My happy meal

[Dalek]

Throughout the last three months I was feeling depressed. I asked myself about the meaning behind everything I do and couldn't find any. I would constantly bang my head against a metaphorical wall, trying to figure it ALL out, alas, I could not. So it sent me deeper and deeper into the I-hate-myself-and-the-world-around-me spiral. When I sunk deep enough, I even renounced living, so I picked up smoking cigarettes as a habit - part for the pleasure, while I was fooling my stupid 17 year-old's ego with the romantic idea, that it's the lazy man's suicide.

Today I sat to do some prana-yama, followed by meditation. Since the question was bugging me for quite a while now - How do I get out of this depression, I asked myself the question. My meditation revived in me the idea of the beauty of it all - stardust forming into life, life forming into thought, thought forming into expression. I still felt as if my question was not answered completely. After completing meditation I felt very hungry, so I went to the kitchen and prepared myself a very big meal, complete with dessert.

I went to my room and started eating, until I felt full and after that continued. Upon finishing the meal, I started munching on the dessert. Laying on my chair, in my warm room, with a warm bed awaiting me, with a full stomach and my laptop with skype opened, where I was chatting with my crush. Suddenly I understood that all my biological needs were completed. I have warm shelter, I have a wealthy enough family, so that the fridge would always be full, I have a girl that I'm crushing on and things seem to be working out good. The only source of my unhappiness is the imaginary and force-fed idea of sense. I was always too busy seeking happiness in intoxication to actually find it in my life, where it was always.

Of course, life has no sense. A bunch of atoms, forming to be thinking beings as we know ourselves - that's ridiculous nonsense. Unbelievable really. Suffering from life being empty and meaningless is a funny thing - it works with the assumption that life is something different. The search for sense has much in common with women's magazines - they are both based on a false ideal of how things should be. The average Joe can be kept unhappy by being sold unrealistic ideals of women, cars and wealth. The average Joan can be kept unhappy by being sold unrealistic ideals of what she should look like and of her perfect Joe (well cars and wealth also). But there are people out there, who are "too smart for this shit". You see, they realize that this is bullshit unrealistic ideals, sold to you. And in order to keep these people unhappy, you have to think big. So how about the unrealistic ideal that life has to have meaning or other ideas, even more abstract for the even more developed mind.

What your being expects is to be kept warm, well fed and occasionally to exchange genetic information with representatives of the opposite sex. Everything else is artificial. The meaning of life? - another glamorous product. If it was not a dead end it would not sell. If women's magazines put realistic models on the covers, women would be content with their looks. Living is too simple - that's not consumer mentality, and lacking consumer mentality is a definite no-no. So let's airbrush it a bit, put some make-up on it - and voilà - you're left banging your head against the wall and reaching for another thing you can never have.

The predominant theory is that life is an accident. After all, the very definition of "accident" excludes a purpose behind it - it was not meant to be. If something is not meant to be, then how can we speak of meaning.

And since the idea of higher meaning was first sold by religion, I guess that makes the Bible the very prototype of today's magazines like "Cosmopolitan" or "Top Car" or whatever.

[Dalek]

It's a bit rough and needs some editing, but I just felt like sharing the ideas and didn't really pay much attention to the formulation :]

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I liked it. Going to ponder it a bit to see if i can come up with a proper response or anything to add.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Well-said.

[LMNO]

Of course, life has no sense. A bunch of atoms, forming to be thinking beings as we know ourselves - that's ridiculous nonsense. Unbelievable really. Suffering from life being empty and meaningless is a funny thing - it works with the assumption that life is something different. The search for sense has much in common with women's magazines - they are both based on a false ideal of how things should be. The average Joe can be kept unhappy by being sold unrealistic ideals of women, cars and wealth. The average Joan can be kept unhappy by being sold unrealistic ideals of what she should look like and of her perfect Joe (well cars and wealth also). But there are people out there, who are "too smart for this shit". You see, they realize that this is bullshit unrealistic ideals, sold to you. And in order to keep these people unhappy, you have to think big. So how about the unrealistic ideal that life has to have meaning or other ideas, even more abstract for the even more developed mind.

I like this paragraph, and the concept of, "we need to find different, better ways to make you unhappy".

