is my life real?

[DesertSmeagle]

ok, ive got alot to think about since im ultra introverted and have nothing to do. I just watched shutter island a week ago. Its a great movie, but it made me think. How do i really know that my life is real? How can i be sure that my life isnt all a haullucination? what if im a severe schizophrenic and this life is my haullucination, and im actually in a mental hospital somewhere. The thought scares me. Ive always been kinda detatched, but thats just an intp trait. This life i live could just be a huge projection of my mind, and i cant say for sure if anyone else but myself is real. Really, how can you tell for sure that your life is real? The human mind can literally create anything. For schizophrenics, their haullucinations are real to them.....Just a weird thought. What do you think?

 

[SpaceYeti]

How do you know? Observed fact. Even if you're wrong about the reality you're observing, it's a necessity to live life in the reality you perceive. If you're wrong, hopefully you'll figure it out, but do you have a reason to suppose you are now, besides a simple thought experiment? If you have no reason to doubt the inputs you perceive, don't. It's never absolutely certain that what you perceive is real, but there's no reason to presume it isn't, either.

 

[DesertSmeagle]

How do you know? Observed fact. Even if you're wrong about the reality you're observing, it's a necessity to live life in the reality you perceive. If you're wrong, hopefully you'll figure it out, but do you have a reason to suppose you are now, besides a simple thought experiment? If you have no reason to doubt the inputs you perceive, don't. It's never absolutely certain that what you perceive is real, but there's no reason to presume it isn't, either.

ya your right. until i have a reason to think this, i have no proof or reason. its like the fukin matrix, i just thought of that...idk..just a thought.

 

[snafupants]

Other people corroborate your existence and your perceptions which makes the idea, albeit a fanciful and compelling one, unlikely.

 

[SpaceYeti]

Other people corroborate your existence and your perceptions which makes the idea, albeit a fanciful one, unlikely.

If his perception was an illusion, as per the matrix or any other brain in a jar concept, then those other minds would also be part of the illusion.

 

[DesertSmeagle]

If his perception was an illusion, as per the matrix or any other brain in a jar concept, then those other minds would also be part of the illusion.

shit. i was just gonna say that haha. Ya your mind could easily create other people, their personalities, and how they see and interact with you.

 

[snafupants]

An unstated premise was that if there is nothing that can done or proved for certain, relax, live the fullest life you can, do more good than harm, and then die, maybe starting all over again.

 

[snafupants]

If his perception was an illusion, as per the matrix or any other brain in a jar concept, then those other minds would also be part of the illusion.

So what you are suggesting is that other people are having the same illusions about the same reality between one another. This sounds crazily byzantine and silly.

 

[DesertSmeagle]

So what you are suggesting is that other people are having the same illusions about the same reality between one another. This sounds crazily byzantine and silly.

I think hes saying that if your whole life is an illusion, the people would be created by your mind, and noone in the illusion would actually exist, but would be a creation of your subconscious. like in a dream when u see people you dont know. A dream is basically a haulucination, so im saying what if your life was a dream and you didnt know it.

 

[snafupants]

I think hes saying that if your whole life is an illusion, the people would be created by your mind, and noone in the illusion would actually exist, but would be a creation of your subconscious. like in a dream when u see people you dont know. A dream is basically a haulucination, so im saying what if your life was a dream and you didnt know it.

A retarded person could not make up a panorama that complex and he is living in the same reality. If yall can not meet me halfway and admit humans inhabit the same reality, then there are few if any ontological arguments which can be made to assert the overwhelming possibility that this is a contrived scenario being posited.

 

[DesertSmeagle]

A retarded person could not make up a panorama that complex and he is living in the same reality. If yall can not meet me halfway and admit humans inhabit the same reality, then there are few if any ontological arguments which can be made to assert the overwhelming possibility that this is a contrived scenario being posited.

I think theres a misunderstanding here haha. im not saying that everyone is living an illusion im saying, what if this life to me is an illusion because im schizophrenic and dont know it? and how can you tell that your life isnt a drea,. im not saying that everyone has this same illusion, im just saying that how can you tell if your own life is real and not a dream or haulucination...Like in shutter island haha..what if im Leo Decaprio and i think that my life is something its not.

