Can a depressed person live a meaningful life?

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In my honest opinion, the only way a person can have meaning in his/her life is through his/her hedonistic feelings of happiness and enjoyment. I am going to explain why. Having meaning in your life is a certain mental state. It is a mental state in which you look at something or someone and say:

"THIS PERSON OR THING BRINGS MY LIFE MEANING!!! MY LIFE IS FILLED WITH MEANING AND I HAVE SOMEONE OR SOMETHING THAT MAKES MY LIFE WORTH LIVING!!! I AM LIVING A MEANINGFUL LIFE AND IT IS THE GREATEST LIFE EVER!!!"

However, when I am depressed and don't have my hedonistic feelings of pleasure, this mental state is completely absent. No matter how hard I try to achieve this mental state, it cannot be achieved. When I am apathetic or, worse, depressed, it is a matter of me just living and just doing things like a zombie or a robot living a meaningless life of doing tasks.

So based upon my personal experience, it is only my feelings of pleasure (me being in a good mood) that trigger that meaningful mental state. They are the only things that allow me to be in that mental state. When I am depressed, everything seems the complete opposite. Everything seems completely empty and nothing more than shapes and sounds. It is my feelings of pleasure that breathe divine life energy (meaning) into things in my life.

Therefore, I just think it is ignorant nonsense to tell me that my life can be meaningful even if it is a life in which I struggle with a depressive illness.

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@MozartLink,

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@chai2,

They say that having meaning is the greatest thing in one's life. Therefore, that would have to mean the greatest mental state one can be in since it is our brains that give meaning to life. If it weren't for our brains in the first place, then we wouldn't have anything. We wouldn't be alive.

Therefore, since having meaning in one's life is supposed to be the greatest mental state, I obviously find myself unable to achieve this mental state that is supposed to be so great while I am depressed.

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@MozartLink,

Who are "they"?

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@MozartLink,

I would also like to say one last thing. I have no problem with helping others and focusing on other things. But when you go and take away my feelings of happiness and enjoyment and expect me to live like that, that is when there is trouble. That is when I will become psychotically enraged.

So I am fine with being non-selfish and helping others as long as I have what is important to me (which is my feelings of happiness and enjoyment). But like I said, if that were to be gone and you were to then expect me to live for others while I am depressed and don't have those good feelings, that is when you have gone too far and I will not stand for that.

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@MozartLink,

You're the on in control of your feelings.

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@cicerone imposter,

He also has no concept of addressing others.

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@MozartLink,

just think positive:)

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@MozartLink,

IT IS THE EXACT OPPOSITE!

SCALE/STATE

1. Euphoric

2. Astounded

3. Exhilarated

4. Excited

5. Cheery

NEUTRAL -

6. Disappointed

7. Miserable

8. sorrowful

9. Frantic

10. Devastated

Just find your level of positivity and its opposite (negative) will allow you to register its frequency and extremity. For Instance - If your state were to encounter Euphoric (1) It would allow the mind to furnish its opposite (NEG) Devastated (10) by equal degree.
The process is the same - So is the size of the reservoir that the relative glands produce - 1 chemical = Close the body down. Its host has gone Nuts - Its counterchemical = PARTYTIME!! After a full marathon and a 50km hike, of course.

Long story short - LOWER THE INTENSITY OF THE POSITIVE And its opposite drops with it.

It works for all emotives - Love/Hate, Anger/calmness, Pride/Shame, etc.

Kinda like a sports-fanatic - His team win - He hits the roof with joy.
His team gets thumped - Guess?

Good luck finding a 'happy' medium - And if it doesn't help, don't fret - It helped me.

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@mark noble,

Now there are two types of good meaning. One comes from our way of thinking alone. For example, if someone thought a certain object or person gave good meaning to their lives. But there is another type of good meaning. One that has nothing to do with our way of thinking at all. It is a feeling/emotional version of good meaning. It is our good feelings (hedonistic pleasure). These good feelings can be transcendental such as the good feelings you get from something magnificent and beautiful in your life. These good feelings are actually the only source of good meaning in a person's life. So the only version of good meaning that exists is this feeling/emotional version. The thought version does not exist at all. It is all a lie. There is no thought version of happiness, joy, and good meaning. It is only our good feelings that give us those things.

When you experience a good feeling, that "goodness" (pleasantness) that is experienced is meaning itself. It is good meaning itself. It is the only source of good meaning in a person's life. So even if you experienced a good feeling and thought that your life was meaningless, that would not make your life meaningless at all. Your life would still have good meaning since you are experiencing a good feeling.

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@MozartLink,

You're out walking, after dark - Familiar route, well lit...
You are, neverthess more alert - You won't register that - But you are.
You hear heavy footfalls, rapidly approaching from your rear - Now (Fight/Flight-time) - You are now HIGHLY alert - And whether joy, fear, relief or sheer-terror conclude your walk - IT WAS A PHYSICAL FACTOR that determined the onset of the emotion produced.
Every emotion is produced by a chemical (Many of) being introduced into your brain - In direct response to how you deal with Physical events.

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@mark noble,

Now people say that the greatest thing a person can have in his/her life is meaning. That meaning is everything to life. But I think there is something that goes far beyond meaning. Something that makes meaning absolutely nothing in comparison. It is a sacred surging divine life force. It is our good feelings. The good feelings we get from nature, our life, and hobbies. It is the hedonistic version of pleasure.

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@MozartLink,

Boy, Moz, good q. Why not try a substance, ask your doc. It's perfectly okay

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@MozartLink,

Whilst I inhabit a physical form - I conform to its demands and requirements - I'll conform to etherealistic demands and requirements as and when.

Happiness is not positive or negative - It merely overshadows its opposite.
Paradise is in between (Neutral, Neutron, Neutered).
'Balanced' - It is here you choose your emotions - And they stop choosing you.

Can a depressed person live a meaningful life?

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