Life or something like it...

[John Doe]

Hello, as you can see, I'm new. I'm 20 years old and currently
in a recurring confused state. I honestly don't know what my
problem(s) is(are) and if I can eventually overcome...This...
I spend the better part of my day simply thinking. Thinking
about past and present experiences and trying to figure it all
out. Rather then functioning in the moment, I find myself
drifting off into my own private world. When I'm in this state
I feel I have a better understanding of people and the different
processes which govern them. This excites me and I start to
feel euphoric (I don't use drugs). Talking quickly and having
debates with people, testing there intellect and blahing...
(you must be thinking I'm a nut case, but it's sadly more
complicated). I constantly analyze each situation and try to view
it from different perspectives. Revelations occur and I feel
I grow in wisdom through these processes, but then...I wake-up
(figuratively and metaphorically). This is when I start to feel
confused and depressed, because I realize I'm an idiot...Why?
I excel in Mathematics and Creative Arts. I am able to logically
reason and yet, I know things...even-though I don't, because I
never seem to complete the puzzle. It always seems to morph...
Therefore, I am never able to explain...

I stopped associating with my friends a couple of years back. I
have no friends at the moment, nor do I want or need any. It's
depressing, because I can still remember the good times. Having
fun...Such sweet moments in life, twas pure joy. Now, those
experiences turn on me-'The Truman Show' comes to mind (you know
that movie with Jim Carey). I feel like I've lived many lives.
To bad, life's so short...To short for people to waste there time
on me lol...

I feel like I have some sort of disease, which is making my brain
malfunction.

I've recently had a mental evaluation done. It took many visits
but in the end, they have not reached a diagnosis-They say something
is not right, but they have no clue as to what it is...GREAT...

I'm still young, so I have hope. I don't know how I can benefit
from posting this, but it's worth a shot. I still have hope, after
all I'm still young.

Any comment, tips, advice, personal experiences are encouraged and
greatly appreciated-spam included, as expected. Thank-you:)

[John Doe]

Show me an idiot and I'll show you a careless, happy, positive thinking person...

I know, maybe I'm just jealous. Have any off you ever thought: What's the point to all this searching. Searching for what, our purpose, is that the point??

Is it really worthwhile to continue. Each door one opens, just raises more questions, more doors. It's exhilarating, but eventually frustration arrives followed by the dreaded hopeless feelings created by depression. The attempt to handle too much at once, seems to lead to my down fall and I'm left trying to reconstruct my strategy...Procrastination is another deceptive habit.

So, is it all worth? I think so, I'd rather blindly search (If you know what I mean), then be content and oblivious to my ignorance.


Is the above worth two cents.../Meaningless?

[Kevin Solway]

Have any off you ever thought: What's the point to all this searching. Searching for what, our purpose, is that the point??

What's the point to a tree? What's the point to a rock?

You must do what you must. If it feels natural for you to search, then you must search.

But if you want to find answers, rather than just search, then you need to keep things simple; you need to get to the ultimate source of things.

[John Doe]

How can someone find answers without searching in the first place. I must agree, it all depends on how and/where one searches-fundamentally that is the essential question.

keep things simple; you need to get to the ultimate source of things.

For instance, the basic unit of a tree, is a cell. So, if I wanted to understand everything about it, I would need to learn chemistry-which, when it comes to matter, is the ultimate source, right?

*Start from the bottom/basics and work up.

You're smart.

Will I receive guidance on these forums?

[Kevin Solway]

For instance, the basic unit of a tree, is a cell. So, if I wanted to understand everything about it, I would need to learn chemistry-which, when it comes to matter, is the ultimate source, right?

There are many things that make a tree work - for example, sunlight (it's energy source), evolution, and the lack of anything destroying it.

It doesn't ultimately answer anything by going to chemistry, because then you are left with the question "What is the source of chemicals?".

Better to ask the question: what are the boundaries between things? And where do they come from?

Will I receive guidance on these forums?

Perhaps. That's for you to decide.

[Kelly Jones]

So, if I wanted to understand everything about it, I would need to learn chemistry-which, when it comes to matter, is the ultimate source, right?

If matter is a thing, then what is its source?

*Start from the bottom/basics and work up.

To find out what's ultimately true, use a truthful definition about the Totality. It can't be proven by applying it to each and every branch, for that would never be accomplished in any conceivable lifetime, so in that sense, one doesn't really "work up".

Will I receive guidance on these forums?

Only your own ability to distinguish logical truths from falsehoods can guide you.

-

[John Doe]

Thanks for answering.


Kevin Solway wrote:

There are many things that make a tree work - for example, sunlight (it's energy source), evolution, and the lack of anything destroying it.

