Would you take a pill that made you truely happy, love life, love yourself forever?

  • Yes of course

    Votes: 23 53.5%
  • Hell no

    Votes: 12 27.9%
  • Maybe

    Votes: 8 18.6%

  • Total voters
    43
N

noname223

Archangel
Aug 18, 2020
5,109
Indirectly this is a question (also) for people who say they despise life. And see life itself as the inherent problem.
I might even had added the pill might make you to consider whether procreating is a good thing. Maybe that assumption would a little bit too drastic. I would still add: the pill would probably indirectly increase your chance of procreating.

So I try to give more context: you would not be actually forever happy in a every second on earth. Your happiness level would however be way above average. You had self-esteem because you love yourself. David Benetar says many healthy humans overestimate their skills. And underestimate their weaknesses. They torture themselves not as much for their own faults. (I think many successful people need that trait.) I think they also can accept themselves easier.
There is a debate whether humans have a positivity or negativity bias. I just asked the internet. And it says science says humans have a negativity bias so they overvalue negative aspects in life. I am not sure how much that is common sense or whether it is debatable. I would assume it depends on the circumstances and the way of reasoning. Personally I cannot wrap my head around how people can claim to be happy when they work 9 to 5 5-6 days in a soulless office job. But well I am mentally ill maybe I am the insane one.

The idea for the poll came me when I read a thread questioning antidepressants. Also a character in a fictional story of DFW about depression says: If I take antidepressants how can I be sure I am still myself. Whether I am still the same person? Maybe I am still a fraud deep inside. Maybe I would just get a different framing of life my perspective changes. But is this still me?

A different question would be: What if i remain the same person but my view of myself and the world would become distorted. Some people on here are extremely convinced and certain that life is objectively extremely horrible and nightmarish. What if the pills changed my view on the world. Would I become part of the problem itself? Maybe I would not be able to see the truth anymore.

Now my personal stance: For me these are just hypothetical scenarios. I would take such a pill asap without any doubt. I am determined to search for a way to live even if I am unhappy most of the time. Committing suicide is a very existential step which scared me when I was close to it. I still think that this will be my eventual fate though. I am pretty desperate. I see the unconditional self-love aspect a little bit critical but that would never stop me not to take the pill.

But I also had such thought experiments. Personally I don't care whether medication changes my personality. If it is for the better. And usually I am in hell of pain. I take antipsychotics and they can slow you down. My thoughts are usually racing all the time and it is agony. I came to the conclusion everything that increases my life quality is bought. However this is very tricky. I had major depression for several years without a break. I wanted to convince therapists to try ECT with me. My dad prohibited it to me. (I am a legal adult in my mid twenties but I listen to the takes of my parents.) My dad is pretty stupid but his takes on circumcision (hell no) and ECT were pretty smart. My depression got better eventually. He told the electricity was way too dangerous.

I would not rule out a ECT forever. But when my depression got better I started college again. And it is well known ECT can damage your skills to memorize things. Something I am already not good at. I would never be able to attend college in case I had an ECT I assume. So it was a good choice (so far.)

I got a little bit off-topic. Lol. I just wanted to emphasize to try EVERYTHING to get better without thinking about the longterm consequences can also be a mistake. I especially think about coping with illegal drugs. It is something different when it is a treatment accompanied by a therapist (in my opinion).

Thank you by the way for reading this. I feel so fucking depressed. I have soon an exam and the stress tortures me.

Now the most thought-provoking statement. I also imagined to be in such a place where I would say life is inherently awful. Without any doubt. I considered that route and for a certain time period I shared that opinion. I think the ultimate proof would be trying to change your view. Listening to opinions that disagree with you. I listened to people who were anti-choice and debated them and it was horrendous for my mental health. It was on social media such a fucking waste of time. So this is not really what I mean. I rather think about taking antidepressants. Or other recommended medication and trying psychotherapy (if possible). One could argue there are potential side effects and I would not recommend to start with SSRI or without any consideration about potential side effects. But if you are that convinced life is without any doubt bad the medication would not work anyway. If you don't do it you will never know it. It makes the case stronger if you yourself tried what other people consider pleasant and helpful. And if you have not tried it there will always be the off-chance that you were wrong. The argument is more epistemological (i.e. wanting to seek the truth). Some people don't care about truth. Some say every truth is relative. But so say life is inherently bad without questioning your own opinion by trying to see the other side seems to be flawed. Trying to change the perspective usually undermines a case that a person presents by considering different arguments and making one's own statements more nuanced.