 

[snafupants]

I think theres a misunderstanding here haha. im not saying that everyone is living an illusion im saying, what if this life to me is an illusion because im schizophrenic and dont know it? and how can you tell that your life isnt a drea,. im not saying that everyone has this same illusion, im just saying that how can you tell if your own life is real and not a dream or haulucination...Like in shutter island haha..what if im Leo Decaprio and i think that my life is something its not.

That would be one long, unprecedented, and eerily intricate hallucination. The odds are mighty slim.

 

[DesertSmeagle]

That would be one long, unprecedented, and eerily intricate hallucination. The odds are mighty slim.

I know haha. but its an interesting thought.

 

[nexion]

Some of my moments of the intense realization and truth are the ones where I doubt that any of this could be real, especially my life. It is all ridiculous... this world, the people in it, the systems, the universe. None of it makes any sense. If it wasn't for the fact that I have (or rather, am) a rational, conscious mind, I would most assuredly believe that this entire life is some sort of illusion or dream. But sadly, it is not. We really do live here, completely unexplained. But existence truly does make so little sense, and what we have done to this world... the things we have done, the passions we have appeased... make even less sense. And these thoughts put into my heart a sense of hopelessness that there should ever be a moment in which this world is not entirely backwards....

 

[DesertSmeagle]

Some of my moments of the intense realization and truth are the ones where I doubt that any of this could be real, especially my life. It is all ridiculous... this world, the people in it, the systems, the universe. None of it makes any sense. If it wasn't for the fact that I have (or rather, am) a rational, conscious mind, I would most assuredly believe that this entire life is some sort of illusion or dream. But sadly, it is not. We really do live here, completely unexplained. But existence truly does make so little sense, and what we have done to this world... the things we have done, the passions we have appeased... make even less sense. And these thoughts put into my heart a sense of hopelessness that there should ever be a moment in which this world is not entirely backwards....

Damn. Thats dome fukin poetic shit right there.Well said. Its amazing how we know everything about the environment around us and how things work but we know so little about ourselves...Well i guess the only thing we can do is try to enjoy the lives that we cant explain or understand, and just wait for the future...and then sometimes you when u become aware of time drives you crazy. try and be aware of time. its like every seond is just a tiny frame in existence, and life and knowledge only exists in our memory and imagination..i cant even explain it. like if you couldnt remember anything, how could you possibly live? wow. i just realized how important the shortest of our memory is too us...i think im gonna take a philosophy class in college hah

 

[Sunyata]

Some of my moments of the intense realization and truth are the ones where I doubt that any of this could be real, especially my life. It is all ridiculous... this world, the people in it, the systems, the universe. None of it makes any sense. If it wasn't for the fact that I have (or rather, am) a rational, conscious mind, I would most assuredly believe that this entire life is some sort of illusion or dream. But sadly, it is not. We really do live here, completely unexplained. But existence truly does make so little sense, and what we have done to this world... the things we have done, the passions we have appeased... make even less sense. And these thoughts put into my heart a sense of hopelessness that there should ever be a moment in which this world is not entirely backwards....

I hear you dude...

 

[EyeSeeCold]

If his perception was an illusion, as per the matrix or any other brain in a jar concept, then those other minds would also be part of the illusion.

That's the mysticism of it though. Would some almighty experimenter really go through great lengths to make it seem like every other person also has a life outside your observation? I mean, to you I could either be some character in your Matrix world with a front for my every interaction with you or I can be a whole other person with my own web of social networks and metaphysical connections. You could make it your life mission to ponder over the question but you would never find out the real truth.

 

[SpaceYeti]

That's the mysticism of it though. Would some almighty experimenter really go through great lengths to make it seem like every other person also has a life outside your observation? I mean, to you I could either be some character in your Matrix world with a front for my every interaction with you or I can be a whole other person with my own web of social networks and metaphysical connections. You could make it your life mission to ponder over the question but you would never find out the real truth.

You could just face the necessity of assuming those other people are people. Even if they're not.

