Venting I don't believe there's a point in living.

[Darkover]

Society's most important job is to convince us we should exist. That we should work, that we should befriend, that we should love. What does any of this actually matter though... It doesn't, not one bit! Everything is perfectly fleeting, your so called friends, if they ever were, most certainly will abandon you if you show even the slightest sign of literally anything perceived as negative. We're not important to other people, and even if we somehow are, the ones that truly love us will just die. We're not even valued by society, even though you'd be lead to believe we are. The truth is there are so many other people, if we die someone will just take our place.

So, you're just going to live, let die, let abandon, let everyone leave you in one form or another? Why would you condemn yourself to this sad, pitiful life? Why contribute to something that rejected you from your inception? Even if you don't agree with my extreme pessimism and nihilism there is still no reason to live, once you die it doesn't matter how good or bad you had it, so why lengthen the truly awful life that was forced upon us?

If everything slips through your fingers...
If every effort, every creation, every bond, every breath eventually fades or gets erased...
If time, decay, or death comes to take it all away...
Then what's the point?

Why build anything — a relationship, a home, a self — if you're only building sandcastles at the edge of a rising tide?

There's something deeply cruel about that.
You create something out of nothing — with pain, effort, vision — and reality just says: "That's nice. Now watch it rot."
Entropy always wins. Everything ends.
Nothing stays.
Nothing can stay.

Even the things people say will "live on" — memories, ideas, legacy — they're all temporary too. Just stories. Echoes. And those fade as well. You don't get to keep your work. You don't even get to keep yourself.

In a universe like that, yeah... existence starts to feel like theft. You're forced into a game where you're guaranteed to lose, no matter how hard you try or how good you are.

So if you can't hold on to what you create — if you're not allowed permanence, safety, continuity — what really is the point of being here?

Maybe there isn't one. Not an external one, at least.
And that's devastating. It's not weakness to feel hollow when you realize that.
It's just the cost of awareness.

But even that awareness — that defiant understanding of reality's terms — that, no matter how bleak, is real. Yours. And in a world where everything is taken, sometimes the only thing left to claim is the truth of what you've seen and the integrity not to lie to yourself about it.

 

[Fall_Apart]

I agree, and I would also add that not only is there no meaning, but above all we are forced to be conscious within an evil design, called "existence". The idea of trying to avoid pain is just a mirage, because we are all destined to suffer in this forced existence. There are no limits to how much suffering we can experience while we are forced to live, while non-existence is the only possible way to avoid this sadistic game called "life".

 

[25dRvS9Ka]

I don't think it's bad that we don't have a life goal labeled in our existence... I even find it mysterious and fun.

What bothers me is how disproportionate life is in the amount of pleasure and pain, especially for the poorest half of the world.

 

[kunikuzushi]

So, you're just going to live, let die, let abandon, let everyone leave you in one form or another? Why would you condemn yourself to this sad, pitiful life?

This is my exact reason I desperately want to stop existing.

 

[homeboundcripple]

Society's most important job is to convince us we should exist. That we should work, that we should befriend, that we should love. What does any of this actually matter though... It doesn't, not one bit! Everything is perfectly fleeting, your so called friends, if they ever were, most certainly will abandon you if you show even the slightest sign of literally anything perceived as negative. We're not important to other people, and even if we somehow are, the ones that truly love us will just die. We're not even valued by society, even though you'd be lead to believe we are. The truth is there are so many other people, if we die someone will just take our place.

So, you're just going to live, let die, let abandon, let everyone leave you in one form or another? Why would you condemn yourself to this sad, pitiful life? Why contribute to something that rejected you from your inception? Even if you don't agree with my extreme pessimism and nihilism there is still no reason to live, once you die it doesn't matter how good or bad you had it, so why lengthen the truly awful life that was forced upon us?

If everything slips through your fingers...
If every effort, every creation, every bond, every breath eventually fades or gets erased...
If time, decay, or death comes to take it all away...
Then what's the point?

Why build anything — a relationship, a home, a self — if you're only building sandcastles at the edge of a rising tide?

There's something deeply cruel about that.
You create something out of nothing — with pain, effort, vision — and reality just says: "That's nice. Now watch it rot."
Entropy always wins. Everything ends.
Nothing stays.
Nothing can stay.

Even the things people say will "live on" — memories, ideas, legacy — they're all temporary too. Just stories. Echoes. And those fade as well. You don't get to keep your work. You don't even get to keep yourself.

