First of all, what is it to be alive? In my opinion, it is to be self aware and aware of your surroundings (This is referring to human life mind you). So assuming this to be the basis of being alive, where does it go from there? Self awareness equals loneliness in my opinion. You can seek out friendship, relationships etc. but this is a vain attempt at covering up this loneliness. For if you look at it rationally, why do we keep friends or partners? I don’t think it’s any more than a base evolutionary instinct to keep sane really. But friendships are a sort of symbiotic exchange of company at best, in its root a very selfish act on both parties’ sides. I mean, you keep these friends in order to not feel lonely but it really isn’t worth more than that.
We are all alone at the end of the day. Life is a tunnel we all travel through, and whilst we may try to tell ourselves that just because we spend some time next to another person’s private tunnel, we are no longer alone for that time. But it is not so. No matter how you try and twist it and turn it upside down or inside out, this tunnel of yours that you are travelling down to with an end destination of death, you are alone in these travels.
And so I cannot help but ask the question of why even spending this time travelling through this tunnel? It only goes in one direction, and we’re all going towards the same destination and we cannot change it no matter how hard we try to press down on the break paddle. With time as the fuel of our vehicle and the break pad broken, we cannot stop, not even slow down. So why bother? Why not just take a shortcut and reach the end of this pointless journey by deciding for ourselves when this outdrawn affair we call life is to be over?
What do we do? We work, we pay the bills, we find some temporary happiness in whatever, and we lose interest in said happiness. Sorrow usually follows in one way or another. And so this repeats itself over and over and over as we try to not think about what lay ahead. Something most people for some reason seem to dread. They cling on to life as if it was important. Life is not important. When you reach the end, you will perish whether you like it or not, some people will shed a few tears and then, after a brief period, they will go on with their lives and soon you will be but a distant memory. The world will not have stopped spinning because you reached the end of your tunnel. All your accomplishments and all that you worked so hard for will be of naught value to you now. Even the satisfaction of having changed other people’s lives will mean nothing, for you are now without conscience. There is just everlasting darkness which you will not even be aware of.
When considering this, can you really blame me for wondering why I should bother to put up with the “trials of life” that are meant to make us better people? Better for what? To what purpose should I better myself? At the end of the day, that very last day, it does not matter how good of a person I am. It will all be in vain anyway. It just really does not matter. I cannot put it simpler than that.
We are meant to go on and on and on, suffering setback after setback and heartache after heartache just because “that’s life” as they say? Well, pardon my French but **** that! Why exist in pointless misery with a few joyous moments just because that is what life is? What good is life if that is all there is to it? You can keep life, I’m returning mine.
margarida c2008-12-01T13:15:53Z
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To begin with,let me tell you you have an excellent conceptual and logical way of thinking. I admit while I was reading your question I took down notes. First of all let me tell I feel that way many many times. But for some reason,I'm still alive and so are you,so there must be something driving you. And if you post a question here,then you need feedback and therefore you're not totally sure of what you think - otherwise you wouldn't bother posting a question here. Let me tell you the way you talked about loneliness is a bit limited. Of course you are alone sometimes,it is inevitable. But if you think people only engage in relationships - whatever their nature - because of selfish impulses,then you probably engaged in the wrong relationships. It's more rewarding to give than to take and that's the best side of a relationship. Don't forget people have their lives to carry on so they can't be with each other all the time though we spend more time with other people than with ourselves - averagely speaking. As for the fact that our lives become memories to those who love us when we die,what would you expect? Would it be better if the world stopped to mourn for the rest of the eternity? Of course not. And living in people's memories is the best way to be remembered. remember there are people who have no family nr any kind of connections and so when they die,their absence is not even noticed. When you said life's not important,I think you are aware that a lot of people would disagree. But you know our life doesn't have a purpose so if you criticize people for having lives based upon routines you should know that they're just making the best of the time they have on the planet. Personally I believe it's more useless to enter a spiral of constant complain about everything - which is what you're doing. I think you really lack attention. You are quite aware that you're going to die so why not take that awareness and use it to live life to the fullest? if you're going to die anyway,why would you sit there and complain about it imminent end? Don't do that,that's the easiest option. You seem to focus too much of pain and I can't help wonder that you probably felt some all through your life. We all do and it sucks. But it's up to you to transform that in a positive or at least useful lesson. You have a gift: you have an amazing capacity to analyze things and establish connections between them. Why not use it in a positive and useful way? not for the others but for yourself. You think you don't make a difference but you have no idea about the pain you would inflict in you beloved ones' lives in case you tried to put an end to your life. You know,people who killed themselves didn't really get famous - and if they did,fame was all they got (not the best way to be remembered).
