Help! Philosopher lost!

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(I guess it has something to do with depression, here it goes):

I have a rather difficult issue that I'm not sure how to express- for the brave of you, please bear with me.
I just "came back" to life after a strong battle with depression. I think I've won. Here is the thing... I'm trying to put a name to this philosophy that plagues my mind (philosophy not in the academic, methodical sense, more of a world view- kinda like what Diogenes the cynic had)...

I'm having trouble finding similar ideas in the philosophies of REAL, past, philosophers so I would feel some sort of... connectedness to humanity.
I'll summarize the basic tenents of this world view, and I would like to ask you to prupose different philosophers and/or philosophical schools that resemble it, OK?

1. Cosmicism- if there was such an entity, who we refer to as God, that could see the wide picture, it wouldn't even spit in the direction of the tiny, invisible, dirt ball called earth. We are kinda lucky that such being probably doesn't exist. (Relates to the pop-view of Nihilism, to the later views of Mark Twain, Lovecraft, Michel Houllbecque and probably Richard Dawkins).

2. Misanthropy- Humans are the worst kind of... animals! We can't even be sure about this stupid predisposition that we are some how better than animals, like the Judeo-Xtian tradition tells us.

3. Cynicism- One word: Diogenes. Kinda says it all. Our culture is ridiculous plages with mindless reality shows, obsession with looks and shopping... Perhaps a nuclear holocoust isn't such a bad idea after all?...

4. Suffering- No one could summarize it better than the Buddha- all life is a continuous uneasiness.

5. General lack of meaning: if we take into account that life is meaningless, no matter our place at the food chain, it seems that life is absurd. (Camus, and probably Sartre).

And here comes the surprise, the cure:

6. (Old me): Suicide is the only sane reaction. Or Insanity. Neither one is painless, probably.

7. (New me): on the power of laughter and humor: Life sucks. It starts bad, it ends worse- the middle is kinda fucked up also. BUT: commiting suicide is just stupid. It is a message to the Gnostic demiurge who is in charge of this damn universe that he won. Instead of being opressed by this entity (which is probably pantheistic, but its not important anyhow) you should become this demiurge by adopting his point of view: That everything is meaningless, and that the people around you, who take life so seriously are to be gently (humanly) laughed at! Laugh at life, laugh at death, laugh at coming drunk to work and getting sacked for it, laugh at everything. Because going insane because of sadness is no fun at all. Also, humans in general are paradoxical animals- a stance I adopted from Peter Zapffe.

8*. And hey, this universe probably isn't real anyhow. So *talking to myself* quit whining and looking for the ultimate meaning of life and start loling.

Thank you for your time, hope you got the idea of what I'm actually looking. I know that this post might be a bit overwhelming because of the ammount of information and I do hope that it's not a sign of a bipolar disorder coming

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@Rasputin phil,

I wonder if you are still here. I noticed you didn't get any replies. My dear friend, we are what we think we are. If you continue to think so negatively, your depression will only get worse. Isn't there someone you can talk to? If not may I suggest you buy some good books and lose yourself in them until you feel better.

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@Rose phil,

:)Rasputin,

Play the best game you can, none us brought ourselves here, but here we are, you might as well put your will behind it, as if you had intended it all the while. You sound like you are carrying a heavy weight, focusing on a negative philosophy will just drag you down further. At any rate, I wish you well in your struggle. stick around perhaps sharing your intellect your ideas might help.

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@boagie,

Rasputin, I am kind of the same way where misanthropy envelops me a little. And then I am sometimes depressed. What I do is keep myself extremely busy, stay away from doing homework for extended periods of time, and when my insomnia kicks in late at night, and I get racing thoughts, I write. I get melancholy whenever I have insomnia, but I am not ever depressed about myself. I am not antisocial if that is what you are referring to by misanthropy, because the meaning of life is (somebody told me, and it makes sense) social interaction.

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@Rasputin phil,

Rasputin wrote:

(I guess it has something to do with depression, here it goes):

I have a rather difficult issue that I'm not sure how to express- for the brave of you, please bear with me.
I just "came back" to life after a strong battle with depression. I think I've won. Here is the thing... I'm trying to put a name to this philosophy that plagues my mind (philosophy not in the academic, methodical sense, more of a world view- kinda like what Diogenes the cynic had)...

I'm having trouble finding similar ideas in the philosophies of REAL, past, philosophers so I would feel some sort of... connectedness to humanity.
I'll summarize the basic tenents of this world view, and I would like to ask you to prupose different philosophers and/or philosophical schools that resemble it, OK?

