Why bother doing anything?

[yogurtexpress]

When I was a teenager I went through a nihilistic phase. Everything in life seemed pointless, high school was a joke. I wasn't doing anything creative, I cut classes, I wasted a lot of time playing video games and thinking about the depressing pointlessness of my existence.

Then college started, and though for the most I was lonelier and more isolated than I was in high school, at least I had goals, ambitions... Things to study, interesting things to discuss in class.

Now I'm just going through a phase where I want to say fuck everything. I'm not suicidal, I'm still going to persevere with my goals (graduate college, find work, etc.), but I just have to wonder, WHAT'S THE POINT? Every person that you meet is going to disappoint, you're going to fail in life more than you ever succeed, romantic relationships in my case will probably always be spurious short-lived. Nothing ever changes, really. Some people are just meant to be happy and well-adjusted, and some people like me are just meant to be miserable because of who I am. I want things to have meaning, I want things to make sense, and of course I'm always going to be disappointed, because the world is meaningless and nothing ever makes sense.

 

[Tony3d]

Logic can solve everything. If you truly are an INTP, use your logic to find happiness.

 

[Architect]

I posted some thoughts recently on this topic that you might find helpful in Help high school drop-out find a life purpose

INTP's seem to be afflicted with existential angst, particularly during the vulnerable teenage years. This is due to our natural atheist Ti core, with Ne (what possibilities ultimately exist?) and Si (melancholic look to the past) rounding out the piss pot of misery. This is unfortunate because the teenage years are especially important in a persons growth and development as it lays the foundation for the rest of their life.

Even in later years we can be afflicted with it. I recently went through one of these periods, as in the last two weeks. There are always reasons to find to get down about your life. The good news is that there is a typologically relevant way to get out of the trap: engage Ne.

I see two main traps for INTP's, one is the inferior trap (giving Fe too much attention), and the opposite, the dominant trap (Ti not getting enough support from Ne/Si/Fe). Its a seeming paradox, we engage and balance Ti & Fe by giving Ti the most psychic energy, in this way Fe falls into place in its shadow. But I believe the opposite can happen too - giving Ti so much energy to the detriment of Ne. Ne should supplant Ti by providing possibilities - it is NOT a given that existence is meaningless. We have no proof of that, there are other possibilities too which Ne should be aware of and feed to the Ti core.

It doesn't take much, but I recommend giving Ne more room, by looking to future possibilities for you personally. Read some Ray Kurzweil and consider how much the world is changing, in YOUR (an INTP's) favor as we become a human-machine civilization. Think about how you can benefit going forward, if you do some of the right things now. Realize alternate possibilities to every scenario.

 

[Ink]

I posted some thoughts recently on this topic that you might find helpful in Help high school drop-out find a life purpose

Great post, I tend to enter the scenario OP described a lot the last few years...

 

[Matt3737]

A certain problem with foresight is the inability to foresee events that fall outside the mundane and trivial.

According to Littlewood's law, you can expect an exceptional event to occur in your life about once per month.

 

[yogurtexpress]

Logic can solve everything. If you truly are an INTP, use your logic to find happiness.

lol. The purpose of logic isn't to find happiness. The purpose of logic is to see truth. And the truth sometimes is not happy.

 

[Duxwing]

When I was a teenager I went through a nihilistic phase. Everything in life seemed pointless, high school was a joke. I wasn't doing anything creative, I cut classes, I wasted a lot of time playing video games and thinking about the depressing pointlessness of my existence.

Then college started, and though for the most I was lonelier and more isolated than I was in high school, at least I had goals, ambitions... Things to study, interesting things to discuss in class.

Now I'm just going through a phase where I want to say fuck everything. I'm not suicidal, I'm still going to persevere with my goals (graduate college, find work, etc.), but I just have to wonder, WHAT'S THE POINT? Every person that you meet is going to disappoint, you're going to fail in life more than you ever succeed, romantic relationships in my case will probably always be spurious short-lived. Nothing ever changes, really. Some people are just meant to be happy and well-adjusted, and some people like me are just meant to be miserable because of who I am. I want things to have meaning, I want things to make sense, and of course I'm always going to be disappointed, because the world is meaningless and nothing ever makes sense.

Well, before we can go on, the first thing that you'll need is one of these:

Don't be afraid (random hugs can make me anxious, too! ) just feel; feel Snoopy's warm arms hugging you close, feel his clean fur against your skin. Now, let your imagination run for a little while as I bring in another character.

Picture Pyrrho, the most ancient skeptic of all, now strolling toward you. His toga hangs loose upon his sun-beaten skin, and his brow bears the furrows dug in many years of thought. He too faced the meaninglessness of his existence-- the very limit of reason-- and suffered over two-thousand years ago just as you do now. Knowing your pain, he quietly blinks back tears and embraces you, too; the smell of the hot Mediterranean sun mingles with Snoopy's doghouse freshness.

And now with Snoopy and Pyrrho hugging you, think. The meaninglessness of existence is less comparable to an empty set than a null one; in other words, the cosmos isn't meaningless, it is simply undefined. The definition can come from you via an exercise of free will, and, if there is no God (which is likely true) then only you can give it meaning. However, free will is, in reality, an illusion; our wills are products of the complex interactions of emotions, or, for the scientifically minded, mechanistically determined by chemistry. Therefore, if you are to create your own meaning, you must also heal your emotions-- which, if I might add, you may be suppressing due to the overwhelming nature of the Void.

