How do you guys deal with existential crisis?

Hot_Pink_Knob · 2019-04-19T19:25:23+00:00

Well, life has no objective meaning, the meaning to life is to attach your own meaning to it, that's where happiness is found.

I too struggle with existential problems, I suffer from a lot of dissonance. On one hand I think that life has no meaning, nothing really matters in the end, because well, we're all going to cease to exist and pretty soon, death is coming. On the other hand, I think everything matter's and everything we do affects thing's in ways we don't really understand, I often drift between these two viewpoints.

But I've come to realise, the fact that we're all going to die makes whatever this is so special. The fact that our time is limited is what makes life worth living. I find joy in being able to experience consciousness. So find ecstasy in the small moments, whether it be hanging out with friends, spending time with family, listening to music, having a glass wine, being able to to do things you love, cherish all these moments because death is around the corner, for all of us. So move in the direction of the person you want to be because life is too short for anything else.

Life is highly subjective, and this is the meaning I've attached to my life.

BrodinsOats · 2019-04-19T18:50:08+00:00

Read Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. It's his account of surviving the holocaust in Auschwitz. And if you can't tell by the title, it centers around the question you're putting forth here.

If that doesn't make your first world problems seem small and inspire you to carve out some meaning for yourself, then idk what will.

whiffofass · 2019-04-19T20:18:03+00:00

There is a reason Alan Watts drank himself to an early grave.

I know I am not a special snowflake. I have grown out of the thought that I am center of the universe, and the notion of absolute good and bad, and everything exists for a purpose.

Why couldn't you be the centre of the universe? As far as I understand and have learned from my psychedelics use there is only one consciousness. God. Universe. You. Experiencing everything. You are everywhere. You don't have to define yourself as a microbe. You can define yourself as god or the universe itself.

PhasmaFrank · 2019-04-19T19:00:33+00:00

So what you do today is completely meaningless for tomorrow? You can give meaning to it. I would recommend you not dwelling on why we exist and such, we dont know, thats part of being human

RedHoodhandles · 2019-04-19T19:24:44+00:00

My rejection of religion and my search for the truth and for a life well lived led me to philosophy, to existencialism, to absurdism (I've basically read everything of Camus), to TRP and then to stoicism to somehow deal with that all.

Don't try to give your life meaning. Good and evil. Morals. It's just all man made mumbojumbo.

Focus instead on living a life that makes you happy. How do you do that, you ask? Pretty simple. We cannot flee our biology so all you have do to feel some kind of accomplishment and meaning is to ACQUIRE RESSOURCES. That's it. That's the path to happiness. Period.

What ressources you ask? Improving physically, improving mentally and improving socially or to put it in TRP terms, looks, status, money, game and knowledge.

Theebenedetto · 2019-04-19T19:54:47+00:00

Fill your days with activities you enjoy. Hiking and mountain biking for example. Or fishing and hunting. Or go to eat some mushrooms in the woods.

ixyfang · 2019-04-19T23:12:23+00:00

No.

No books. Right now, going deeper into your head with someone else’s thoughts is a waste of time. You are having existential crisis because you have stopped living because you have stopped making decisions because you fear making the wrong one.

You need to get out of your head. You need to start doing those things that add value to your life and the lives of others.

Considerations: I would: 1. Get my Testosterone level checked. 2. Research Dopamine supplements e.g. Tyrosine, SAM-e, B-6 3. Find a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school and join and attend class consistently. Lifting is good for bones. BJJ is good for life. 4. Find somewhere to volunteer my time and talents. 5. Report back here in 1 week and again 4 weeks from today. 6. Help the next person you encounter going through what you overcame.

DubbleFUPAwitCheez · 2019-04-19T20:47:53+00:00

Absurdism is the answer to nihilism.

theherosmyth · 2019-04-19T21:04:44+00:00

I’ve been having an existential crisis myself lately. I mean I’ve known for a long time that one’s life eventually ends, but sometimes the reality of it just sinks in extra deep. But if it was a choice to be made where you could decide on never existing, or coming into existence, living life in all its glory and tragedy, and then going back to ceasing to exist, well I’d rather have lived.