1. Cosmicism- if there was such an entity, who we refer to as God, that could see the wide picture, it wouldn't even spit in the direction of the tiny, invisible, dirt ball called earth. We are kinda lucky that such being probably doesn't exist. (Relates to the pop-view of Nihilism, to the later views of Mark Twain, Lovecraft, Michel Houllbecque and probably Richard Dawkins).

2. Misanthropy- Humans are the worst kind of... animals! We can't even be sure about this stupid predisposition that we are some how better than animals, like the Judeo-Xtian tradition tells us.

3. Cynicism- One word: Diogenes. Kinda says it all. Our culture is ridiculous plages with mindless reality shows, obsession with looks and shopping... Perhaps a nuclear holocoust isn't such a bad idea after all?...

4. Suffering- No one could summarize it better than the Buddha- all life is a continuous uneasiness.

5. General lack of meaning: if we take into account that life is meaningless, no matter our place at the food chain, it seems that life is absurd. (Camus, and probably Sartre).

And here comes the surprise, the cure:

6. (Old me): Suicide is the only sane reaction. Or Insanity. Neither one is painless, probably.

7. (New me): on the power of laughter and humor: Life sucks. It starts bad, it ends worse- the middle is kinda fucked up also. BUT: commiting suicide is just stupid. It is a message to the Gnostic demiurge who is in charge of this damn universe that he won. Instead of being opressed by this entity (which is probably pantheistic, but its not important anyhow) you should become this demiurge by adopting his point of view: That everything is meaningless, and that the people around you, who take life so seriously are to be gently (humanly) laughed at! Laugh at life, laugh at death, laugh at coming drunk to work and getting sacked for it, laugh at everything. Because going insane because of sadness is no fun at all. Also, humans in general are paradoxical animals- a stance I adopted from Peter Zapffe.

8*. And hey, this universe probably isn't real anyhow. So *talking to myself* quit whining and looking for the ultimate meaning of life and start loling.

Thank you for your time, hope you got the idea of what I'm actually looking. I know that this post might be a bit overwhelming because of the ammount of information and I do hope that it's not a sign of a bipolar disorder coming

Hi there Rasputin. I understand these thoughts of yours only too well. I too have battled with them. But the way I have chosen leads my mind away from such useless thoughts.
My personal philosophy is that the world begins with you. You have to get to the point where you can look at yourself in the mirror and be happy about it.
If you can get to that point, believe me, the rest of the universe will no longer seem so nihilistic to you. Because it is only a reflection of yourself. Any hopes or fears you project onto it are purely your own hopes and fears.

1 Reply

@sarek,

The best statement I have found for (or of, I suppose) misanthropy is Arthur Schopenhauer. Never has philosophy seen such a bitter old man who could write so well. Regardless of whether or not you agree with him (I have trouble with Kantians in general) he is a fascinating read simply to nod along with him for his statements on vast populations of people.

As for a colloroy to your philosophy, I would say Camus comes close to what you describe. As you mention him I am sure you know, but he is a lot like a lot of more pessemistic philosophers but without the underlying optimism. For him, life truly is meaningless. That doesn't automatically indicate that it isn't worth living, but merely that it is a ride and not a means nor an end. What we see is what we get, and we often don't see the whole picture or even enough of it (sometimes just a rock and a hill). But we keep on treading, not for truth but for the sheer act of existence. As far as my thinking goes you and he have reached the same conclusions.

But never exclude misery as the site for enlightenment. Only in the face of the worst circumstances do things truly come into light. You have obvious reservations for God, yet work to smatter the demiurge. Consider the opposite, use your position to explore all options. Rather than dismiss, please immerse yourself in other positions. If there is nothing in any of them, you have lost some time (which is meaningless anyways) and nothing else; but if Pascal is right then maybe you will find some peace, not in coming to the truth but in acting as if it is there and having it come to you.

Grain is out there, you just have to believe it will come before you starve to death and get turned into a Thanksgiving meal. Farmers are that cruel, God isn't.

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@Rasputin phil,

Read Camus's short story, The Myth of Sisyphus.

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@Rasputin phil,

Often situations are not as they appear but as the mind sees it. Trying to look into a broken mirror with only leave your reflection distorted, same thing with the mind. It sounds like you tried to put the pieces together but some are missing. By studying philos. your not finding a cure, just gaining perspective. Self evaluation is the hardest thing to do. thats why people pay therapists to do it for them.