In a universe like that, yeah... existence starts to feel like theft. You're forced into a game where you're guaranteed to lose, no matter how hard you try or how good you are.

So if you can't hold on to what you create — if you're not allowed permanence, safety, continuity — what really is the point of being here?

Maybe there isn't one. Not an external one, at least.
And that's devastating. It's not weakness to feel hollow when you realize that.
It's just the cost of awareness.

But even that awareness — that defiant understanding of reality's terms — that, no matter how bleak, is real. Yours. And in a world where everything is taken, sometimes the only thing left to claim is the truth of what you've seen and the integrity not to lie to yourself about it.

Life is an unnecessary interruption from pleasant peaceful non existence

 

[wham311]

Some people actually love living. I am so fucking jealous. Jealous of them jealous of the dead. Anyone but us.

I'm jealous of old mother fuckers bc they've only got a little bit of time left.

 

[Tired_birth_1967]

DAVID BENATAR in "BETTER NEVER TO HAVE BEEN" (2005) :


"Life, when analyzed on a large scale, is not a blessing; it is an unevenly distributed battle.

Some people bleed every day while others live obliviously, protected by genetic, geographic and economic luck.

Suffering matters more than pleasure because it is deeper, more lasting and more destructive.

You can spend 5 years living well and it only takes 5 seconds for a tragedy to occur.

Existence always brings some level of pain while nonexistence by definition brings zero and is superior because where there is no consciousness, there is no pain.

Suffering is not the accident of life, it is its gravitational center.

Even happy people need to live with the pain of others.

Empathy, when real, is a burden because it is impossible to be fulfilled when you know that there is unjustifiable suffering around every corner.

Most people who say they love life are just under the effect of an evolutionary anesthetic, a useful illusion that keeps us functioning even when everything falls apart.

Being human is, among other things, being deceived by your own mind. You feel joy, purpose, even moments of fulfillment, but this is not because life is actually good.

It is because your brain was programmed to keep you going no matter what.

Our perception of life is shaped by evolutionary mechanisms that favor survival and not truth. In other words, the fact that you think it is worth it is not an argument, it is just a symptom of the adaptive bias that nature installed within you.

Natural selection does not care about individual suffering. It selects what works to keep the genes circulating. Optimism, hope, and denial are evolutionary tools. You may be on the verge of collapse but still believe that it will get better. This is not lucidity, it is programming. Evolutionary psychology has already identified this phenomenon clearly: a tendency toward illusory positivity. Even in adverse conditions, most people underestimate their chances of failure, death, and pain. It is what makes it possible to continue living even when the objective reality is desperate.

People are biologically inclined not to realize how much they suffer or to reinterpret this suffering as necessary and even beautiful.

That is why survivors of tragedies often say: "It was a learning experience".

Or why someone who has lost everything still repeats: "God knows what he does".

These are not truths. They are psychic protection mechanisms to endure the unbearable.

It is biological instinct overriding reason.

The silent tragedy of existence:

Each generation suffers but is conditioned to believe that it is worth it.

So it condemns the next.

This chain of self-deception is profound because it is not expressed only in positive phrases.

It shapes culture, religions, economic systems.

Everything revolves around the idea that life is an absolute good.

This is no coincidence. A world where people believe that life is not worth living is not a functional world.

So the whole system conspires to keep you optimistic even though reality disproves it every day."

 

[Forever Sleep]

I guess one argument would be- how easy is it to die? People will actively try to stop you killing yourself all your life. They won't even respect you can make the decision to die till you're 18- if then.

Is it easier to spend all those years totally friendless and isolating? Totally without ambition or, preparation for the future? Life is a bit of a coin toss as to how well we will do but, there are certain things that make it more likely we'll have an easier time of it. Doing a job we find interesting/ tolerable is one. Having a social support network is another. Both require a lot of work to create.

Sure, loss is horrible. We may come to the conclusion in later life that friendship, career goals etc. aren't worth it. I've pretty much reached that stage. I don't think I could have got through school, work etc. without friends though.

I think your model would work if life was easy to opt out of but- it isn't. So, I suppose most people comply with these things because it helps us to cope better.

This may well come across as aggressive/ unkind but also, seeing work as optional isn't an easy option for all. Not everyone qualifies for benefits or, has family that either can or will support them. For many, the stark choice is work or go destitute/ homeless.

