Would you agree that many young people's depression is due to their unrealistic expectations?

[Apricity]

Well, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria & all the Scandinavian countries practice a much more humane form of capitalism than the US, their people aren't overworked, they have a safety net & their economies are somehow still extremely competitive. Solidarity isn't a dirty word there, selfishness is. Germans, Canadians, Australians & New Zealanders also seem to be much happier than Americans, could that possibly mean that their countries are run better than the US?

Americans could elect someone like Teddy Roosevelt, a reformer known as "the trust buster", a capitalist who decided to clip the wings of trusts / large business organizations. Why is it so impossible for Americans to limit the influence of money in politics, to put their oligarchs in their place & to tax corporations? How come FDR was able to do it? How was the extremely popular Eisenhower able to have a 90 % (ninety, not nine!) tax rate for the super rich during the eight years of his presidency (1953 -1961)? Was he a filthy communist? Jesus Christ, not even a totally collapsed, corrupt country like Greece has a homelessness problem as huge as that of the US. Yes, it's possible to change the system for the better without having a communist revolution. When there's a will in politics, there's always a way.

You're right, but it'll never happen in the United States until we have term limits for Congress and the Supreme Court. Those greedy fuckers (on BOTH sides, fuck you if you think your party isn't prone to greed) will do or say anything to stay elected. It's become about money, not what's best for the country. Fuck em all and kick them all out. Every single one. Enact term limits, lower the salary and re-elect. The only people that run will be those that truly care.

 

[motel rooms]

Unrealistic expectations can be great as long as you're not aware that they're unrealistic. That's like the essence of a happy life.

Yeah, but one has to be really, really, REALLY dumb & still young to be able to derive significant amounts of happiness from nothing but unrealistic expectations. In my experience, most dumb people bitch about life being shit as frequently as the rest of us.

 

[deflationary]

Yeah, but one has to be really, really, REALLY dumb & still young to be able to derive significant amounts of happiness from nothing but unrealistic expectations. In my experience, most dumb people bitch about life being shit as frequently as the rest of us.

I think unrealistic expectations are a necessary but not sufficient part of happiness for most people. But like I said, I'm not really in touch with the psychology of the average human. I'd say most people approach almost every new endeavour with greater expectations than it can realistically be expected to fulfil. But the expectations keep getting regenerated after each disappointment, so they simply don't catch on to how they're being unrealistic. Or something like that. Or their expectations stem from unrealistic worldviews like religion and never actually get corrected because the point at which truth is supposed to be revealed is pushed off into an imaginary afterlife. But same with utopian expectations down here on earth. People can derive comfort from them without ever having them fulfilled. It gives them a sense that they're working towards something worthwhile. Or something. I don't know anything.

 

[motel rooms]

To put it bluntly, no. Idealism is not the root cause of depression. OP has been on this forum long enough to know better.

@WaitWithoutHope Oh sweet baby J-z, Mary, Joseph & their donkey José, in what universe is saying that the unrealistic belief that perfect happiness is achievable makes many young people miserable the same thing as proclaiming that idealism is the root cause of (all) depression?

 

[Apricity]

Nothing is perfect or ever will be. People that teach the false belief that anything is possible should be slapped. Some people suck at things, and will never achieve greatness, which makes them miserable because they've been taught that they CAN if they just put their mind to it. Idealism is the issue, ultimately. Realism is better for a long-term healthy mind. I think people just need to accept that there's a limit to what they can do. Less disappointment that way.

 

[motel rooms]

You're right, but it'll never happen in the United States until we have term limits for Congress and the Supreme Court. Those greedy fuckers (on BOTH sides, fuck you if you think your party isn't prone to greed) will do or say anything to stay elected. It's become about money, not what's best for the country. Fuck em all and kick them all out. Every single one. Enact term limits, lower the salary and re-elect. The only people that run will be those that truly care.

We in Europe would like you guys to have another civil war first

 

[WaitWithoutHope]

Would you agree that many kids' depression is due to them having utterly unrealistic expectations from life?

Idealism (/īˈdē(ə)ˌlizəm/) the practice of forming or pursuing ideals, especially unrealistically.
"the idealism of youth"

You sound like Russ Harris.