On your first post you said to keep things simple, so I stated, the fact, that a cell is the most basic (least complex) structural and functional unit of life. It is an object (living things can be considered as objects, right?), which has a function. A function, which is, the effect caused by various processes, naturally made possible, through surviving (DNA) long enough to evolve and produce its own source of energy, via 'thee' Sun. Now, that function has a purpose: to produce energy and make life possible for us.


Kevin Solway wrote:

It doesn't ultimately answer anything by going to chemistry, because then you are left with the question "What is the source of chemicals?".

Was it philosophy that discovered the cure for Smallpox, or was it Chemistry? Well, in a way (maybe), science originated from philosophy...

*All matter was created in the beginning...The most basic building block is the quark...What is the source of...

I think I have it!:)-CONSCIOUSNESS!!! That's the beginning of EVERYTHING. It's like that question: "If a tree falls in a forest, is sound produced if there's no one there to hear it?"-No, because sound is the effect of consciousness. The cause is the vibration of molecules-producing waves, which are perceived by the brain. Consciousness (mind) is only made possible by our brain and it's only through consciousness, that we are able to think and try to understand these things...? The only reason this all exists, is, because of consciousness.

WTF-That's...That doesn't explain anything! Sadly, it only confirms the reason for my cocky, two intros.

The thing is I thought, I realized something...Turns out it's meaningless...LOL-Great, Thanks:P


Kelly Jones wrote:

Only your own ability to distinguish logical truths from falsehoods can guide you.

Ha ha, jokes on me...I need to improve that ability:P

There's a lesson in all this. I can feel it, but I just don't have a firm grasp, yet!

Have yourself a great, thought-provoking day/night.

[John Doe]

Is it me...?

[John Doe]

Is it me...?

[Elizabeth Isabelle]

Is it me...?

I don't know. Actually, I'm wondering if it's MindExpansion.
.

[Toban]

Hello John,

I seem to have alot in common, though my despair isn't quite that intense... I've been too busy to really immerse myself in philosophic thought, unfortunately. I'm also new, 20 and existentially confused. Being an honest man, I can't stand having false beliefs, I can't justify an ignorant life. The more I analyze, the more ignorance I reveal, but then I see that all is futile and am back where I started. In spite of this confusion, I have been able to conclude that the average man's life is pointless because it is based on delusion and ignorance (e.g. pursuing future happiness and fulfillment, which always recedes like a mirage). And being an honest man, it would be too painful to live such a life.

[John Doe]

I hope someone can find the time and/willingness to answer these:

1)What do you think of my intro?

2)Have you ever felt that way?

3)What path can I take, in order to change my outlook/thinking?


I am very much interested in your response and hope you can find the care, to answer truthfully, thank you.

PS-I understand no one can give me the answers. I like to think of it as, messages or clues that have been left by minds, ahead. Those, who are closer to the light-wisdom. Am I asking for too much?

[Kevin Solway]

3)What path can I take, in order to change my outlook/thinking?

Think about cause and effect.

To begin with, read things like David Quinn's "Wisdom of the Infinite", or Paul Brunton's "Hidden teachings beyond yoga". Then you can read things like the Dhammapada, and the Bhagavad gita, and Nietzsche's "Thus spake Zarathustra".

Practice tuning-in to the way Nature works.

[sschaula]

When you get to it, John Doe, here are two great books that I own and highly recommend:

This version of the Dhammapada is my personal favorite! Translated by Ananda Maitreya with a foreward by Thich Nhat Hanh.

Dhammapada


This translation of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is also my personal favorite! Translated by Alistair Shearer. I know this one wasn't specifically recommended, but it's an essential read in my opinion.

Yoga Sutras

1)What do you think of my intro?

I thought it seemed quite honest, which is the greatest thing. As for the content...

If you're depressed and you think you need no friends, something's amiss. Make sure you're getting what you want out of your life. Maybe you should stop pushing people away and allow friends to come into your life, and be at peace.

The Truman Show is a movie and has nothing to do with this life. There isn't some dude videotaping you. Or is there!?!? Yikes.

But really...everyone is just like you, in this sense. Maybe they just don't think as much. But many do, and many are interested in learning how.

2)Have you ever felt that way?

Yep.

3)What path can I take, in order to change my outlook/thinking?

In addition to clarifying your thought, as Kevin suggested to do, I think you need to find your purpose in life. Get out and do something with yourself. This society turns men into weaklings...maybe you should travel, doing something to make the world a better place. I'm sure there are many volunteer opportunities.

Or, just take a trip out in nature. I mean way out. And learn how to survive. Nature has a way of sorting out a man's mind.

Being purposeless is a major cause of depression, though. That's the main thing - just do something.

That's my opinion about what'd be best for you.

Am I asking for too much?

No.

