General disinterest

[Coolydudey]

(just letting everyone know to avoid mistakes, this is a serious loungy thread...)

I don't know if anyone has noticed the significant drop in my activity on the forum recently. It actually stems from a general disinterest in what life has to offer. This stems from two things: the high importance I place on "meaningful" things-mainly things regarding some deeper truth or having some large significance- and the exhaustion (on my part) of most such topics (trust me, we're talking large significance).

This is probably a bit of a teenage phase that will eventually end, but I was wondering how many of you guys passed a similar such phase, or are in one. By the way, I don't want any crap about how I should change my way of thinking or what I value. Thoughts relating to how common you think this is, and what it signifies about a person, would be somewhat appreciated.

 

[Moocow]

It sounds like you already know what replies to expect. Do you think it will help you to rationalize or accept periodic apathy?

 

[skip]

Sounds pretty normal to me, Coolydudey. Is there anything you've been putting off doing because you haven't had time to do it? A project or hobby? I'd give that a go.

 

[kora]

regular, re-occuring experience for me. I always thought of it as a burn out of mental energy or a depression phase. I just accept them, you can't be constant. Maybe we have slight cyclothymia or something, maybe most teenagers do.

 

[intpz]

Hm. Not sure if it's the same, but sharing anyway:

I'm quite often in a phase of disinterest, or more likely laziness after I'm not able to do something. For example, not able to play say Skyrim due to my old machine, and I can't afford a new one. Usually, though, that isn't about one thing. It builds up from several things that I find out that I cannot do, mostly due to monetary limitations.

Usually, in such phase, my IN shuts down, and ES kicks in, I prefer going for walks and I'd like to go out with a woman or somebody, interact with people, rationally. I often go for long walks then, explore the city (even though it's already explored and I hate doing it repeatedly), etc.. I love going out at night, the city is so calm, almost no people and cars, everything relies on lighting, some places look amazing compared to the day view. I'd like to bring a camera, but I don't own one. I have never tried this during the winter, perhaps I will try it this year. I like it when it snows, and I think snow at night would look great. I'll just have to think of a way to dress up properly, all I have is a pair of sneakers.

I don't have a way of exercising my ES in regards to T and S as in experience, not tradition and other irrational nonsense; I don't know people, and I don't want to know new people, unless on the net, so I would stumble upon someone closer to me than to ESFJ ()?

If that wasn't exactly what you meant, I haven't been in that phase then, and I don't believe I will ever be. If there's something I wanna do that is realistic and there is no limitations preventing me from doing it, I don't think I could possibly be that apathetic.

 

[Turniphead]

Oh look... intpz doesn't have enough money for stimulationzzz... that's a new and interesting development.

On topic,
It has happen fairly often... feeling like I need to solve all of the worlds/universes problems. And the the apathy after realizing I can't. Not as much any more. It helps to work on smaller things and finding meaning in more immediate areas of life.

Perhaps you have read this, but if not you might find it interesting.

 

[Milo]

That pretty much accounts for most of my life. It could be a sign of depression, but it could also be that you are just bored with everything.

You want the deepest truth I have just recently found? Well I'll tell you anyways.

It's that there is no objective meanings in the world. (Maybe you already knew that)

Using this as a basic truth, I deduced that all human judgements are trivial matters and that the only thing that really matters in life is what matter's to you (determined by natural selection and/or conditioned interests). Also, all morals are subjective and do not really matter.

After I realized all of this, I realized that thinking about the future and all the possible scenarios is useless and almost entirely impractical unless you are actually going to apply it, which you might think you are, but it really only distorts your views of the world.

Figuring this out has pretty much freed me from my own mind. It feels great. I now have justified myself into being able to completely express myself and I actually might be turning a lot more extroverted as well. I only think when I have to and it is no longer an OCD thing. (I don't know if you had that problem, but I'm just talking from experience).

Don't overlook the depression thing though because that could be very real. Depression starts with general disinterest in most things.

 

[intpz]

Oh look... intpz doesn't have enough money for stimulationzzz... that's a new and interesting development.

What is this about? Are you one of those guys who say "fuck technology, let's go back to the caves?"

 

[Da Blob]

Cognitive development can be a life long process. If one gets derailed from a natural progression one often loses interest in the status quo of one's own mental state, after all it is basically the same 'old' stuff and one is in danger of falling into a cycle that can turn into a rut.

Words and all that they contain are of limited value. Being very adept at words, I was able to keep my mind busy and my self amused, simply playing with words for the longest time. I built an internal model of a Library full of hundreds of thousands of words in various interesting combinations and borrowed even more from Others who had previously recorded words in books and manuscripts. I was lost in words and the world one can construct from them for decades.

The I too, became somewhat disillusioned with words, thinking that if words were all life had to offer - it was somewhat of a bummer.