We’re alive now. We’re all in. I can squander my time by sitting here lamenting my inevitable death, but whether or not I do that, it won’t change the fact that I’ll die.

What I am terrified of, is not living while I’m alive. There will come a time where I might feel differently about death. I’m in my late 20’s, so the thought of dying now strikes me as horrifying. But honestly. If you’re in your 80’s or 90’s (if you make it that far), your body is starting to give up on you, you have some kids and grand kids running around, and you have taken life by the nuts, squeezed with all your power and did a little twist for good measure, maybe at that point you’ll have peace with that eternal sleep. But being the old guy who realizes painfully how much more of an epic life he could have lived, but is now too old to get after it anymore... that’s scary.

FereallyRed · 2019-04-19T20:18:09+00:00

Why does it have to mean anything?

ainihon · 2019-04-19T22:13:10+00:00

Origin, meaning, morality and destiny.

Any belief system has to answer these components when searching out your existential quest

NightwingTRP · 2019-04-19T22:47:46+00:00

Firstly, I would remind myself that I'm a human being and as such am limited in various ways. In addition, I am not the brightest man on the planet either, so having expectations to solve the meaning of life - a well known eternal question that has baffled men who make you look like a pitiful child being beaten in the boxing ring by someone like tyson - is wildly unreasonable.

So we look smaller. How does this apply to my own existence? Well, firstly since the meaning of my own life is a huge question, I would begin by giving myself time and not expecting myself to solve this quickly. Crisis tends to come from stress and that stress comes from an urge to get on with things. A worry that time is short, and yes it is. But much like a huge essay that's due in a month, time may be short but you have enough time and worrying about it will stress you and make you less productive towards that aim.

That is the key bit to come to peace with first and foremost. Acknowledging your own imperfection and forgiving yourself for it. Granting yourself the time you need to work on something as huge as this. And the time that is needed to figure out your own purpose or reason or meaning or whatever you want to call it will be measured in years, not days.

Which begs the question, what do you do in the meantime? Work to put yourself in the best possible position you can for a reasonably good life.

This does not give you an answer to your question but I believe it supplies what you need. Which is a clear set of reasoning in order to begin that search to satisfy your need for meaning. While I abhor relativism... when it comes to meaning, given that it's an emotional thing that upsets us not having it, a relativistic approach is probably best for now until men (much smarter than me) come up with something better. Work on experimenting and trying to find that meaning. Read. Lots.

Try new things. Search. Explore. Entertain ideas. This should provide a good starting point from which to explore the question of what matters to you and what might provide you with meaning? Drive? Passion? etc etc.

topmatrixgun · 2019-04-20T01:46:32+00:00

Once I asked a friend of mine, “What's the use of this meaningless life?”

(I was a bit frustrated then.)

My friend replied, “The propose of life is to make the life given to us meaningful.”

Meaning to you, meaning to the society, meaningful to the world.

adam-l · 2019-04-20T22:57:54+00:00

Lots of comments, most miss the mark.

"Existential crisis" is not existential. It is not about existence. It is a feeling of disconnectedness from the world, i.e. disconnectedness from society. Marx would call it allienation. It is a pretty reasonable and expected reaction to a society that treats you like disposable machinery.

Friends are an integral part of the solution. A "tribe" you feel you belong in. Real human ties.

And then, a mission. But I don't think any mission will do. Once you reach the existential crisis, a mission that makes sense is one that counters the reasons that led you to that existential crisis.

strongfarts · 2019-04-19T21:08:44+00:00

Achieve what you need to achieve in order to sustain lifestyle where you are maximizing your fun.