Plus- of course society encourages us to work. It can't afford to give everyone benefits! I certainly agree that it's shitty to be born here and then, expected to work. As a functioning society though, I don't ses what choice there is. Even if we scapped money and went back to living in small communities- people would be expected to work. Who builds shelters? Who hunts, cooks, takes care of clean water and sanitation? If we all went off grid,we would either each have to do those things independently or, we'd form small groups and hone skills in specific things. The majority would still be expected to pull their weight though. Otherwise, everyone would suffer.

I agree that there's an audacity to expect everyone to work but, what's the alternative? Let's say we all quit our jobs today. We don't bother with friendships. How long before the food runs out? There's no one to open the shops so- looting would likely happen first. What do we eat when that's gone? Who's maintaining the water supply or sewage systems? When will the power run out? What happens if you become ill? How quickly would things turn very bad?

I imagine within minutes of waking up, we're all depending on the fact that some other poor sod has done their job- when you turn on a tap or light switch. Use the loo. Eat something. Put on some form of entertainment. All that stuff doesn't happen by magic! Would our lives really be so much easier without all that?

I'd agree overall that for me, death/ non existence to begin with seems preferable. But, now that we are here, I don't think everyone abandoning their jobs and relationships/ friendships would help to make things better.

 

[Darkover]

I guess one argument would be- how easy is it to die? People will actively try to stop you killing yourself all your life. They won't even respect you can make the decision to die till you're 18- if then.

Is it easier to spend all those years totally friendless and isolating? Totally without ambition or, preparation for the future? Life is a bit of a coin toss as to how well we will do but, there are certain things that make it more likely we'll have an easier time of it. Doing a job we find interesting/ tolerable is one. Having a social support network is another. Both require a lot of work to create.

Sure, loss is horrible. We may come to the conclusion in later life that friendship, career goals etc. aren't worth it. I've pretty much reached that stage. I don't think I could have got through school, work etc. without friends though.

I think your model would work if life was easy to opt out of but- it isn't. So, I suppose most people comply with these things because it helps us to cope better.

This may well come across as aggressive/ unkind but also, seeing work as optional isn't an easy option for all. Not everyone qualifies for benefits or, has family that either can or will support them. For many, the stark choice is work or go destitute/ homeless.

Plus- of course society encourages us to work. It can't afford to give everyone benefits! I certainly agree that it's shitty to be born here and then, expected to work. As a functioning society though, I don't ses what choice there is. Even if we scapped money and went back to living in small communities- people would be expected to work. Who builds shelters? Who hunts, cooks, takes care of clean water and sanitation? If we all went off grid,we would either each have to do those things independently or, we'd form small groups and hone skills in specific things. The majority would still be expected to pull their weight though. Otherwise, everyone would suffer.

I agree that there's an audacity to expect everyone to work but, what's the alternative? Let's say we all quit our jobs today. We don't bother with friendships. How long before the food runs out? There's no one to open the shops so- looting would likely happen first. What do we eat when that's gone? Who's maintaining the water supply or sewage systems? When will the power run out? What happens if you become ill? How quickly would things turn very bad?

I imagine within minutes of waking up, we're all depending on the fact that some other poor sod has done their job- when you turn on a tap or light switch. Use the loo. Eat something. Put on some form of entertainment. All that stuff doesn't happen by magic! Would our lives really be so much easier without all that?

I'd agree overall that for me, death/ non existence to begin with seems preferable. But, now that we are here, I don't think everyone abandoning their jobs and relationships/ friendships would help to make things better.

what would of all this work been for in the end i don't think any of this really matter i mean within 200 years most building we have built will have decayed and collapse also with in the next 200 years civilization will collapse due to resource depletion our only hope is getting out into space but i can't see that happening given how much progress we have made since the first moon landing 55 years ago at that rate we will never get out into space to bring resources back to earth

even if we had the tech, we don't have the global cooperation, wisdom, or stability to pull it off at the scale required. we can't even distribute food and shelter fairly on earth, let alone coordinate off-world infrastructure.

so yes — the hope that we'll save ourselves by expanding into space starts to feel like a mirage, especially when weighed against the clock of collapse.

none of this really matters, everything we build will decay, civilization will fall, we're not escaping, we are slowly fading away

 