And not a few people in this forum have exactly this attiitude that life ins inherently flawed or even awful.

Where do I position myself? That's difficult and could fill a whole thread with another text of wall. I noticed when my mood changes my view on life changes too. So it is intersubjective. I would say I am way more pessmistic about life than most average people. Actually I barely know anyone as pessimistic about the world as me in real life. However compared to some people in this forum I am quite optimistic. So it depends on the comparison.

I watch a lot of news and the people here in this forum already hate life. I mean most of us come from wealthy industrial societies with food, health care (not all), a roof over one's head (not all) etc. I just try to imagine how all the people in third world (e.g. civil war chaos) countries must feel. The interesting thing is many there want to live. Maybe they have not the luxury of freetime to question the bullshit. Maybe they lack education or are indoctrinated by a dogmatic religion.

I am ambivalent on anitnatalism. However I saw many fates on here of individuals and I think they make a pretty strong case that procreation causes hell of problems. However I feel too much like a misantroph when I am into antinatalism. But is this a good argument when truth is the most important category?

I don't try to convinced other people of antinatalism anymore. Maybe just my sister not to procreate a little bit. But all the underlying assumptions of antinatalism intersect with very personal relations to life and I don't want to intervene too much in someone else's plans for life. I don't know what is good for a stranger. What actually makes him or herself happy. Honestly this thread got a little bit out of control. I am not good mentally. I am under immense pressure and I am scared to get crushed.

I will end it here.
 
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hikikomorizombie

hikikomorizombie

Ouch
Jan 15, 2024
771
honestly im unsure. leaning towards no. the happiness & <3 i feel would be artificial. i kinda view it like the ppl who delude themselves into believing things to help them cope. those ppl frustrate me, & i wouldn't want to be 1 of them. lying to myself just to stay alive. mainly bc i have nothing to live for. even if i was pumped full of fake happiness, i'd still have nothing. which is just a pointless & empty existence.

on the other hand, i'd prob not think about any of this if i were taking said Instant Happy-Love Pills, so i wouldn't know.
 
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FuneralCry

FuneralCry

Just wanting some peace
Sep 24, 2020
37,950
No, I don't desire fake delusional "happiness", to me feeling in such a way would be insane in this reality filled with endless torment and suffering. Existence itself is the true problem, I only wish for the peace of eternal nothingness.
 
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S

Scythe

Lost in a delusion
Sep 5, 2022
535
No, I won't be me, I know that I am unhappy because of my current personality and beliefs that are deeply rooted in my identity, and that's fine, I'm not going to change them for the world or anyone. In my philosophy /beliefs I won't be the same person anymore once enough change happens, I believe the kid me is dead, we are so different. I also have an extremely strong sense of identity that I cling to and value,so I don't want to change my identity even if whoever that lives in my head next will be happy. I don't mind dying anyways, I've accepted it.
 
MidnightCat

MidnightCat

Still 3 more lives to go.
Jan 1, 2023
173
I would probably give it a try.

I'll be scared of changing and stopping to be me.. but...

I'm tired of being in my head, and I don't really have a better plan other than... Try to keep going till I just can't.

So... If I'm going to cease existing... Maybe at least make it in a way I don't hurt others in the process... So give me that pill please.


Tbh, I think I'll be suicidal even if I'm happier than the average human..
 
Celerity

Celerity

shape without form, shade without colour
Jan 24, 2021
2,733
Yes, I am beyond caring about the truth in this regard. We all believe bullshit as flawed, self-deceiving human beings. Why not add a few more delusions that will actually help me?
 
B

brxy7

Member
Nov 27, 2023
7
No, I won't be me, I know that I am unhappy because of my current personality and beliefs that are deeply rooted in my identity, and that's fine, I'm not going to change them for the world or anyone. In my philosophy /beliefs I won't be the same person anymore once enough change happens, I believe the kid me is dead, we are so different. I also have an extremely strong sense of identity that I cling to and value,so I don't want to change my identity even if whoever that lives in my head next will be happy. I don't mind dying anyways, I've accepted it.
I agree with this. I would not change anything about myself. I hope the best for you and I hope your situation becomes better naturally
 
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omegas82128

omegas82128

Tar is thicker than blood and water
Jan 10, 2024
19
I would give it a try. I used to care about my sense of self a lot, so I would have objected in the past cause of that.

