philosophy is absurdism…

The point of "it all" is to just experience it, but to a depressed person, it feels like there is no point as they cannot have satisfying experiences.

Try to maybe think of a satisfying time in your life, if you can. You probably weren't thinking of meaning, purpose etc because you were simply interested in pursuing certain activities that you enjoyed. Simple as that.

What's the point of an experience if it's just a struggle though? Life on this planet is a struggle for every being, animals are in nature fighting for survival, they have to kill and eat each other and fight to the death. Life is basically a game of competition and survival, even for us it's still all about survival at the end of the day. In my opinion, I just see life as more trouble than what it's worth. It's an uphill battle, it's like Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the mountain only for it to fall down and start all over again (and he has to do that everyday for the rest of eternity). If other people think the struggle is worthwhile, then good for them I guess.

 

[tbroken]

In my opinion there is not a great sense in life, you just have to live and have fun with your friends and family and learn to do something to be productive. You have to discover the life with them. Ufortunately it is not so easy, many things can happen and people are so negative and cruel.

 

[Shar]

I hate having to work and not having any pleasure in my free time, because almost nothing pleases me. I'm basically working to sustain boredom.