[Forever Sleep]

what would of all this work been for in the end i don't think any of this really matter i mean within 200 years most building we have built will have decayed and collapse also with in the next 200 years civilization will collapse due to resource depletion our only hope is getting out into space but i can't see that happening given how much progress we have made since the first moon landing 55 years ago at that rate we will never get out into space to bring resources back to earth

even if we had the tech, we don't have the global cooperation, wisdom, or stability to pull it off at the scale required. we can't even distribute food and shelter fairly on earth, let alone coordinate off-world infrastructure.

so yes — the hope that we'll save ourselves by expanding into space starts to feel like a mirage, especially when weighed against the clock of collapse.

none of this really matters, everything we build will decay, civilization will fall, we're not escaping, we are slowly fading away

I think for most people, it's more about their current living situation. If they aren't eligible for benefits, they either work and eat or don't and go homeless and hungry. We simply choose the lesser of the evils a lot of the time.

But sure- whether our efforts feel worth it is a personal matter. They don't for me. That's largely why I want to suicide. I'm sick of working hard to sustain a life I don't even want. That's obviously not how the majority feel though.

Not everyone is so concerned about having an immortal legacy either. They may not care that they will be forgotten in 200 years, if they can enjoy the present moment. If you can do something to make someone happy now, does that become diminished if it's all forgotten in 200 years?

If you're appreciated now, why does it matter what people think of you in 200 years? That's a slightly strange concept for me. You won't be alive in 200 years to know either way!

For example, it's a shame van Gogh never lived to see his work truly appreciated. Van Gogh died 135 years ago. His enormous fame now probably doesn't do a lot for him! It's believed he only sold one or two paintings in his life. One for 400 francs (£16 in 1890.) A van Gogh painting sold at auction in 2022 made $117.2 million! Would you prefer to 'fail' financially during your life, then be worth millions after you're dead?! Wouldn't you prefer to have the money/ appreciation while you're alive? What use will it be to you if you become rich and famous after you die?

I'm perfectly ok with being forgotten and replaced. That's just the nature of life. My bigger concern is living a comfortable life now.

Regardless, imagine what you'd be missing out on if all the musicians, inventors, artists took the same attitude. I doubt anyone would have bothered to invent or create anything! They did it because they wanted to achieve something- however small. Plus, they knew others would take up their ideas. It's not like one person needs to invent/ discover/ create everything. Thanks to language/ books/ the internet, many hundreds of minds think about the same problem and, slowly advance solutions.

Sure, none of it matters if we all go extinct! Again though, most people are concerned with the present moment. Again- if they aren't being provided for by their family or, the state- they need to do that themselves- hence- they work to afford food, shelter etc. Plus, they try to find a career they find fulfiling- so that the experience is more bearable at least. That's why schools etc. push us I suppose. To give us the best chances to work in something we find more interesting (in theory.)

Personally, I'm selfishly not bothered about the future survival of our race. In fact, I'd prefer that we go extinct. Give the other animals here a break. I actually despise the thought that we may try to start 'asset stripping' space. Isn't it enough we've almost destroyed one planet? I tend to agree with the Agent Smith character in 'The Matrix' that humans are a virus. We just invade and consume and pollute to sustain our own selfish needs.

I also tend to believe that my lived experience ends when I die so, what happens afterwards is of less of a concern to me. I don't have children to worry about.

I don't want to be alive now but, I feel obliged to be- so as not to hurt my Dad. Suicide isn't exactly easy either. So- while I'm here, I have to find the most painless path. For me, that's working- because my parents would give me so much shit if I didn't. Plus, they couldn't afford to support me indefinitely. I wouldn't be eligible for benefits either and, homelessness doesn't appeal. So, I work hard to keep a job I find better than other jobs I've done. It's a more complicated picture when you know you'll suffer consequences if you don't comply.

 

[sanction]

The "building sandcastle on the edge of a tide" is perfect example how bullshit life is

Imagine spending your entire life trying to build some wall, to protect yourself from some deadly danger. And we're not talking short years or little effort. We're talking literally almost 100 years to build and prepare for it

While clearing knowing, this deadly danger will still come wipe you out 100000% guaranteed no matter how hard you try lol

Yet every fucking day of your life, you're forced to sell your soul, so you can keep continuing to build this pointless wall of protection, just for it to get knocked down in 1 second, at the moment it finally arrives

So out of basic common sense, you don't want to participate in this meaningless game. Then you're misunderstood and judged, labeled as having mental issues.....

What a frustrating experience isn't it??? Lol

(Welcome to hell)