Discussion What's the point in living whatsoever

[Breadbfra]

Title should have included "for a millennial and gen z", since I'm a zoomer.

I feel like there's no valid reason to stay live. I've asked multiple times people about positive things in life, and they replied things like "walking your dog", while I talked about two economic crisis (italy is going back to a post war crisis, and there were people eating cats) a pandemic, global warming, house prices inflating to the max, depression rates going up, jobs being paid less.
I really try to see something happy - objectively speaking - but there's not, and my beloved ones added to my very privileged economic situation won't fix anything.
Sometimes I ask myself how do people stay happy and positive

But is there really one positive thing in life?

 

[Lilacmoon]

to work and help earn money and buy things to distract yourself so you can cope and live in order to keep working to buy to live to work.
i dunno im not a big fan of it.

 

[Life_and_Death]

my own personal opinion, you can try this or not its up to you. i personally find just sitting amongst nature not thinking of anything else except the wind, the waves, the birds. and i think thats everyone elses answer as well. it doesnt directly effect them or thats just the way it is so they dont think about it and go about their day.

 

[MichaelNomad123]

Bad news burnout is a thing to be aware of in 2020. I was fortunate enough to grow up before the advent of the internet, so I have the tools to live without the internet. I believe the younger generations have trouble switching off mentally and also just literally.

The world is struggling, yes. Some of it may acutely affect you, but I would argue that most of it won't. I think it's important to acknowledge that. It's possible to constructively approach the issues of the times without letting it consume you. Sometimes you just have to turn off the T.V., the computer and your phone and just have a sit outside. We are not evolved for global issues. Our minds are not used to thinking about our species on a global scale. One way to stay positive is to be selectively apathetic. It's important if you want to survive emotional burnout, especially if you are particularly empathetic like I am and like you seem to be. Be kind to yourself. You can't shoulder the worlds problems all by yourself.

 

[Breadbfra]

Bad news burnout is a thing to be aware of in 2020. I was fortunate enough to grow up before the advent of the internet, so I have the tools to live without the internet. I believe the younger generations have trouble switching off mentally and also just literally.

The world is struggling, yes. Some of it may acutely affect you, but I would argue that most of it won't. I think it's important to acknowledge that. It's possible to constructively approach the issues of the times without letting it consume you. Sometimes you just have to turn off the T.V., the computer and your phone and just have a sit outside. We are not evolved for global issues. Our minds are not used to thinking about our species on a global scale. One way to stay positive is to be selectively apathetic. It's important if you want to survive emotional burnout, especially if you are particularly empathetic like I am and like you seem to be. Be kind to yourself. You can't shoulder the worlds problems all by yourself.

If I had the words to describe my difficult I'd say your exact words "one way to stay positive is to be selectively apathetic". Yes, definitely. But I sometimes ask myself: did the french revolution begin because people weren't being apathetic towards society's problems?

 

[MichaelNomad123]

If I had the words to describe my difficult I'd say your exact words "one way to stay positive is to be selectively apathetic". Yes, definitely. But I sometimes ask myself: did the french revolution begin because people weren't being apathetic towards society's problems?

Ah, now political revolution would be a different matter entirely. I thought we were just talking about depression and emotional stability. The answer to that is easier -- be the change you want to see in the world. If you see opportunity for change and you feel strongly enough about it, involve yourself with political or social movements. I was recently looking into joining Greenpeace myself.

 

[Breadbfra]

Ah, now political revolution would be a different matter entirely. I thought we were just talking about depression and emotional stability. The answer to that is easier -- be the change you want to see in the world. If you see opportunity for change and you feel strongly enough about it, involve yourself with political or social movements. I was recently looking into joining Greenpeace myself.

I think that somehow they're correlated? My depression goes along with society's problems and I can't stay focused if other people around me are starving or dying

 

[MichaelNomad123]

I think that somehow they're correlated? My depression goes along with society's problems and I can't stay focused if other people around me are starving or dying

Yes and no. I suppose it depends on your response to your depression. I would say that if your response is, "this sucks, I hate that this is happening, I'm going to do something about it" then it is correlated. I think that if your response is, "this sucks, life sucks, I want to die", then there is no correlation.

 

[elfgyoza]

The constant stream of information available 24/7 has massively influenced my depression. All I see on the news are negative stories. Climate change, economic issues, unemployment, homelessness, crimes, soaring housing prices, moronic politicians, and now covid. I guess most people probably see this but then think 'oh it'll work out for me, I've got ___ to look forward to anyway', but a lot of us here will probably focus on the negatives. Personally, I can't find any positive thing that could happen in the future that would outweigh all the bad.

I think I'm one of the older gen z's, I mostly grew up with the internet. The iPhone came out when I was 7 and I got my first smartphone when I was 14.
I can't tune out of my devices, I can't imagine living without a phone anymore. I'd argue that this is the main reason why depression/mental illnesses are on the rise for teenagers and young adults. But we haven't really experienced not having the internet, we're not willing to live without it.

Yeah, I could probably just not look at the news as much, I could stay away from social media. But I'd rather be informed than be ignorant of the world around me, how can I be happy when so many people are suffering and the chances of a good future are stacked against me, and what use are the little good things, like walking a dog, when I'll be stuck in a dead end job trying to earn enough money to save up for a house I'll never be able to afford?


Just realised how pessimistic this sounds, sorry about that lol, just my view of the world :)

 

[Antigonish]

The point to living is dying, but of course I'm a nihilist so, not the best advice giver. I guess a better way to put it, is the whole point is to avoid the fact we all die in the end.

Start a bussiness, a job, a relationship, a family, make something, do something, be remembered, be forgotten, get lost, be found... But more importantly forget the fact, that there is no point.

 

[Deleted member 17949]

There is no point you either have the happy chemicals that make living fun or you don't

 

[Mendex]

Maybe you should give up to finding a forced relation between being happy/positive and point of living, and finding in it (if exist) somewhere else.