 

[motel rooms]

Idealism (/īˈdē(ə)ˌlizəm/) the practice of forming or pursuing ideals, especially unrealistically.
"the idealism of youth"
You sound like Russ Harris.

You sound like someone who puts words in people's mouths, professor. I never said that "the practice of forming or pursuing ideals, especially unrealistically" was the root cause of depression & you know it. Are you trying to make me apologize for something I didn't do? I'm not some little bitch who's scared shitless of being canceled, so that's not gonna happen.

 

[Amumu]

We in Europe would like you guys to have another civil war first

Dare us, dare us...

 

[WaitWithoutHope]

^George Carlin was right.

 

[Deleted member 8579]

But am I choosing to drink right now? Absolutely.

Your entire thought process, and consequently every choice you make, is the result of chemical reactions in your brain, which adhere to the laws of physics. I don't see how you can argue with that.

 

[Amumu]

Your entire thought process, and consequently every choice you make, is the result of chemical reactions in your brain, which adhere to the laws of physics. I don't see how you can argue with that.

I suggest both of you debate on the appropriate thread since it is off topic.

@Graf von Leiningen you seem to believe in incompatibilism, in other words determinism and free will are incompatible. I do believe that determinism and free will are compatible - in other words, I believe in compatibilism- therefore free will would be compatible with the laws of physics.

But again, let's talk about this in another thread.

 

[existtosuffer]

Things like Christmas & Easter don't help. It definitely created an unrealistic expectation of happiness for me growing up.

 

[motel rooms]

@Graf von Leiningen you seem to believe in incompatibilism, in other words determinism and free will are incompatible. I do believe that determinism and free will are compatible - in other words, I believe in compatibilism- therefore free will would be compatible with the laws of physics.

I'm interested in compatibilism, I'd like to be able to judge my molester even more than I already do. Philosophy really bores me these days though, especially when people start using dry technical language. Fuck obscurantist assholes. Reading their oh-so-deep shit feels like eating sawdust. Heidegger... Jesus, what a cunt. A Nazi as well.

 

[Bot]

i really like your posts hidden base :)

 

[deflationary]

I'm interested in compatibilism, I'd like to be able to judge my molester even more than I already do. Philosophy really bores me these days though, especially when people start using dry technical language. Fuck obscurantist assholes. Reading their oh-so-deep shit feels like eating sawdust. Heidegger... Jesus, what a cunt. A Nazi as well.

Compatibilism is a weaksauce cope though. Just people inventing ways of not having to rethink their basic biases and habitual ways of seeing the world.

 

[Amumu]

I'm interested in compatibilism, I'd like to be able to judge my molester even more than I already do. Philosophy really bores me these days though, especially when people start using dry technical language. Fuck obscurantist assholes. Reading their oh-so-deep shit feels like eating sawdust. Heidegger... Jesus, what a cunt. A Nazi as well.

Sorry I didn't get your point, I'm sorry you're suffering. Perhaps because I'm not a native speaker.

Compatibilism is a weaksauce cope though. Just people inventing ways of not having to rethink their basic biases and habitual ways of seeing the world.

Because? So far you're just saying I'm a retard.

Again, this is off topic, if you want to talk about that quote posts + put it in another thread.

 

[motel rooms]

Compatibilism is a weaksauce cope though. Just people inventing ways of not having to rethink their basic biases and habitual ways of seeing the world.

I guessed as much, that's why I never forced myself to look into it

Sorry I didn't get your point, I'm sorry you're suffering. This has nothing to do with my former post.

@Amumu Well, if determinism is indeed compatible with free will, that would mean that my father was able to freely choose to rape & beat me

 

[deflationary]

Because? So far you're just saying I'm a retard.

I'm sorry, I definitely don't mean to say that you're a retard. There's obviously plenty of compatibilists that are smarter than me. As there are plenty of religious people that are smarter than me. Doesn't change the fact that I think both of the positions are wrong.

I think seeing the world in a way that removes responsibility is very uncomfortable and alienating for people. Not even incompatibilists really live like that. I think incompatibilists at least try to keep their eye on that basic fact though, whereas compatibilists try to gloss it over to retain their instinctive ways of looking at the world. I don't mean for that to be offensive, but that's how I think of it.