 

[DesertSmeagle]

In no way can this thought help me succeed or gain anything. Therefore even if I'm living in a dream , haullucination, or the matrix the only thing I can do is accept it haha.. Just a scary thought which I will never know the answer to. Once I got off antidepressants a few months ago, I started to think and realize that nothing had a purpose. I mean why am I getting out of bed in the earlyor ing to go do a bunch of shit indont wanna do? I'm not suicidal but I need some inspiration to live.

 

[SpaceYeti]

I sincerely have no idea how to handle depression. The only time I was depressed was when I got divorced. I handled it by getting addicted to Tylenol PM. Then I realized that was dumb and stopped. I don't get depressed because life is where all the excitement and fun is. I just... do something fun when I want to. Unless I'm at work or something, but I only do that so that I can then later have fun again. I mean... what do you want to do? How are you not inspired by all the fun stuff you can do?

 

[nexion]

In no way can this thought help me succeed or gain anything. Therefore even if I'm living in a dream , haullucination, or the matrix the only thing I can do is accept it haha.. Just a scary thought which I will never know the answer to. Once I got off antidepressants a few months ago, I started to think and realize that nothing had a purpose. I mean why am I getting out of bed in the earlyor ing to go do a bunch of shit indont wanna do? I'm not suicidal but I need some inspiration to live.

I understand perfectly...

We are forcefully thrust into a world where there is not much except hate, bigotry, and apathy. I have come to the full realization that life, and everything pertaining to it, is meaningless, but it is destroying my mind, because all I want is a little bit of meaning, just something that will make life worthwhile... and I do not seek to suppress that desire under a blanket of false joy and security. I'm not suicidal either, but goddamn it, what is the point? Sometimes I wonder why my mother birthed me, and sometimes I have contempt at her for being so selfish as to birth me into a world that she full well knew could drive a man to an empty shell, just to fulfill her own desire of having a child.

 

[DesertSmeagle]

I understand perfectly...

We are forcefully thrust into a world where there is not much except hate, bigotry, and apathy. I have come to the full realization that life, and everything pertaining to it, is meaningless, but it is destroying my mind, because all I want is a little bit of meaning, just something that will make life worthwhile... and I do not seek to suppress that desire under a blanket of false joy and security. I'm not suicidal either, but goddamn it, what is the point? Sometimes I wonder why my mother birthed me, and sometimes I have contempt at her for being so selfish as to birth me into a world that she full well knew could drive a man to an empty shell, just to fulfill her own desire of having a child.

ya eexaclty. its areally depressing thought.

 

[Da Blob]

Well, you are not the first person to wonder this, there are entire philosophies based upon the transient nature and intangible stuff that makes up both Life and Dreams. One way out is through the exercise of power. One can empower one's own self in reality.

Descartes' "I Think, therefore, I am" may not be enough. For is not "I Dream, therefore, I am" just as valid a statement? Here's this, which is better for practical purposes, "I Do, therefore I am", that is to say doing things, becoming active with your body, as well as your mind, building and growing things is a way to both provide feedback from reality but also fight one's way out of depression. In other words do not limit your actions and activities to the things that you have to do, Be active and find things, real actions, that you enjoy doing. Something as simple as hiking or fishing can have enormous therapeutic value...

 

[Puffy]

Revelling in chaos is empowering it is always tempting to be the destroyer, but it destroys you..

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Last year in high school my 12th grade English teacher decided to teach us about Existentialism/Absurdism and assigned us two books to read about the subject. Of course this was a mental buffet for me, but I couldn't shake the thought that teaching the subject is a sort of catalyst to suicide. Maybe there are people out there who are not mentally stable enough to handle such insights into the meaninglessness of life.

With the proper guidance however I think existentialism/absurdism could be empowering. You begin to ponder why you do the things you do and undergo a personality shift which could change your behavior for the better, unless you take the other route and just decide to give up or do nothing.

 

[nexion]

Last year in high school my 12th grade English teacher decided to teach us about Existentialism/Absurdism and assigned us two books to read about the subject. Of course this was a mental buffet for me, but I couldn't shake the thought that teaching the subject is a sort of catalyst to suicide. Maybe there are people out there who are not mentally stable enough to handle such insights into the meaninglessness of life.

With the proper guidance however I think existentialism/absurdism could be empowering. You begin to ponder why you do the things you do and undergo a personality shift which could change your behavior for the better, unless you take the other route and just decide to give up or do nothing.

