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RE: Conflicted, Life Has No Inherent Meaning But I Want to Adopt One
December 1, 2014 at 5:03 pm
(This post was last modified: December 1, 2014 at 5:06 pm by TreeSapNest.)
(November 29, 2014 at 8:01 pm)Quantum1Connect Wrote: What is happiness? What am I? Why am I always depressed? What will make me happy?
I can tell you what you're looking for, but it may take you a while to find it. You need to believe in yourself, find your own heart, and find love. It starts with you. "I think. I am." So take care of yourself. From there, answer or find what it is you really enjoy and do it. Then my friend, find love. You'll bring as much happiness into your lover's life as they bring into yours.
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RE: Conflicted, Life Has No Inherent Meaning But I Want to Adopt One
December 1, 2014 at 5:31 pm
I think you've been given good advice here. Recovering from depression does take time and patience, there is no simple solution and it won't happen in an instant.
I find helping others to be one of the most rewarding things, and it helps me combat my depression. Just by being on this forum you are helping others who are either lurking atheists or those in crisis of faith looking for some reason. I do voluntary work and I find it is very therapeutic.
I also agree that laughter is extremely important. I love watching comedy, telling stupid jokes, and listening to people rip the shit out of religion on the atheist experience or The non prophets (I can give you some links to these if you like, you can find them on YouTube and they have archives in their websites). Laughing is very good for you, reduces stress and helps you take a step back from your situation.
I think you're right, the religious programming has left you feeling that there should be one thing that is your purpose, like religion would have you believe. Im sure over time you'll be able to break out of that cage, and learn to put many aspects into your life, none of which are your sole purpose, but which make you happy and you feel are worthwhile.
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RE: Conflicted, Life Has No Inherent Meaning But I Want to Adopt One
December 1, 2014 at 6:53 pm
The lack of intrinsic meaning doesn't make something meaningless. Is a painting any less beautiful just because it's basically dry paint? Is a melody any less pleasant because it's a mechanical wave propagating through the air and into your ears?
Only life can give life meaning. That's all there is to it.
The truth is absolute. Life forms are specks of specks (...) of specks of dust in the universe.
Why settle for normal, when you can be so much more? Why settle for something, when you can have everything?
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RE: Conflicted, Life Has No Inherent Meaning But I Want to Adopt One
December 1, 2014 at 7:32 pm
(December 1, 2014 at 1:31 pm)FatAndFaithless Wrote: Is that a weird euphemism for masturbation, heywood? 'Cause I'm already all about that.
It's just a video presenting a perspective this depressed kid may not have considered.
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RE: Conflicted, Life Has No Inherent Meaning But I Want to Adopt One
December 1, 2014 at 11:37 pm
(December 1, 2014 at 1:30 pm)Heywood Wrote: Plug into your hard wired happiness.
part 1.
part 2.
Good.
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RE: Conflicted, Life Has No Inherent Meaning But I Want to Adopt One
December 2, 2014 at 1:29 am
I must humbly thank you all for the thoughtful and encouraging posts. Good comments, good videos, and good insight. I will certainly be taking it all to heart. Thank you. 
"Just call me Bruce Wayne. I'd rather be Batman."
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RE: Conflicted, Life Has No Inherent Meaning But I Want to Adopt One
December 2, 2014 at 1:35 am
(December 2, 2014 at 1:29 am)Quantum1Connect Wrote: I must humbly thank you all for the thoughtful and encouraging posts. Good comments, good videos, and good insight. I will certainly be taking it all to heart. Thank you.
you are very welcome.
Atheism is a non-prophet organization join today.
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RE: Conflicted, Life Has No Inherent Meaning But I Want to Adopt One
December 2, 2014 at 2:42 am
You're most welcome
One other bit of advice from someone who has lived with depression for many years- don't isolate yourself. I have found depression will mess with your head and try to tell you what is best for you, but is actually trying to lead you to self destruction. If you find it telling you to cut yourself off from people, fight that really hard. It wants you on your own so you have no voices of reason for it to compete with. I only just escaped with my sanity many times, and it would have been so easy to push everyone away, and I know where that would have led me.
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RE: Conflicted, Life Has No Inherent Meaning But I Want to Adopt One
December 3, 2014 at 5:26 am
(December 2, 2014 at 1:35 am)dyresand Wrote: (December 2, 2014 at 1:29 am)Quantum1Connect Wrote: I must humbly thank you all for the thoughtful and encouraging posts. Good comments, good videos, and good insight. I will certainly be taking it all to heart. Thank you.
you are very welcome.
Walk from Miami to Seattle, Seattle to San Diego, San Diego to New York City, New York City to Miami. You will know what you want to do after that.
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RE: Conflicted, Life Has No Inherent Meaning But I Want to Adopt One
December 3, 2014 at 11:04 am
I have heard several Christian apologists really harp on the fact that Madalyn Murray O'Hair suffered from depression. But guess what... lots of people do regardless of their beliefs. Christians can claim that only they have the solution to "the meaning of life," but that is really meaningless when there is no correlation whatsoever between faith, belief, and happiness. I had a Christian roommate who would almost be in tears, always talking about how the world was so horrible and how he just didn't understand why Jesus hadn't yet come back to destroy (ahem: fix) it all.
And they claim to have found meaning? The only meaning in their lives, ironically, is in their deaths.
So says the old cliche: everyone dies; not everyone lives.
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