You are entitled to have your point of view and I totally respect it. But since you posted the question here, I felt like presenting my point of view.
I'm open to discuss whatever you find in my answer that doesn't make sense to you.
So... is life more complicated than this? It's as complicated as you conceive it. It's up to you.
Everyone knows that every life will end in death. It is one of the few, unalterable truths of life, something that will happen to all of us on a certain day.
However, giving up on life because of this seems incredibly narrow minded to me. Sure, you're going to die and so am I, but if we have this opportunity to live, we should make the best of it.
Traveling down the hypothetical tunnel of life is more about the experience of traveling down that tunnel than about the ultimate destination of that tunnel. For example, why is it that two different people might choose two different routes to the same destination? One person might choose the more straightforward route, but the other may choose the more scenic route. Even though both people are ultimately going to end up in the same place, one chose to experience the beauty of nature while they travel. Why do people spend their time doing different things such as watching a movie or reading a book rather than simply sitting in a chair waiting for death to come? The same reason: life is about experiences, not the coming of death.
If you focus on our final destination at the end of your tunnel, you will miss out on all the great experiences and encounters that come along with simply living your life.
Ummm you are just thinking too much, I am impressed how you describe life's travel with a journey through a tunnel, that's right that all lives are going to end and at the same end.
You know there are things that are called good and bad, you can never say that you'll be always happy and it would worth living life if you always did the evil and always thought that the end is the same at the end of the day.
From my view, end of the day doesn't metter, what metters is how you feel til the end of the day. As Human beings we have emotions and pains' senses. We realise we are good Human beings when we sense and bother about what kind of satisfaction we feel about what we have done being with others.
We not only in meterial life, also emotionally Need people. The most important emotion we need as humans as self respect that makes us good people and live life to its best.....and best doesn't mean you should always be happy, sometimes its an unknown pleasure to please others.
Try to think what you feel after a little happiness, try to see the life in the smile of innocent little kids. Don't you as a Human being think that life's worth living? Don't just see what life gives you, think what you can get and that's a challange cause life doesn't always offer happiness and ease.
Best of luck in life forward.
Edit: you could also see life in religious way, if you don't believe in one, I think it would help Alot if you tried to see in one of them if you don't see all to chose one for yourself.
These are questions that should be discovered for ones self. For me, I tend to believe that perception is more important than reality. For example, If someone can achieve the goal of happiness, than they are one of the luckiest people in my view. If a Buddhist monk can achieve happiness in his daily life then that is great. Likewise if a diagnosed schizophrenic is locked in a mental hospital, yet percieves reality as being a very important and happy man, with a large castle full of butlers and cooks - then he too has achieved the perception of happiness without the reality of it. Therefore, reality is actually secondary to perception.
Yes, all life is suffering. But you have to ask yourself which is worse. Suffering or non-existence. Even if you argue that it would have been better to not have ever existed, once you are alive you have what has been referred to as the "fire in your veins" to live.
if you want to commit suicide however, i will not stop you. very noble act, although it is equally noble to live despite the inherent suffering of our existence.
just remember you will die soon enough, it will come when it does, i am neither trying to lose or win the race