Battling Nihilism.

good_man_gone · 2016-08-05T18:20:57+00:00

Coming to terms with reality and swallowing the red pill (the cold harsh truth) that your life is pointless because what motivated you were merely societies expectations and pipe dreams, which will never come true, can be very hard on your psyche.

But after you stop lying to yourself you must realize that you have to change your focus from things you believed would make you happy to finding new things that will and can make you happy.

We have been conditioned that we must get a degree to find a good paying job in order to marry a loving wife and have a family. In other words to be a good little blue piller and walk through life like a zombie.

Now that you have pulled the plug? on that nonsense its for the first time that its up to you, and no one else, to make yourself happy and find a new meaning to life.

It can be quite overwhelming but it sure is the right thing to do for yourself. Build your confidence around your newfound knowledge and never ever look back.

If you think mgtow is something which will make you feel better about yourself after your gf dumped you then you are wrong. Short term maybe. But long term no chance.

My-Name-Is-No-One · 2016-08-05T18:32:37+00:00

Waking up isn't easy, but Dude, Inspiration doesn't come about through the daily routines and indulging in 'the helplessness blues' anyhow. You have to seek it out, create it, and challenge yourself. Either way, things won't and don't just 'get better' on their own - you have to make it better. I don't say this to be patronizing or talk shit or judge you in the slightest, but it is the reality of the matter. A wise man once said - "the ony difference between a rut and the grave is the depth." It sounds like you are in need of change and new experience, but worth noting, this topic is far more nuanced and complex than your post or mine, so if you want to chat about it, hit me up. Networking with other men will help you immensely, so I hope you stay in touch.

As for myself - I engage in short term and long term projects. I go camping, backpacking and outdoors a lot. I'm also a huge music and art fan, and I'm working on metal fabrication projects at present, on top of editing some short stories (some of which are in submission circulation) as well as a novel that I need a few more months to edit for publication standard. My point is, it's a big wide world - but a man has to find and forge his own path in it, and it ain't easy. All that being said, please don't think of me as that hamster endlessly trying to run away on his wheel. I give myself plenty of time for reflection and introspection - yeah - I use the darkness as a blanket - and I don't try to hide from it - as I believe it's important for men to face up to the hard questions and truths that most people flee from into their own little cacoons of darkness and safety.

Ovalidem · 2016-08-05T19:21:00+00:00

I found a very powerful and insanely complex flowchart (I still haven't figured it out) the other day which may be relevant to your struggles:
https://postimg.org/image/hu4xf154h/

JStheHammer · 2016-08-05T18:18:36+00:00

Me too. I'm beginning to think there is none.

ancap-biochemist · 2016-08-05T19:14:35+00:00

"He who is not a bird should not camp above abysses." If you're going to look into the deep dark of the meaninglessness of existence, then you're going to have to be a little more lighthearted in order to tolerate it.

Try this; you were once a boy, and boys are natural explorers and playful... I remember making up rules to games in the face of nothing (to do). A boy invents.

Regaining the seriousness of a boy at play is my career goal - because everything is made up; the rules, the morals, the applications of technology, social systems, all of it except physics - it's all made up. Yes, religion, too, is a lie to keep people in check which were once made up by various priests of various religions. Kings and nobility are also made up - the notion of a noble class (ones who know, specifically, ones who know better than you how to rule) is predicated on people making it up. Ex nihilo.

Ex nihilo nihil fit? Ah, but (and here's the trick) nihilism can be turned against itself... go too far into the abyss and you realize that you can turn skepticism against skepticism - to use nothing against nothing to untie the Gordian Knot of meaning. "Truth at any cost Socrates?"

A boy invents.

M0d3s · 2016-08-05T18:05:43+00:00

I'm 27 years old too, I've been having a very similar struggle as yours. I look in the mirror to find a meaning of my life everynow and then.

ijpqenbfp · 2016-08-05T19:48:44+00:00

Meditation and exercise will help you.

Hunterogz · 2016-08-05T20:16:40+00:00

Trying to find happiness or pleasure through some universal meaning is absurd. Don't run from nihilism; let it free you.

Perhaps when you cast aside your external pressures and motivations, you never replaced them with other ideas? Internally sourced drives tend to be more personal than external ones, but external sources are easier to find.

mechdemon · 2016-08-06T01:13:21+00:00

Go read some Lovecraft, it will give you a new perspective on your place in the universe.