[Kai]

Of course, life has no sense. A bunch of atoms, forming to be thinking beings as we know ourselves - that's ridiculous nonsense. Unbelievable really. Suffering from life being empty and meaningless is a funny thing - it works with the assumption that life is something different. The search for sense has much in common with women's magazines - they are both based on a false ideal of how things should be. The average Joe can be kept unhappy by being sold unrealistic ideals of women, cars and wealth. The average Joan can be kept unhappy by being sold unrealistic ideals of what she should look like and of her perfect Joe (well cars and wealth also). But there are people out there, who are "too smart for this shit". You see, they realize that this is bullshit unrealistic ideals, sold to you. And in order to keep these people unhappy, you have to think big. So how about the unrealistic ideal that life has to have meaning or other ideas, even more abstract for the even more developed mind.

I like this paragraph, and the concept of, "we need to find different, better ways to make you unhappy".

Or, "You need to be unhappy, more unhappy than everyone else, because you have the wrong values and won't want what the Gods want to sell you. As deterrent."

[Cuddlefish]

While I agree and enjoyed the majority of this, parts of it bothered me.

I feel that the assumption that ones biological needs can be limited to just three simple categories is a faulty premise. Sure, I get "eat, sleep, fuck" just as much as anyone else, but there is so much more. "explore, create, destroy, learn, practice, compete" are all basic human needs. Thing is, "eat sleep fuck" has obvious reactions if the need is not met, (you KNOW the difference between hungry/tired or tired/horny) whereas without the others, it is harder to diagnose symptoms correctly, so we think we just need to eat sleep or fuck. That feeling isn't the "meaningless void," it's your "belly rumbling" for your other "basic needs."

As far as "meaning," I think the assumption that "all things are all meaningless" is almost as irresponsible as the assumption that "Sky-daddy gives all things meaning." Truth is that we sentient-things are wholly responsible for the "Meaning Dept.", we just haven't realized it yet, so we waste our time on silly fiction instead of taking responsibility.

Maybe nothing I said was relevant and I missed the point entirely.

[Dalek]

While I agree and enjoyed the majority of this, parts of it bothered me.

I feel that the assumption that ones biological needs can be limited to just three simple categories is a faulty premise. Sure, I get "eat, sleep, fuck" just as much as anyone else, but there is so much more. "explore, create, destroy, learn, practice, compete" are all basic human needs. Thing is, "eat sleep fuck" has obvious reactions if the need is not met, (you KNOW the difference between hungry/tired or tired/horny) whereas without the others, it is harder to diagnose symptoms correctly, so we think we just need to eat sleep or fuck. That feeling isn't the "meaningless void," it's your "belly rumbling" for your other "basic needs."

As far as "meaning," I think the assumption that "all things are all meaningless" is almost as irresponsible as the assumption that "Sky-daddy gives all things meaning." Truth is that we sentient-things are wholly responsible for the "Meaning Dept.", we just haven't realized it yet, so we waste our time on silly fiction instead of taking responsibility.

Maybe nothing I said was relevant and I missed the point entirely.

Yes, I certainly missed that out and now when I think of it, there's deffinetly been times when I have confused desperation with hunger lol. Indeed, our basic needs are not limited to these, and this is where I am mistaken, but I believe that if we were not force fed the idea of higher meaning we would be way happier, just following these needs, not making up ones.

As for the question of the "meaning", even if we are to give life a meaning, that still rejects the idea of a pre-imposed meaning in "everything" and that's what makes most people ache - they want to find "THE" meaning. And for that I blame religion or atleast some of the dominant religions. It's a cheap marketing trick - make people believe they need something, then sell it to them.

I think that we can all live our lives, or choose not to live them - in both cases, wether we want it or not, we give our life (or death) some meaning. I think the problem is that most people, used to the religious model, think that the meaning to their lives should be something very precise and concrete and that can only produce shallow results, which we then most often reject, realizing how shallow they are and falling into a loop.

[Ari]

'just another day in paradise' a friend of mine messaged me some day...

a simple life can hold all the treasures; going beyond eatsleepfuck and allowing us to explore the universe we dwell in: doing something for the first time, exploring this world and interacting with its inhabitants, seeing ones own reflection in the surrounding, learning, creating and at times destroying.
meaning doesn't come out of nowhere, we give meaning to our lifes, or at least... we can. it seems like a choice which each has to make on their own, for their own.
pragamatically speaking, there is no meaning in this giant randomaton. and the big carrot they hold in front of us promises meaning, but never delivers. do it yourself i say.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

While I agree and enjoyed the majority of this, parts of it bothered me.