 

[chocolatebar]

What's the alternative?

This is a great question and the fact that we don't know any good alternatives doesn't mean we have to stick to what we have and not even consider something else. For me, the best alternative would be to have no society at all, but I know very well how naive it is to expect such thing.

 

[Zzzzz]

Considering that happiness as well as basic human needs are quite unrealistic on this(damn) planet, I'd say yes! lol. Parents do considerable damage I think when they paint not only a grossly optimistic image of life but one they themselves know is not true. They lie to their children,not to protect them, but to manipulate them. It's quite contemptible imo. In any case, the shock of realizing how cruel life really is can definitely cause deep depression in someone.

 

[willitpass]

Would you agree that many kids' depression is due to them having utterly unrealistic expectations from life? Way too many morons in developed countries protect their kids from reality at all costs & raise them to believe in sappy fairy tales about perfect happiness. I'm not saying children should be forced to memorize Schopenhauer quotes & practice partial after school, but things have really gotten out of hand. Yes, I know this is an unoriginal thread topic, but so are 90 % of them.

i'm young, only 19, but i grew up in an abusive household with little money and divorced parents who to this day still bitch about eachother to me. i was far from sheltered with unrealistic expectations. i had to take care of myself from the age of 11.

 

[motel rooms]

i'm young, only 19, but i grew up in an abusive household with little money and divorced parents who to this day still bitch about eachother to me. i was far from sheltered with unrealistic expectations. i had to take care of myself from the age of 11.

I'm genuinely sorry you had a horrible childhood. I never said that every single kid these days has parents who obsessively shelter them from reality.

I was sexually abused & beaten by my father for almost a decade as a boy. I'm getting tired of repeating that, it's starting to feel like some twisted form of bragging.

 

[Thaneem]

Your entire thought process, and consequently every choice you make, is the result of chemical reactions in your brain, which adhere to the laws of physics. I don't see how you can argue with that.

Making the statement that there is no choice because of "chemical reactions in the brain" - even if entirely true (and that's debatable as causality and motive aren't the same) - is a horrible framework to hang moral decisions on. The reason is it absolves all personal responsibility. I want to go out and rape? Oh well, not my fault. Chemicals. Want to kill people? Chemicals. I can't help it.
I try to own my own decisions, good or bad. Maybe I'm naive for doing that, but oh well. Must be the chemicals

 

[Cuppatea856]

I feel that people do too much these days trying to protect their kids. I believe that this type of helicopter parenting is unhealthy, it contributes to lack of independence, and leads to too much screen time which can weaken people's abilities to truly socialize. Socialization is important for a healthy mental state. YES, there are creeps out there that want to hurt kids, but no more than there was before. It's less common now, in fact. Source: Crimes Against Children Research Center
View attachment 77787

I was looking at a thread on a neighborhood app and parents were completely freaked out because there's a shortage of school bus drivers and some of there kids, even young teenagers would have to WALK to school. The horror! I just had to laugh.

 

[Zzzzz]

I was looking at a thread on a neighborhood app and parents were completely freaked out because there's a shortage of school bus drivers and some of there kids, even young teenagers would have to WALK to school. The horror! I just had to laugh.

The chimpanzees freaking out when the world doesn't revolve around them and their family lol!

 

[Hurt]

I think society pressure plays a big role on young people's depression. I include.

 

[it's_all_a_game]

It depends on what you mean by "unrealistic". If you think expecting to be rich and famous, then yes, that's an unrealistic dream tenfold. But, speaking as a young person, I don't believe wishing for a little more kindness and less wage slavey is asking for too much. If the world cannot make its citizens at least content, especially younger ones, what does that say about how our society is set up & run?

 

[motel rooms]

It depends on what you mean by "unrealistic". If you think expecting to be rich and famous, then yes, that's an unrealistic dream tenfold. But, speaking as a young person, I don't believe wishing for a little more kindness and less wage slavey is asking for too much.

I'm talking about "believing in sappy fairy tales about perfect happiness".

If the world cannot make its citizens at least content, especially younger ones, what does that say about how our society is set up & run?

Yeah, radical change is necessary. See page 2

 

[Zzzzz]

We in Europe would like you guys to have another civil war first

You might get your wish! Any day now it might happen! Haha