[Elizabeth Isabelle]

I hope someone can find the time and/willingness to answer these:

1)What do you think of my intro?

You sound like a normal 20 year old male.

2)Have you ever felt that way?

Yes

3)What path can I take, in order to change my outlook/thinking?

I agree with Kevin's most recent answer above, but would like to add to that to read as much psychology as you can get your hands on, but start off with and pay more attention to the more recent stuff. Psychology is considered to be a fairly new science, but it bears a lot of resemblance to older philosophy - particularly the philosophy of human behavior.

As an example of the errors of older psychology, although Freud had some good insights early in his career, he abused cocaine (before anyone knew the damaging effects of the drug) and he became more of a case study on the effects cocaine has on an intelligent mind. If you study Freud, concurrently study the effects of cocaine, and pay close attention to the timeline of when Freud wrote various things. Fascinating correlations, particularly in his development of the psycho-sexual theories along with the stimulation that cocaine causes in the sexual portion of the brain. Freud, like David Quinn, obtained his "insights" about females from looking into his own mind (the flaw in that method of data collection should be obvious enough [understanding how women think by looking at a male mind? Fallacy of Biased Sample ]), but especially with Freud the data was skewed because the mind he was looking at was becoming increasingly warped by the damage occurring to his brain. Add that to not being aware that anything he was doing was self-damaging, the difficulties of self assessing when it is the brain that is messing up, and the subtle changes on a moment-to-moment basis making changes in anything too close difficult to differentiate (one might not notice that their child or puppy has grown in a month because they saw it every day, but someone who has not seen it in a month might exclaim how it has grown). All this lead to an insidious warping of his psychological work - warping which got accepted due to the deference that the people of the time gave to doctors as well as riding on the laurels of his earlier accomplishments. Nowadays there is improved cross-checking and more judicious reviews amongst the more intellectual echelon of of society.

edit- Scott, would you please fix your links so we don't have to scroll?
.

[John Doe]

I'd like to show my appreciation by thanking the following: Elizabeth Isabelle, sschaula, and Kevin Solway-Thanking all very much.

Elizabeth Isabelle wrote:

You sound like a normal 20 year old male.

I don't consider that a good thing.

...read as much psychology as you can get your hands on, but start off with and pay more attention to the more recent stuff.

A few years ago, I started to read psychology (My father owns a ton of those type of books) and I think that's when my problems started to occur. I started to read the Mental Health sections and it freaked me out. I started to become obsessed with my sanity (or lack off) and environment. That is, I started to constantly analyze myself and everything around me. It got to the point, where I was not able to go out in public, for fear of meeting someone I had once known. I did not know how to act in public anymore. I was not myself.

understanding how women think by looking at a male mind

That is odd. I once read, scientists have discovered, that males are a few points smarter then females...That must really tick you off. I don't agree btw.

Scott, would you please fix your links so we don't have to scroll?

Please...

sschaula wrote:

This version of the Dhammapada...

I'm not really into religions. I think, I should study the more recent info.

I thought it seemed quite honest, which is the greatest thing. As for the content...

What was wrong with the content?

(1)Make sure you're getting what you want out of your life. (2)Maybe you should stop pushing people away and allow friends to come into your life, and be at peace.

1)Thats just it...I'm not and I don't know what I can do about it. Either then start studying till exhaustion, I don't know how to fix it.

2)I guess I'm just scarier of people not liking me. I'm a nice looking and great first impressionist. So, I do have those opportunities, but...I don't know. It's almost as if I'm faking my outward personality and then once someone gets to know me...

The Truman Show is a movie and has nothing to do with this life. There isn't some dude videotaping you. Or is there!?!? Yikes.

lol-hope not! I sometimes get what I call a 'knowledge rush'. I make large leaps in thinking that seem rational. Once I start to 'calm down' everything collapses. (I hope that makes sense)

learn how to survive. Nature has a way of sorting out a man's mind.

I know what you mean. I love camping up north. It's been a while.

Being purposeless is a major cause of depression, though. That's the main thing - just do something.

Absolutely. That's why I'm searching...

Kevin Solway wrote:

Think about cause and effect.

To begin with, read things like David Quinn's "Wisdom of the Infinite", or Paul Brunton's "Hidden teachings beyond yoga". Then you can read things like the Dhammapada, and the Bhagavad gita, and Nietzsche's "Thus spake Zarathustra".

Practice tuning-in to the way Nature works.

I will have a look at that. You haven't told me what you thought of: *Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 1:25 am*

I spent some time thinking about that one.

[ChochemV2]

I don't consider that a good thing.

It's an unavoidable thing. What matters is what you do with your confusion and not whether you are confused or not. Whether you go to bars or parties constantly and block out disturbing thoughts with substance and mindless interaction or buckle down and work through your confusion hopefully coming to some resolution down the road.