Fortunately, I finally was able to turn the 'Word Machine' off within my brain (no easy feat that) and I began to experience life beyond words, just like the 'stupid' people do. While symbols are fascinating, the experiences they symbolize can be even more so.

Think about it - what is meaning but a symbolic abstraction of reality expressed in words? What meaning is there beyond the realm of words? The philosophical search for meaning is just a search for the right combination of words and symbols and Poets have come much closer to finding that meaning than Philosophers have.

Life has to offer a great deal, but one has to take risks to experience the greater aspects of life.

 

[Turniphead]

What is this about? Are you one of those guys who say "fuck technology, let's go back to the caves?"

How did you get that?
I have a love/hate relationship with technology for various reasons, I wouldn't swear at it though. Caves sound fun... I've never been in one though, so I couldn't say.

That has nothing to do with what it's "about".

I was just sarcastically responding to your annoyingly repetitive, predictable and grating posts that make my head go like this:

 

[intpz]

I don't see how my posts are repetitive.

 

[Vladimir]

I think I'm in that phase right now. 17 years old am I, and do nothing but play games do I. However, summer vacation is ending, and I think I will have a number if new things to finally capture my attention. I know how you fell man, so I won't be all touchy and communicative, because that's one thing I've been trying to avoid more than usual.

 

[Coolydudey]

That pretty much accounts for most of my life. It could be a sign of depression, but it could also be that you are just bored with everything.

You want the deepest truth I have just recently found? Well I'll tell you anyways.

It's that there is no objective meanings in the world. (Maybe you already knew that)

Using this as a basic truth, I deduced that all human judgements are trivial matters and that the only thing that really matters in life is what matter's to you (determined by natural selection and/or conditioned interests). Also, all morals are subjective and do not really matter.

After I realized all of this, I realized that thinking about the future and all the possible scenarios is useless and almost entirely impractical unless you are actually going to apply it, which you might think you are, but it really only distorts your views of the world.

Figuring this out has pretty much freed me from my own mind. It feels great. I now have justified myself into being able to completely express myself and I actually might be turning a lot more extroverted as well. I only think when I have to and it is no longer an OCD thing. (I don't know if you had that problem, but I'm just talking from experience).

Don't overlook the depression thing though because that could be very real. Depression starts with general disinterest in most things.

I too am an existential and moral nihilist (agree exactly and completely with that you said), just that although I am freed from my mind in one sense, I'm generally disinterested. Wanted to investigate it as a psychological phenomenon in one sense, but in a lounge thread.

 

[Milo]

Perhaps you are only interested in one thing like a girl or you are generally dissatisfied with something that has happened and are dwelling on it. Or you might just be thinking to yourself and not paying attention to external stimuli.

Depression is related to your dopamine receptors and will cause you to have higher anxiety in social situations or any situation you feel pressured in. Higher than normal.

 

[skip]

17 years old am I, and do nothing but play games do I.

Your parents allow that?

 

[Coolydudey]

Perhaps you are only interested in one thing like a girl or you are generally dissatisfied with something that has happened and are dwelling on it. Or you might just be thinking to yourself and not paying attention to external stimuli.

Depression is related to your dopamine receptors and will cause you to have higher anxiety in social situations or any situation you feel pressured in. Higher than normal.

Nope, not depressed, dissatisfied, solely interested in something, or not paying attention to external stimuli. I just find it really hard to get interested in whatever I do (even my favourites, such as games, maths, philosophy, and a few others).

 

[NinjaSurfer]

I think I would switch places with u

 

[Hawkeye]

Nope, not depressed, dissatisfied, solely interested in something, or not paying attention to external stimuli. I just find it really hard to get interested in whatever I do (even my favourites, such as games, maths, philosophy, and a few others).

It is a phase. It won't last forever as you will eventually despise being in such a state and will find something to pull you out of it. It will take some time however.

 

[Milo]

Nope, not depressed, dissatisfied, solely interested in something, or not paying attention to external stimuli. I just find it really hard to get interested in whatever I do (even my favourites, such as games, maths, philosophy, and a few others).

It seems to be that you lack interest in general. You have lost focus of what matters to you. No objectives meaningful enough for you to even bother paying attention to. You have to want to enjoy something in order to enjoy it, and to want something, you have to have a reason to.

You are looking for a reason to do something. Nothing matters to you because of the belief system you currently have. To get out of this phase your belief system must change at least slightly. You can actively look on the internet for beliefs or you can use your reason to form realizations to add to your belief system because your belief system makes who you are--your thoughts and your behavior.

 

[redbaron]

Sounds like typical angsty teenager behaviour to me.

You'll either get over it, or become 'that guy' - and trust me, no one wants to be that guy.