I am quite certain that the discovery and acceptance of absurdism, which proved to me that life was meaningless and that my soul should never get what it desires, was the very moment that the agonies and groans of my soul which press so greatly against my body were formed.

 

[DesertSmeagle]

Last year in high school my 12th grade English teacher decided to teach us about Existentialism/Absurdism and assigned us two books to read about the subject. Of course this was a mental buffet for me, but I couldn't shake the thought that teaching the subject is a sort of catalyst to suicide. Maybe there are people out there who are not mentally stable enough to handle such insights into the meaninglessness of life.

With the proper guidance however I think existentialism/absurdism could be empowering. You begin to ponder why you do the things you do and undergo a personality shift which could change your behavior for the better, unless you take the other route and just decide to give up or do nothing.

Ya im sure that people with unstable minds who discover this stuff and think about it too much commit suicide out of pure curiosity.. I was watching this ghost show on tv, and this 14 year old kid was thinking about the existence of ghosts and was curious to see what happened after you died..He thought about it too much and one day he went missing. His mom found him in the woods 2 days later dead hanging in a tree with a note that said hed be back in ghost form...crazy shit

 

[DesertSmeagle]

I am quite certain that the discovery and acceptance of absurdism, which proved to me that life was meaningless and that my soul should never get what it desires, was the very moment that the agonies and groans of my soul which press so greatly against my body were formed.

I think im getting to this point, which kinda sucks, but its empowering at the same time. Im pretty sure i have a soul and im curious in what i can do in my future to get what i want. even tho i dont know what i wont in life..maybe i should meditate or something

 

[nexion]

I think im getting to this point, which kinda sucks, but its empowering at the same time. Im pretty sure i have a soul and im curious in what i can do in my future to get what i want. even tho i dont know what i wont in life..maybe i should meditate or something

Thinking always helps one discern, though, in my experiences, it never leads to anything which can be construed as pleasurable. It is, however, great, the sense of awe and relief, at the discovery that we need not be obligated by anything except what we obligate ourselves to.

 

[warryer]

Yep this is exactly what I was talking about. I constantly shift between the what-ifs and also dealing with whats in front of me. From all of this thinking about life and its meaning (which I can't find), I have decided that life itself really is meaningless. What's important is your intent/will.

Ghost shows are my favorite. I've had too many experiences to deny the possibility of another realm.

Here is something I once read that I will leave you with:

Moments before your body dies, your brain floods itself with chemicals that slow down the perception of time. This allows you to think you "live" another 2 or 3 lives in that small moment. Infinite number of lives. I dont know where I read this but, its food for thought.

I know I've had dreams where I felt as if I had slept for a year. These are always the most refreshing.

 

[DesertSmeagle]

Yep this is exactly what I was talking about. I constantly shift between the what-ifs and also dealing with whats in front of me. From all of this thinking about life and its meaning (which I can't find), I have decided that life itself really is meaningless. What's important is your intent/will.

Ghost shows are my favorite. I've had too many experiences to deny the possibility of another realm.

Here is something I once read that I will leave you with:

Moments before your body dies, your brain floods itself with chemicals that slow down the perception of time. This allows you to think you "live" another 2 or 3 lives in that small moment. Infinite number of lives. I dont know where I read this but, its food for thought.

I know I've had dreams where I felt as if I had slept for a year. These are always the most refreshing.

hmm..thats a really good theory.And we will never know if its true..Its like near death experiences how all these people report the same story of going through a tunnel to the light and meeting God.. Its like the same experience with most people who have these NDEs..and they swear that it was real..who knows...i wish scientists would study shit like this...I wanna know if, when your in a dream, you can slo down time in the dream..because i know you can speeed it up..I had this dream once where i was dreaming that i couldnt sleep and it literally felt like 15 minutes from nite to morning..i was in shock and felt like i got no sleep all day. im hopin that if i could slow down time and feel like i sleep for 2 days id feeel incredibly rested..i should smoke weed haha, studies say it slows down circadium rythm and my friend said 3 minutes felt like a half an hour when your super high..he also smoked so much weed that he saw the kool aid man jump out of the ceiling..ive never smoked it b4..im curious and i wana experience the time altering effects,