Overall, I recommend that you keep the idea of self-created meaning in mind and visit a psychotherapist who is well-versed in treating existential crises (sometimes known as "mid-life crises") through emotional adjustment. The philosophical component is there, but clearly, the emotional one is hurt. I know that this is a lot to take in, but relax, we're all here for you; we all care.



-Duxwing

 

[Tony3d]

lol. The purpose of logic isn't to find happiness. The purpose of logic is to see truth. And the truth sometimes is not happy.

You see the truth in things, and you learn to control them.

Realists are just people who have given up on their ability to change things. Knowledge is the power to change things.

 

[Vrecknidj]

When I was a teenager I went through a nihilistic phase. Everything in life seemed pointless, high school was a joke.

Ditto.

I wasn't doing anything creative, I cut classes, I wasted a lot of time playing video games and thinking about the depressing pointlessness of my existence.

I couldn't have cut classes. My Dad would have beaten me, severely. But, I understand this isn't true for others.

Then college started, and though for the most I was lonelier and more isolated than I was in high school, at least I had goals, ambitions... Things to study, interesting things to discuss in class.

Ditto

Now I'm just going through a phase where I want to say fuck everything. I'm not suicidal, I'm still going to persevere with my goals (graduate college, find work, etc.), but I just have to wonder, WHAT'S THE POINT?

Been there.

Every person that you meet is going to disappoint, you're going to fail in life more than you ever succeed, romantic relationships in my case will probably always be spurious short-lived.

Perhaps. Perhaps not. Life has a way of providing unexpected turns.

Nothing ever changes, really.

From a certain point of view, yes. From another point of every, things are changing all the time.

Some people are just meant to be happy and well-adjusted, and some people like me are just meant to be miserable because of who I am.

How could you (or anyone else) possibly know this to be true?

I want things to have meaning, I want things to make sense, and of course I'm always going to be disappointed, because the world is meaningless and nothing ever makes sense.

The most incorrect word in your previous sentence is "because."

So there.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

When I was a teenager I went through a nihilistic phase. Everything in life seemed pointless, high school was a joke. I wasn't doing anything creative, I cut classes, I wasted a lot of time playing video games and thinking about the depressing pointlessness of my existence.

Then college started, and though for the most I was lonelier and more isolated than I was in high school, at least I had goals, ambitions... Things to study, interesting things to discuss in class.

Now I'm just going through a phase where I want to say fuck everything. I'm not suicidal, I'm still going to persevere with my goals (graduate college, find work, etc.), but I just have to wonder, WHAT'S THE POINT? Every person that you meet is going to disappoint, you're going to fail in life more than you ever succeed, romantic relationships in my case will probably always be spurious short-lived. Nothing ever changes, really. Some people are just meant to be happy and well-adjusted, and some people like me are just meant to be miserable because of who I am. I want things to have meaning, I want things to make sense, and of course I'm always going to be disappointed, because the world is meaningless and nothing ever makes sense.

After nihilism there is existentialism.

There is no point, that is the point. At least as far as humans can presently discern about the nature and purpose of universe.

It's no secret that emotions contribute a significant amount in how we feel about things and see life, (the other important factor being perspective). If you are feeling depressed, then the illusions of reality will be easy to pierce through. But that's not the end of it, if you truly want to be content with the inherent meaninglessness of life, you have to first reject everything forced on to you-short of life itself, and start over with a life you have created for yourself.

Or you could just improve your (long-term) emotional state and change your perspective on life, these will take your mind off things.

---
Personally I find it almost dreadful that human life ends with death. Everything we do just to persevere and prolong the time of death. Do you realize you will do the same thing everyday and will do so until the fateful day you stop? And for what ? It's hard to believe society functions as it does with this truth so apparent to myself; but emotions and perspective, they keep people focused.

 

[SLushhYYY]

lol. The purpose of logic isn't to find happiness. The purpose of logic is to see truth. And the truth sometimes is not happy.

I very much disagree with this. In my mind, logic brings out the beauty of truth, there is nothing more inspiring than the truth.

 

[SpaceYeti]

If anyone's seriously considering just plain giving up, well, firstly; FUCK YOU!

Secondly; whatevs. If you really don't take any joy from being alive, then dang. Sucks to be you. I would suggest getting a hobby of some kind, but the first point still applies, so... you know... your mom.

 

[redbaron]

Can't have an existential crisis if you're dead.

Just sayin'.

 

[yogurtexpress]

Can't have an existential crisis if you're dead.

Just sayin'.

one death doesnt solve the overall meaningless of existence

 

[snafupants]

I agree with Peter Zapffe that the brains of modern humans are grossly evolved given the environment. In light of that finding, I'm disinclined to search for meaning and self-destruct in that way; the path is barren and the search is painful. I have attempted to eradicate the desiring impulse altogether because I've noticed that when I crave something, especially something that can't be easily attained, momentary happiness is sacrificed in favor of some nebulous future hope. It's easier not to care.

Truth?! Well, masochistic crucibles of metaphysical inquiries oftentimes fail to provide answers, so nix that process as well. Why should I hunt for truth? If there's any purpose to life it's staying the fuck out of somebody else's way and experiencing some transient enjoyment. I happen to value three other things - integrity, health, and intelligence - but you can take that or leave it. There's really no point to living though - feel free to reenter the state of nonexistence at your leisure.

 

[shortbuss]

You should hear the song 'Waiting around to Die'. I forget the artist, but you'll know it when you hear it. It ends with the speaker singing about how they've found someone to wait around to die with, and that that's all they really wanted, and I feel the same way. I think you might too.