For me that means a prestigious corporate career with a nice apartment and car and cash flow to do what I literally please

urja · 2019-04-19T21:25:33+00:00

Read two books the first one is "Will to Power" by Frederick Nietzsche and the second "Existentialism is Humanism" by Jean Paul Sartre. Start with EIH first . You should realise that nihilism is the pretty common for a society that is orphaned of God, in the sense that God doesn't dictate the way or meaning of life in a general sense and exists more or less as a spiritual guidance counselor. We have carved due to industrial and digital revolution a more individualistic lifestyle and a one that has more choices. But nihilism is only the first step as you will realise that the onus for creating a meaning is on you. But as much as you feel you can do whatever the fuck you want, remember that we are men and how ultimately everything exists as an expression of our biological drives. All men (and women) crave one thing: Power.

dtyler86 · 2019-04-19T21:32:12+00:00

Ahhh the ole existential crisis. I had mine right after I graduated college and realized I was faced with over $100,000 in student loan debt with no job. Living your life is the only purpose of it altogether. Maybe that’s different for different people, to some parenthood is their purpose, to some like me, building things is all that matters and having fun in the process. I don’t live to drink fuck and do sensory pleasing things, I mean I do, but there’s so much enjoyment in life when you don’t take it so seriously and realize that you have to find your own mission and building on it and progressing to the end goal makes every minute worth living. I have literally the best job ever. I work for myself and my work involves travel and doing really cool shit all for myself, so much that sometimes it gets me down because when it starts to become the norm in my dream job starts to just feel like any other job I have to check my reality and literally tune out when I’m working out on a bike ride envisioning what it used to be like turn a fraction of what I own now and how hard I worked for at serving tables were delivering pizzas. Perspective in comparison can be a literal game changer.

When I’m hanging out with friends and I start to get bored or wonder why I do the things I do and if I’m not living my life to its full potential I usually start to envision what my 90-year-old self would start to think and how even a bad day now would be gladly traded for my best day as a 90-year-old man with failing health, if you living family members from my nuclear family and so many deceased friends if I even live that old.

[deleted] · 2019-04-19T21:51:53+00:00

Life has been fighting death for billions of years, passing on its ‘genes’ to the next generation. Humans are doing the same thing, but on the forefront of evolution also passing along knowledge, wisdom and power. Rumour has it that because of the accumulative efforts of evolution, we (life) will one day (millions of years from now?) permanently subdue death. “Death where is your victory? Death where is your sting?” I like to think I’m contributing to that vast effort.

Ledoborec · 2019-04-19T22:19:22+00:00

Family, it might be as simple as this...

launganik · 2019-04-19T22:35:05+00:00

I am on a very similar page as you. Nothing really motivates me. I don't experience emotions like happiness, anxiety, sadness, envy for more than a moment. I do feel envy a little stronger/longer. Nothing lasts though. As a result, I do not believe I have a strong desire, except sexual desire - where I don't believe I have a choice. I've also been reading about free will (the lack of it). I haven't figured out the meaning of life.

What might be a good strategy at this point is the subtraction approach. What can you eliminate from your life right now? The other day this thought crossed my mind - my life had been like a slate full of social programming, goals, motivations, desires, culture, etc. They are being erased one by one from this slate. Organically, without trying. The slate pretty clean if not blank at this point. Going forward, I don't know if I'll fill the slate with something new.

It is True that on a long enough timescale, nothing really matters. I do not think I have anything else to add to my comment. I don't think my comment solves you of your anxious state, maybe it helps you take a step towards accepting it.

_praisekek · 2019-04-19T22:36:10+00:00

I don’t have any good advice on how you can find meaning in your life (I’m in a similar situation), but what I can say is having a nihilistic view on life is not helping you. You have to find a way to move past nihilism. Try looking into stoicism, or some other philosophy that will help you live your life better. Giving up isn’t the answer, keep searching, keep learning, you’ll figure it out.

mxrtenxx · 2019-04-19T22:45:38+00:00

Experiencing life to its fullest (or atleast more than i'm used to) did that for me. Go try new things, find people to connect with etc.