I started to become obsessed with my sanity (or lack off) and environment.

Personally, I only find psychology to be moderately helpful (though I haven't made anything resembling a thorough study of it). I find it's more important to dissect your own mind and figure out how you handle information and how you react to other people without trying to put a name to it (which is all psychology is as far as I'm concerned, putting names to things we should be able to figure out on our own).

I guess I'm just scarier of people not liking me. I'm a nice looking and great first impressionist. So, I do have those opportunities, but...I don't know. It's almost as if I'm faking my outward personality and then once someone gets to know me...

Don't worry about whether people like you or not. The one thing which High School taught me was to live and not worry about what other people thought of me, eventually you will attract real friends in that way instead of ten or twenty "friends".

Absolutely. That's why I'm searching...

Searching is the purpose. Anyone who is honestly examining the world around him will never truly stop and you won't find an answer quickly, if ever. The search is purpose.

[sschaula]

My apologies for the sloppy links. Edited now.

John Doe,

I'm not really into religions. I think, I should study the more recent info.

I'm not either, but I do think it's good to study everything. The two texts I linked to are excellent and will give you great insights, leading you the correct way, as long as you keep some healthy skepticism.

In other words, read and don't automatically believe...just learn and find out for yourself if they're good or not.

What was wrong with the content?

Nothing. I put the "..." to show that I was moving on to discuss the content of your post.

Quote:
(1)Make sure you're getting what you want out of your life. (2)Maybe you should stop pushing people away and allow friends to come into your life, and be at peace.

1)Thats just it...I'm not and I don't know what I can do about it. Either then start studying till exhaustion, I don't know how to fix it.

Studying what other people write won't reveal what you want and value.

2)I guess I'm just scarier of people not liking me. I'm a nice looking and great first impressionist. So, I do have those opportunities, but...I don't know. It's almost as if I'm faking my outward personality and then once someone gets to know me...

Ah, I see what you're saying. You don't have to be anything special to be friends with someone. Just be there and experience life together. If you have to entertain them, are they really good friends or are they just using you for something?

Being fake will definitely push people away in the long term, and since you're a good first impressionist, the "results" you get will be kind of misleading. You will attract a bunch of other shallow friends. People who flash a smile and call you "buddy", yet won't have your back when you're in need.

These issues are something to struggle with, for sure. It's not like you're going to find some path, and it will solve all of your problems. These are the issues of life, and we deal with them for life.

The best thing to do is make yourself the best you can be. Be honest, kind, loyal, etc. Then, things will fall correctly into place.

lol-hope not! I sometimes get what I call a 'knowledge rush'. I make large leaps in thinking that seem rational. Once I start to 'calm down' everything collapses. (I hope that makes sense)

Explain more...that's very general.

I know what you mean. I love camping up north. It's been a while.

Canoeing is a good idea, as well. I don't know if you're near Boundary Waters...it's a good area to go.

Absolutely. That's why I'm searching...

Searching in this way doesn't do it. You have to stand on your own two feet...and that's the ultimate answer which you'll always find.

[bert]

[quote="John Doe"]I hope someone can find the time and/willingness to answer these:

I can answer you in many different was,there is a lot to talk about.

1)What do you think of my intro?

20th year was my worst.

thinking about past and present experiences are important : first to summarize some of the difficulties of our early and most sentient period because it creates our fears and allergies : purpose and virtue of life.

we have Identities.at birth they are wild and amoral.
and possibilities of good and evil come in to play.they are capable of being bent.

in addition we inherit a basic pattern from our genes and chromosomes which is our essential individuality.these too are subject to reform.

and the most potent of all is environment,with parents and everything inflicted upon us in that time.whether environment is good or bad it is our inescapable curse.

these three fundaments are in constant impact creating experiences.they form our complexities,frustrations,good,evil,hate,character,ethics,principles,...
so our beginning is all very chancy....

after the dangerous transition of adolescence we have the chance to break or not with the harnesses of these controls.
we have paid to cross another treshold;some half-awake,most with the ideals of a fish,enter and...
difficult to explain it,this is probably that period you are in.or maybe the next...


2)Have you ever felt that way?

yes.

3)What path can I take, in order to change my outlook/thinking?

it will come automatically.the next step is shaping our domain to some ambition,ideal or desire : more or less form judgements from experiences,knowledge and those things that serve us best....the first hints of 'I am I' ,a sort of psychic masturbation:grasp at things and find every frustration and seek escape in evry kind of illusion ,instead of self-reformation.




PS-I understand no one can give me the answers. I like to think of it as, messages or clues that have been left by minds, ahead. Those, who are closer to the light-wisdom. Am I asking for too much?[/

desire and consummation , is life