 

[nexion]

hmm..thats a really good theory.And we will never know if its true..Its like near death experiences how all these people report the same story of going through a tunnel to the light and meeting God.. Its like the same experience with most people who have these NDEs..and they swear that it was real..who knows...i wish scientists would study shit like this...I wanna know if, when your in a dream, you can slo down time in the dream..because i know you can speeed it up..I had this dream once where i was dreaming that i couldnt sleep and it literally felt like 15 minutes from nite to morning..i was in shock and felt like i got no sleep all day. im hopin that if i could slow down time and feel like i sleep for 2 days id feeel incredibly rested..i should smoke weed haha, studies say it slows down circadium rythm and my friend said 3 minutes felt like a half an hour when your super high..he also smoked so much weed that he saw the kool aid man jump out of the ceiling..ive never smoked it b4..im curious and i wana experience the time altering effects,

Despite the fact that the effects sound awesome (even I agree), I would highly advise you to stay away from it. Mind altering drugs are something one most likely shouldn't mess with.

by the way... a connection has been made to some chemical released in large quantities into the brain at moments of death and near experiences. Not saying it's anything conclusive, but simply something to think about.

Woo... it's time to go to bed...

 

[DesertSmeagle]

Despite the fact that the effects sound awesome (even I agree), I would highly advise you to stay away from it. Mind altering drugs are something one most likely shouldn't mess with.

by the way... a connection has been made to some chemical released in large quantities into the brain at moments of death and near experiences. Not saying it's anything conclusive, but simply something to think about.

Woo... it's time to go to bed...

Ya I know haha drugs are bad. I'll probably just ask people who do them. I hope within my lifetime they figure out how the brain works. And ya when you die your brain is flushed with a chemical due to the lack of oxygen it gets becuase the heart stops. I'm sure this has something to do with it . I'm sure they have drugs that do te same thing .

 

[Lobstrich]

ok, ive got alot to think about since im ultra introverted and have nothing to do. I just watched shutter island a week ago. Its a great movie, but it made me think. How do i really know that my life is real? How can i be sure that my life isnt all a haullucination? what if im a severe schizophrenic and this life is my haullucination, and im actually in a mental hospital somewhere. The thought scares me. Ive always been kinda detatched, but thats just an intp trait. This life i live could just be a huge projection of my mind, and i cant say for sure if anyone else but myself is real. Really, how can you tell for sure that your life is real? The human mind can literally create anything. For schizophrenics, their haullucinations are real to them.....Just a weird thought. What do you think?

Well.. Yeah. This might all be a hallucination. But so what? The hallucination is going to be the same until it ends (You die)

So what's to be scared about? Just enjoy your hallucination.

 

[Anthile]

Massive spoiler ahead:

Spoiler

Nope, your life is not real. It's just the daydream of a coffee shop employee.

 

[typus]

Massive spoiler ahead:

Spoiler

Nope, your life is not real. It's just the daydream of a coffee shop employee.

should i be worried about thinking of ziltoid as a relatable character?

 

[Razare]

What do you think?

If your life is just a hallucination, then so what? I mean, obviously if this is true, your real life was so horrid that you'd rather hallucinate. Even if that's not the case, this hallucination is the reality you are presented with.

The one piece of evidence you can acquire to ascertain whether you are in a hallucination or not is if you can garner information that is beyond your understanding. Learn something new. If you learn something new that requires external input, then what you're interfacing must exist on some level beyond the confines of your mind. A mind can only generate so much content, it can't for example completely dissect the inner workings, piece by piece of a computer if you had never once seen inside a computer case.

Well, I suppose it could, just whatever it created would be imaginary and you should be able to find logical inconsistencies in it. In fact, that's often how I realize I am dreaming. When something impossible happens, I sometimes stop and say "Hey wait... I'm in a dream."

 

[Lobstrich]

If your life is just a hallucination, then so what? I mean, obviously if this is true, your real life was so horrid that you'd rather hallucinate.

Because we all choose to hallucinate. "Hmm, I think I want to hallucinate about being a parrot today!"

 

[Oblivious]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solipsism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_of_other_minds