Ixrxxni · 2019-04-19T22:51:50+00:00

In The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus he explained how Sisyphus is doomed to roll a boulder uphill for eternity. It is a meaningless activity and he equates this to human existence. Human existence is an absurd and meaningless thing. How to overcome this is by becoming an absurd hero, one who embraces the absurdity of life and lives despite being meaningless. Just enjoy life and do what you want to do. About your legacy being forgotten, if you really care about that you should look into transhumanism. Transhumanism is all about becoming the next stage in evolution. Part of it is extending human life with science and technology. If you have a high IQ you could go into science or technology field to contribute to transhumanist causes.

soothslayer2k · 2019-04-19T23:14:55+00:00

The purpose of life is death, enjoy the ride.

NenJ · 2019-04-19T23:34:42+00:00

Have you ever read a book like "A New Earth" or "The power of now" by Eckhart Tolle?

It's a sort of westernized version of zen buddhism that stands on the following idea:

"Living in the present moment is the only way to be peaceful. The incessant stream of thoughts is what stops you from being in the present moment and being in your default state of peacefulness."

GucciGangBucks · 2019-04-20T00:40:13+00:00

Join the military. Your actions will no longer me meaningless.

0io- · 2019-04-20T00:40:26+00:00

You might try living an organized religious life for a while and see if you like it. Orthodox Judaism or Mormon or Buddhist or Amish or Hindu... Pick one that interests you and actually go to the community and actively participate. With that and lifting you should have the spiritual and physical boxes checked off. You're probably too intellectual and over-thinking things. Even if it's not for you, it might snap you out of the rut that you've been in and broaden your horizons a little bit.

Travel can be pretty good too. Can you get a job on the other side of the world doing something new? Go help kids in an orphanage in Brazil for a while or something. Change of scene can do wonders.

DeborahBinLaden · 2019-04-20T00:46:50+00:00

You’re the centre of your own universe. Sounds like you’re living too much in the future, looking for a purpose there. There is no magical purpose lurking in the future, just the prospect of creating your own with constant hard work. Of course you’re going to be depressed if you’re always speculating over the final product (there isn’t one). Short term goals, mate.

I had a similar problem, you need a bit of healthy ego, you can’t get rid of it entirely. Embrace your selfishness. Appreciate the present more.

walawalawa · 2019-04-20T02:16:11+00:00

This is a situation in your own head. Breaking out of this means setting little goals and achieving them. It could be as simple as waking up at 6:30am every morning.

My life has meaning because it has structure.

After 30 years of working I basically got fired 6 months ago because of politics, costs, crap etc whatever. Within 30 minutes of that "talk" with my so-called "boss" I reached out to two friends who had been in a similar situation. One offered to hire me, the other offered to help me set up my own business. Within a week i'd set up my own business.

I spent the next 4 months of my notice period building contacts, brands, talking to people and planning projects.

Long story short I'm now working less, making the same money, happier and working on my own projects.

I dj, I'm entering a dance contest, I'm organizing a visiting artist.

The existential crisis was in my head. When I broke out of that downward "what's it all mean?" shit I was able to do things beyond my own expectation.
When I look back on my job I realize it was whatever I wanted it to be and I didn't really need that validation from the "tribe" of elders in my company to know what I was doing was important.

v3ngi · 2019-04-20T02:21:52+00:00

The only advice I can really give is, that there is no meaning, you make the meaning. You set a goal and achieve it. You must have some attachment to something, some kind of hobby? Prefect it and keep on perfecting it.

SolarTortality · 2019-04-20T02:34:37+00:00

Hypocrite that you are, for you trust the chemicals in your brain to tell you that they are chemicals. All knowledge is based on that which cannot be proven. Will you fight or will you perish like a dog?

SolarTortality · 2019-04-20T02:41:24+00:00

Life’s not about being happy retard. The paradox is if you always go through life trying to be happy then you never will. Life is about being fulfilled. Fulfilled in your biological purpose, your biological imperatives that are encoded into your DNA. It’s more than just fucking bitches. Read Heidegger, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche if you really want to gain some perspective. Keep being a nihilist faggot if you want to keep being a philosophically bluepilled pussy who has been mentally cucked by the elites into a lifeless purposeless consumer to further their meaningful and fulfilled lives.