DocHolliday226 · 2016-08-06T01:52:29+00:00

The problem, as I see it, is that you've stopped one step short. Yes, the inherent meaninglessness of existence can be depressing and if that's where you stop your train of thought, of course you're going to be miserable. Just like with swallowing the red pill, you have to come to terms with it and embrace it. Yes, life is inherently meaningless and there is no higher purpose to existence. So, enjoy yourself. Create your own value and meaning. Live life as you want.

When I first accepted nihilism as the only thing that made sense, from a logical examination of existence, I was depressed too. It's hard to pull yourself out of it. However, eventually I realized that the very meaninglessness that was dragging me down was the key to my own happiness. In 60 or 70 years, I will die. I will blink out of existence and simply cease to be. There's nothing you can do to avoid it. Death is the only thing certain in life. Death doesn't bother me anymore, like it used to. I don't live in fear of what tomorrow brings, because it doesn't really matter. I will exist for only a short time on this earth, so I might as well enjoy it. I embraced my own purposelessness and granted myself my own purpose. I enjoy sailing. I've transitioned from wanting a house and a dog and a picket fence, to wanting to sail away on my boat and live a life of adventure and exploration. Granted, there is still no purpose to it, but I enjoy it and I have fun doing it. All of the expectations of my previous life melt away and I'm left with the only thing that really matters, what do I want to do. What will make me happy.

The way I think about it, MGTOW is a form of nihilism. It's the acceptance that the universe doesn't care and there's no higher value, so why give a shit about the nonsense (and it's all nonsense). MGTOW is all about doing the things that make you happy, for no other reason then they bring joy to your life.

I think Nihilism, like MGTOW, is completely freeing.

ryeshoes · 2016-08-05T19:49:29+00:00

nihilism simply argues that all assertions of objective morality and value are silly and not logically justified. Objective value is easily shown - value is subjective, after all. Objective morality being false pisses off moral realists because they "need" objective morality to justify their opinions.

mgtow has nothing to do with nihilism. You can be a God fearing mgtow or whatever it is that you use to justify your opinion. Go forth

black-trash-man · 2016-08-05T18:39:13+00:00

Learn how to embrace nihilism in a positive way. Yes, life is meaningless, however you can take advantage of man made creations. :) I been a nihilist since I was 9(I didn't know the word back then), and I just go by life with the thought "All of this stuff would end ". Take advantage of nihilism! But be careful the same time. If you suffer from depression like me, then nihilism would make you cold and horrible person to be around. Good luck my friend. :)

npath · 2016-08-05T20:00:37+00:00

Nihilism is just the first phase of seeing things for as they really are. You assign meaning to things yourself, you are the only person who can control your reality. I'd suggest meditation to think thru things.

arcesious · 2016-08-05T21:09:35+00:00

I've had to deal with this dilemma too. It's something you just have to live with.

Truth is, there most likely is no point to anything in the universe, at least not in the context of how we humans try to wrap emotions into it. Our logic, ethics, our ideas, hopes, and dreams, probably all completely pointless in the strictest sense of an objective view of reality.

But we exist, there's much to learn and to do, and everyone has a survival instinct that I would say is best not to try to break. (I've tried it in order to better understand it and fortunately my will kept me going and allowed me to acknowledge and accept the implications of what it was for, but I wouldn't personally recommend exploring that particular part of yourself without being well prepared.) If you're lucky, you've also got a healthy sense of curiosity, and what that leads to alone might be enough to keep you going.

Even if you know everything has no 'greater meaning' than simply cause and effect, you might as well make the best of it. At least you aren't deluding yourself with silly ideologies or belief systems. To me, that would be more meaningless than the worst of what would come with being constantly aware of objective reality.

If anything, I find the knowledge that there is no meaning to anything to be freeing, it means I make my own meaning and while I may indulge in small illusions here and there, at the same time the awareness of what it all really is allows me the comfort of knowing I might be something a bit more than just the result of cause and effect.

The very fact that we exist, that the physics of this reality allowed us to evolve to try to understand the very thing that we are a part of, that's enough meaning for me to spend all my life pursuing a greater understanding of my origins, and enjoy doing so.

Zombocom1911 · 2016-08-05T21:39:41+00:00

Revenge can be a powerful motivation.

blackqb888 · 2016-08-05T21:55:15+00:00

it gets worse.

nosexwiththeex · 2016-08-05T22:00:08+00:00

I personally found freedom in understanding the insufficiencies of life.

Nothing I will do will matter, at all.

I am now free to do anything I want.