Now I'd rather lose my sense of self. I'd prefer if the pill destroyed my sense of self and replaced it with a happier person.

I'd get to die, without hurting anyone else. Probably making those around me happier
 
F

Forever Sleep

Earned it we have...
May 4, 2022
9,232
When I was younger- yes. I tried anti-depressants for a while. I imagine this would be similar. (Except- actually work- lol!) At that point, life had some promise still. I felt like maybe I was a big part of the problem- I still am. If I could only feel happier and more confident, maybe I'd be able to have that energy to go out and find those opportunities in life. The anti-depressants didn't really work, so I didn't continue with them. But I did try to find opportunities in life none the less and I did take risks. I didn't try as hard as I should have- granted but- I still went out there and worked hard to have a good bash at life. Maybe back then- something that actually did lift my mood would have helped because, I was still open to all that stuff. Still open to life really.

Now, I'm 44. Things are kind of different. I don't even have that enthusiasm really now. It's hard to explain really. A bit like I've peeked behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz and I feel like the things I thought would be really great in life are actually kind of only ok! That's not because they aren't good sometimes- it's because like everything- they have positives and negatives and the negatives often outweighed the positives! Plus- I'm getting older. No pill is going to make me happy to have arthritis!

Besides, I don't need a pill to enjoy a beautiful landscape or piece of music or film or game. It's not that I don't still experience joy in life. I guess a pill would make me more numb for any kind of work but- I don't want to be a slave! A pill won't change how this world is set up. You'll still need to work. It's just maybe you won't mind it so much.

Plus, I don't think I'd recognise myself. I've pretty much always been cynical. In some ways- it protects me from being a complete push over and a mug. I guess I think I would keep worrying that the effects would wear off and I suppose they wouldn't. Still- we only really know what it's like to be ourselves. It kind of feels too risky to start messing around with that. Interestingly, Stephen Fry gave an interview and was talking about bipolar and he said- given a button that would end the condition- he wouldn't actually press it.

I guess for me, I'm lucky in a way though- relatively anyhow. I'm not in as much mental or emotional turmoil as many people here I think. I'm in fact in a better state in myself than I have been in the past but that's because I have the hope of a creative job. It's that that saves me. If you swapped out that pill for a stable, creative job- I'd say 'yes' without hesitation. With no creative job though- I definitely don't want it! It sounds just like other anti-depressants that turn you into a zombie so you can still be a productive member (slave) of society. I'd rather take a suicide pill!
 
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trashhologram

trashhologram

āš° Baby, let me decompose āš°
Dec 15, 2023
308
Pill of any kind, I'll take it! šŸ˜‚ But a instant recovery pill? Fuck yes. I need that. I don't want to suffer.
 
P

Praestat_Mori

Mori praestat, quam haec pati!
May 21, 2023
11,108
Maybe yes, if the pill changes the circumstances that lead to my unhappy life.
 
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Dr Iron Arc

Dr Iron Arc

Into the Unknown
Feb 10, 2020
20,895
I don't deserve it, so no.
 
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J

jar-baby

Arcanist
Jun 20, 2023
499
Being human means you're always prone to cognitive biases. You can't count on your perceptions being accurate reflections of reality. Happy pills would likely only distort your perceptions further. Maybe it comes down to whether you'd rather be happier or whether you'd rather perceive reality more accurately. I'd choose the latter (so voted no) but then again there are degrees of pain that I haven't experiencedā€” that if I had, may have caused me to vote yes.

All the best with your exam, btw.
 
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Slow_Farewell

Slow_Farewell

Warlock
Dec 19, 2023
710
Yep, of course I would. The pill would make you Truly Happy, Love Life and Yourself for the rest of your life? why not.
Kind of like the guy in the Matrix..he asked the agent to be put back, and to erase his memories.
 
KsmŠøda

KsmŠøda

Have I died too soon or lived too long?
Oct 23, 2023
187
No, I'd rather be happy forever in the afterlife rather than happy for a while
 
BlackMoon

BlackMoon

Peace-seeker
Oct 30, 2023
190
I prefer dying than becoming as sick as this horrid world.
 
Suicidebydeath

Suicidebydeath

No chances to be happy - dead inside
Nov 25, 2021
3,559
If it made me forget everything I've been through and prevent me from suffering then I would because I'm not dying any time soon. it would be like a second chance at life.
 
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