WiredT · 2019-04-20T02:42:07+00:00

How old are you? This is important for my answer.

cptkong · 2019-04-20T04:35:50+00:00

Life is the greatest sandbox games that you are playing. Find your own objectives and works toward it. That's how I look at it.

VasiliyZaitzev · 2019-04-20T05:05:41+00:00

Guys interested in this topic may find the below helpful:

End Game or Handling Life on Your Own Terms

-Take a Deep Breath and Make it Count.

Theguygotgame777 · 2019-04-20T05:48:08+00:00

Find meaning through the love and compassion of Christ. He does exist, and CAN be proven by reason- just read the writings of C.S Lewis, and I'm fairly certain you'll be convinced. There's no better motivator to be a better man than trying to emulate Jesus.

bilabrin · 2019-04-20T06:33:49+00:00

Zoom in.

You can always zoom out to make your lifespan seem insignificant. Zoom in. Worry about the meaning of your day or week. It's all about framing. Worry not about that which you cannot control.

justdontfindme · 2019-04-20T06:44:05+00:00

I live life because I like doing things that make me happy, happiness feels good, it gives pleasure and makes you more prone to looking forward to the next day. Everything you said is true, you (and all of us) are going to eventually die, and a couple of years later completely forgotten by the universe, but since we're here, let's make use of our life and do things that makes us happy.

iamthespectator · 2019-04-20T06:57:56+00:00

One thing I'm seeing in these comments is people getting hung up on the idea of reaching happiness. That shouldn't be your ultimate goal. Why? Because it's impossible and unhealthy to be permanently happy. Happiness is fleeting.

What you should strive for is to be content. At peace. To be content is to appreciate every moment that you're alive. It's like a lesser form of happiness that is always present. How do you reach it? I'd suggest starting with Stoicism. That plus meditation has literally changed my life.

[deleted] · 2019-04-20T07:21:56+00:00

If you're so nihilistic why don't you end your life?

Praecipuus · 2019-04-20T07:40:16+00:00

The mindset you've just described seems pretty liberating to me.

Mindset, that's where your mental health is at. Purpose should be but a game you play whenever you feel like it.

mleko69 · 2019-04-20T07:56:17+00:00

I have come to feel that even my existence is meaningless. For I am a mere meat-sack carrying my genes.

Listen, this applies to every human being on this planet. Fundamentally we're nothing more than biological machines that have 2 basic goals to achieve: survive and reproduce.

But thanks to evolutionary luck we, as a species, attained something unique: dualistic nature. We're driven by both instincts and reason, and it usually results in internal conflict. Your rational self may have different desires than your instinctual self, eg. You may want a family and a monogamous relationship, but your body automatically wants to impregnate as many women as possible.

Once you grasp this, finding a way to live a fulfilling human life becomes easier. Because it basically is to achieve greatness in both physical and intellectual matters. Satisfy both of your instincts and reason, train in gym to become strong, to have well-functioning body, to produce more testosterone and balance hormones in general and study in the library to fulfill your hunger for knowledge and find intellectual foundations to have new ideas and improve your life.

One of the people who lived the most "human" human life was IMO Alexandre The Great. He was not only a great, strong warrior, but also an intellectual and great tactician. He conquered half of the world, but also founded the Library of Alexandria, the greatest scientific centre of ancient times.

Let's stay with example of Alexandre for a moment. What happens when you only develop one side of your nature? If you lived in the times of Alexandre the Great and focused only on your physicality, you would probably have ended as a soldier who fought and died for him. If you focused only on your intellect, you would probably have ended as an engineer who developed stuff for Alexandre's army.

When you're not fulfilling your nature fully, you're on the way to become a tool.

Sure, life seems to have no meaning besides preservation of itself, continuity of the never ending cycle of birth and death. But, thanks to your reason YOU CAN FIND A MEANING FOR IT. See what happened when you haven't tried to do it - you ended in shitty-ass nihilism for pathetic faggot bitches. Fuck that noise bro.