Highly_Tingled · 2016-08-06T01:07:49+00:00

I'm also 27. The feeling keeps getting worse and worse man.

The more knowledge you gain about our reality , the more you feel that way .

blue_magoo_62 · 2016-08-06T01:41:05+00:00

whatever youre doing: be the best goddam person doing that thing. I dont care if youre cleaning toilets, clean the shit outta those toilets! (pun, sorry). in this economy and in these times put your fucking soul into in and be grateful. eat and live humbly. make a plan to progress and stick to it. treat your body well. save your monies. be good to your fellow man. make friends. create stories. then explore the world before your health leaves you. noone can ask anything more of this world.

Anteface · 2016-08-06T02:55:44+00:00

There is no purpose to life and death is the end of all. Does not matter what you do in life as you will be unconcious in a few decades at most. Do what you enjoy most. Engage in hedonism.

jc_reddit · 2016-08-06T03:13:57+00:00

Find "Flow" Mihaly Czenkimhayli. 20 minutes a day.

2016-08-06T05:24:06+00:00

Don't fight it and read into Buddhist idea on emptiness and nothingness. We regard them as negstive. Like I feel empty inside. This is foolish. Because emptiness is what allow one thing to become full. Emptiness is great. Dont let the western materialist mindset throw you off. This also comes when one fully faces and embraces death. Where one realizes the bliss in being. Imperanence becomes your best friend

2016-08-06T05:28:51+00:00

https://youtu.be/KI-dQYpiF9U

From a great book on zen.

Thinkpadoutlaw · 2016-08-06T10:29:15+00:00

Maybe you set your sights too low. What is your overall purpose? World domination? Political power? Financial Greatness? Grand Pokemon master? Level 3 Warlock? An awesome world renown professor, tradesman, businessman? etc.

No one said going your own way would be easy. For some people the most difficult part is actually finding or selecting their own way when society, family, cultural and other external forces have served as a guide for so long. Deliberate and decide upon what you want and create that reality. Redefine your fun daily.

And one more thing... You mention having a 'standard' life plan/model. Why should you have a 'standard' life plan but 'supersize' everything else in life? Does your phone have a 'standard' data plan? Does your car use 'standard' gas? Even if you don't have neither, I'm confident you understand my point.

victor_knight · 2016-08-06T11:08:37+00:00

I believe it may be your DNA fucking with you. You might want to check this out.

Just yesterday, my mouth was full of titties and hand full of pussy. A "sexy librarian"-type chick I met who wanted it so I gave it to her. Anyway, I was kind of happy for a while but now, some 24 hours or so later, I'm like, meh... So if that's your problem, then you just need to find some way to keep busy. Make YouTube videos, watch videos, write a novel... do something that gives your life meaning.

2016-08-06T14:17:06+00:00

[deleted]

2016-08-06T05:13:01+00:00

[removed]

CaptaincavemanJay · 2016-08-06T07:53:56+00:00

Find something to be passionate about, a skill, a hobby, a career that serves more than just financial gains.

E46M54 · 2016-08-06T14:56:08+00:00

Of course there is no purpose or meaning.

But I could never be a sheep and believe in some false god or ideology as a means to cope and ignore reality. These people claim the high ground yet they turn their back on reality and are thus the source of most of the world's problems.

Don't be a sheep and hope for brighter days; be stoic and anticipate just how bad things are going to go.

Chris_Danger_ · 2016-08-05T18:39:53+00:00

Well, it's all pointless in the end, but that doesn't mean it can't be enjoyable. Find something that gives you joy, that you can devote your time to, and be able to look back in a few years and see that you've made progress. This will help your sense of fulfillment. It could be an artistic skill, or a bucket list of activities or travel locations. If you're stagnating you may as well be dead, and you'll begin to feel that.

Sometimes when I think of life's pointlessness I consider the other creatures around me. One thing humans have over everything else is our ability to self-reflect. Our minds can lead us down dark paths, but it can also allow us great joy. You are in control of where you focus your attention. Strive to use it for your own betterment, or of those around you if you feel so inclined.

You don't find meaning. You create it.

aanarchist · 2016-08-05T18:37:34+00:00

tbh this is just part of the cycle

Title	Battling Nihilism.
Author	[deleted]
Upvotes	30
Comments	45
Date	August 5, 2016 5:53 PM UTC (10 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MGTOW
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MGTOW/comments/4wbo98/battling_nihilism/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MGTOW/battling-nihilism.627679 https://theredarchive.com/post/627679

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