1 Reply

@nastrothomas,

Rasputin,

You haven't been online in a long time, but I hope that you'll get our responses. I think that your philosophy can be summed up with three terms - pessimism, cynicism, and absurdism. I've battled with depression before, and philosophy is what helped bring me out of it. I don't, however, have a pessimistic view of existence. Is this reality absurd, meaning that it's strange and has no rational relationship to human life or human psychology - yes; but should that be the last word on the matter? Life can be hard, but it can also be easy when you take it easy. This universe is dark, cold, terrifying, mysterious and strange, but it can also be beautiful and awe inspiring.

"Humans are the worst kind of... animals!"

Maybe, but according to who? Humans are the most intelligent forms of life known to humans, but yes, humans are flawed just like all animals. I see humans committing horrible atrocities against their fellow human beings, but I also see that many humans are kind, loving, & vulnerable.

"Our culture is ridiculous plages with mindless reality shows, obsession with looks and shopping"

Many aspects of our culture are ridiculous, but many aspects of our culture are very meaningful. What about science, philosophy, literature, film, music, etc?

The virtues of wisdom and fortitude yield a rational optimism that I think is healthier, psychologically, than pessimism. Even when things are hard, look on the brighter side so that you don't compound unhappiness. Always remember that the universe and nature is not out to get you; nature is not an agent, and it is irrational to resent nature, for it is neither malevolent nor benevolent. Pessimism can feel like a way out of depression, but it can also be a slippery slope back to depression.

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@Rasputin phil,

Rasputin;28465 wrote:

(I guess it has something to do with depression, here it goes):

I have a rather difficult issue that I'm not sure how to express- for the brave of you, please bear with me.
I just "came back" to life after a strong battle with depression. I think I've won. Here is the thing... I'm trying to put a name to this philosophy that plagues my mind (philosophy not in the academic, methodical sense, more of a world view- kinda like what Diogenes the cynic had)...

I'm having trouble finding similar ideas in the philosophies of REAL, past, philosophers so I would feel some sort of... connectedness to humanity.
I'll summarize the basic tenents of this world view, and I would like to ask you to prupose different philosophers and/or philosophical schools that resemble it, OK?

1. Cosmicism- if there was such an entity, who we refer to as God, that could see the wide picture, it wouldn't even spit in the direction of the tiny, invisible, dirt ball called earth. We are kinda lucky that such being probably doesn't exist. (Relates to the pop-view of Nihilism, to the later views of Mark Twain, Lovecraft, Michel Houllbecque and probably Richard Dawkins).

2. Misanthropy- Humans are the worst kind of... animals! We can't even be sure about this stupid predisposition that we are some how better than animals, like the Judeo-Xtian tradition tells us.

3. Cynicism- One word: Diogenes. Kinda says it all. Our culture is ridiculous plages with mindless reality shows, obsession with looks and shopping... Perhaps a nuclear holocoust isn't such a bad idea after all?...

4. Suffering- No one could summarize it better than the Buddha- all life is a continuous uneasiness.

5. General lack of meaning: if we take into account that life is meaningless, no matter our place at the food chain, it seems that life is absurd. (Camus, and probably Sartre).

And here comes the surprise, the cure:

6. (Old me): Suicide is the only sane reaction. Or Insanity. Neither one is painless, probably.

7. (New me): on the power of laughter and humor: Life sucks. It starts bad, it ends worse- the middle is kinda fucked up also. BUT: commiting suicide is just stupid. It is a message to the Gnostic demiurge who is in charge of this damn universe that he won. Instead of being opressed by this entity (which is probably pantheistic, but its not important anyhow) you should become this demiurge by adopting his point of view: That everything is meaningless, and that the people around you, who take life so seriously are to be gently (humanly) laughed at! Laugh at life, laugh at death, laugh at coming drunk to work and getting sacked for it, laugh at everything. Because going insane because of sadness is no fun at all. Also, humans in general are paradoxical animals- a stance I adopted from Peter Zapffe.

8*. And hey, this universe probably isn't real anyhow. So *talking to myself* quit whining and looking for the ultimate meaning of life and start loling.

Thank you for your time, hope you got the idea of what I'm actually looking. I know that this post might be a bit overwhelming because of the ammount of information and I do hope that it's not a sign of a bipolar disorder coming

i think you're onto something! seriously, i see nothing wrong with your 'new me' approach to life in 7 above. if you find out a name for it, let me know. it's a hell of a lot better than what you were thinking before...

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Help! Philosopher lost!

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