I feel that the assumption that ones biological needs can be limited to just three simple categories is a faulty premise. Sure, I get "eat, sleep, fuck" just as much as anyone else, but there is so much more. "explore, create, destroy, learn, practice, compete" are all basic human needs. Thing is, "eat sleep fuck" has obvious reactions if the need is not met, (you KNOW the difference between hungry/tired or tired/horny) whereas without the others, it is harder to diagnose symptoms correctly, so we think we just need to eat sleep or fuck. That feeling isn't the "meaningless void," it's your "belly rumbling" for your other "basic needs."

As far as "meaning," I think the assumption that "all things are all meaningless" is almost as irresponsible as the assumption that "Sky-daddy gives all things meaning." Truth is that we sentient-things are wholly responsible for the "Meaning Dept.", we just haven't realized it yet, so we waste our time on silly fiction instead of taking responsibility.

Maybe nothing I said was relevant and I missed the point entirely.

Yes, I certainly missed that out and now when I think of it, there's deffinetly been times when I have confused desperation with hunger lol. Indeed, our basic needs are not limited to these, and this is where I am mistaken, but I believe that if we were not force fed the idea of higher meaning we would be way happier, just following these needs, not making up ones.

As for the question of the "meaning", even if we are to give life a meaning, that still rejects the idea of a pre-imposed meaning in "everything" and that's what makes most people ache - they want to find "THE" meaning. And for that I blame religion or atleast some of the dominant religions. It's a cheap marketing trick - make people believe they need something, then sell it to them.

I think that we can all live our lives, or choose not to live them - in both cases, wether we want it or not, we give our life (or death) some meaning. I think the problem is that most people, used to the religious model, think that the meaning to their lives should be something very precise and concrete and that can only produce shallow results, which we then most often reject, realizing how shallow they are and falling into a loop.

Overall an excellent post which reminds me a lot of an absurdist viewpoint.

[Roly Poly Oly-Garch]

While I agree and enjoyed the majority of this, parts of it bothered me.

I feel that the assumption that ones biological needs can be limited to just three simple categories is a faulty premise. Sure, I get "eat, sleep, fuck" just as much as anyone else, but there is so much more. "explore, create, destroy, learn, practice, compete" are all basic human needs. Thing is, "eat sleep fuck" has obvious reactions if the need is not met, (you KNOW the difference between hungry/tired or tired/horny) whereas without the others, it is harder to diagnose symptoms correctly, so we think we just need to eat sleep or fuck. That feeling isn't the "meaningless void," it's your "belly rumbling" for your other "basic needs."

As far as "meaning," I think the assumption that "all things are all meaningless" is almost as irresponsible as the assumption that "Sky-daddy gives all things meaning." Truth is that we sentient-things are wholly responsible for the "Meaning Dept.", we just haven't realized it yet, so we waste our time on silly fiction instead of taking responsibility.

Maybe nothing I said was relevant and I missed the point entirely.

Yes, I certainly missed that out and now when I think of it, there's deffinetly been times when I have confused desperation with hunger lol. Indeed, our basic needs are not limited to these, and this is where I am mistaken, but I believe that if we were not force fed the idea of higher meaning we would be way happier, just following these needs, not making up ones.

As for the question of the "meaning", even if we are to give life a meaning, that still rejects the idea of a pre-imposed meaning in "everything" and that's what makes most people ache - they want to find "THE" meaning. And for that I blame religion or atleast some of the dominant religions. It's a cheap marketing trick - make people believe they need something, then sell it to them.

I think that we can all live our lives, or choose not to live them - in both cases, wether we want it or not, we give our life (or death) some meaning. I think the problem is that most people, used to the religious model, think that the meaning to their lives should be something very precise and concrete and that can only produce shallow results, which we then most often reject, realizing how shallow they are and falling into a loop.

I'm not even sure I know what meaning means. I want to live, and to feel alive. That's about it usually. The other "needs" like hunger, frisk, cold, etc, all just go back to not feeling alive. If I absolutely need to sit down and write or create or fight or think or sigh or any of it, it's not about finding meaning, it's about feeling vibrant.

I think that's what I'm reading in this and I think I very much agree.