Your rational self has to find a life purpose/meaning so that it could direct your instinctual self towards it.

And the inevitability of death? Who the fuck cares, quoting Epikurus:

Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist.

How to deal with existential crisis? Stop overthinking shit you have no impact on.

Read "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand, continue hitting the gym, study science/art/philosophy, find something you could have a great impact on. The choice is easy: you can either light the torch of life, or disappear in the void of nothingness.

FANAT1CAL_ · 2019-04-20T07:57:57+00:00

Try helping others. I find that I feel like I have purpose when I'm doing that. If you constantly live for yourself, you'll always adjust to whatever comfort you have and start feeling unhappy.

norcalguy510 · 2019-04-20T08:11:59+00:00

Life is just a journey man, not a destination. Just enjoy the ride. Better to accept it for what it is and be happy than fight it and be miserable 👍

WarlaxZ · 2019-04-20T08:33:25+00:00

You're placing to much care on the everything else. Think about yourself, what can you do today that will push you out of your comfort zone and be amazing. Do something fun. Try something wonderful. Fuck the big shit, think about you

maljo24 · 2019-04-20T11:16:34+00:00

Get involved. Join a club, organization, sport, stay busy, volunteer, learn a foreign language, join the Peace Corps. Make your life rich and full and wonderful.

Frozenlime · 2019-04-20T22:07:19+00:00

Let enjoying life be your meaning

ixyfang · 2019-04-19T18:46:16+00:00

I'm 22yo and I live the same shit here. I read about that in philosophical manner, I persuit knowledge and try to understand God and life. It helps me but isn't enough.

leftajar · 2019-04-19T21:20:29+00:00

You have stmbled upon the reason atheism doesn't work. If man has no higher purpose beyond chasing dopamine, then what meaning is there? You might as well become a nihilist and engage in hedonism, although that won't make you happy.

Here's an experiment.

Think the phrase, "everything happens for a reason." You may think of a goofy yet cheerful Christian. But if you can put that aside, for a second, imagine actually believing that. How would you react to setbacks? How would your ability to cope with life be affected?

How do stay sane in a universe that just IS?

I truly believe that it's my duty to pursue the maximum amount of good I can do. I don't care if that belief is true or not, I care if it's useful. And it is.

Matthewbim11 · 2019-04-19T19:08:24+00:00

Your life is your legacy.

lmaoibtu · 2019-04-19T20:25:27+00:00

Try Islam. It’s completely in line with rp principles

noPTSDformePlease · 2019-04-19T19:04:31+00:00

Prayer and JESUS.

not even a joke. Religion is a human institution about this very subject. If you really start reading about why Jesus did what he did and actually learn the context of his life, your existential fears will evaporate.

He is s good role model to follow if you want meaning in your life.

Haki_User · 2019-04-19T21:24:48+00:00

Everyone's kick is different. But for me I find meaning in love & curiosity. Like I am always driven to learn some more, improve things, make them better, or just know things that I didn't know before, explore. Also whenever I'm in love with a person where we get each other and look out for each other. Well, that gives my life a whole lot of meaning.

EDIT: I wanted to add. I'm one of the few who take TRP merely as a sexual strategy. Yes AWALT, Yes hypergamy, yes all that. But nonetheless there is a human in every woman capable of communicating and thinking and sharing love and a life with. TRP helps me in this aspect so I understand the biological programming of women, once you know how to deal with that with TRP knowledge, you unlock what could be your partner.

And to each his own, a life based on one night stands only further enhances lack of meaning in life. Check your facts. Rollo Tomassi one of the most prominent TRP faces is married for over 20 years.

goblinboglin · 2019-04-19T22:18:14+00:00

All is mind.

Title	How do you guys deal with existential crisis?
Author	Fatlossbro
Upvotes	141
Comments	117
Date	19 April 2019 06:21 PM UTC (1 year ago)
Subreddit	askTRP
Link	https://theredarchive.com/post/228545
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/asktrp/comments/bf2g5v/how_do_you_guys_deal_with_existential_crisis/