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Turned 58 years old on the 12th of August and for sometime been pondering this whole life thing. On a scale of 1 to 10 of being a non believer, I'm a 20. As one grows older, at least myself, I have realized the futillity of life. We as humans are so subseptive to what we hear and read and are brainwashed. Consummerism and spending money we don't have is the American way. There's no such thing as American exceptionalism!

Mojo1998 5 Aug 15
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27 comments

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8

Happy Birthday! I turned 58 on the 9th.
I also completely agree with what you said.

Luckily for me, I have learned to say "fuck it", and mean it.
I don't engage with "futility". Or other people's expectations.

You are a bastion of independence!

6

The life of an individual organism might be futile if viewed in isolation, but if you look at the entire procession of life you see great beauty and infinite value. And as an individual with conscious awareness, every second seems like a fabulous miracle.

6

This is my 58th year as well.I think we get more comfortable in our own skin and with our beliefs as we get older.

4

Capitalism is like meth. It starts out great and makes one productive, but it soon makes people shallow and selfish and devoid of compassion and wisdom. As I have gotten older, I too have become more disillusioned with humanity and less tolerant of people. At least there is humor, beer and pizza.

And weed, don't forget weed....GOOD weed.

can we extend beer to alchohol?

@Donna_I works for me

4

No surprise . Live the life you have . It's the only one you have.

4

True, I think the phrase "wake up and smell the Rose's " is more true than people realize !

3

barring causing others pain, I think it's just kind of a Do Your Own Thing world. Kinda Enjoy as much as you can then die.

2

Your post sure as hell revealed some basis philosophies of a few people....at 58, you seem very fatalistic........and if thats true....been there, done that, and will say, from my experience is a miserable way to live.......got to a point that I just wanted it to stop, just stop by any means.....was made to realize that what I was doing, was a choice, argued against that really hard.....I was wrong... life is amazing.......and at 76, I again look forward every morning to see what amazing thing will happen today.........it amazes me that trump is not only still president, but still alive.......it amazes me that me that either so many people can be wrong in their beliefs, or that I am.........it amazes me that I can put one foot in front the other...do every thing so right to get where I'm going, and one thing, that I have no control over, can toss a monkeywrench in, and fuck it all up. .....and it amazes me that I don't have to throw in the towel and call it quits anymore.....simply because I chose not to........best of luck to you....be kind to youself.

2

Wow, you sound like a downer, the futility of life! Cheer up dude, life isn't futile, it's exactly what you make it to be. Not everybody spends what you don't have, I know many people who live by their means and are not extravagant, not frugal either, they use their hard earned money to enjoy life. Oh, and the falacy of American exceptionalism shouldn't bring you down, do something about it and make your life exceptional.

Wow, you sound like one of those optimists for whom ignorance equates to bliss.

See what I did there?

I realize the post sounded depressing and I have achieved many goals in life. Retired military, sucessful business owner and currently making good money employed by a large corporation but cannot understand the lunacy in this country and the world. My biggest fault is I'm a perfectionist.

@Corden yes, a subrepticious insult calling me ignorant because I strive to live a happy life. Sorry to disappoint you but your big mistake, aside from existing, (see what I did here?) Is to equate me to an optimist. I am a realist. I don't wait for things to happen, I make them happen. I walk the talk. I do as I say. I don't blame the world, nor do I bitch and moan because this or that was beyond my control, much less point the finger at others for my problems, and boy have I had doozies of problems, many would have discouraged the bravest men, but I overcame all of them either by myself or with help of friends and family. If shit hits the fan, you wipe yourself clean and disinfect yourself and carry on, I am not a moper, I don't let tough issues dominate me, instead I choose to overcome them. I choose not to be depressed and call life useless and meaningless. And if eventually one comes that is insurmountable and will end my days on this planet, I will fight it with all my strength even if everybody tells me I will lose, that to me is not optimism, it is being true to my nature, I choose to fight for my happiness and not lie down and open my legs to be fucked by circumstances beyond my control.

@Mojo1998 good for you, lunatics like trump and his band of murderous dictators all over the world are the ones who caused that current lunacy. It is upsetting, but think of the moment when trump is voted out and he will be voted out, not optimistic just realistic.

2

I don't know the factors that contribute to you arriving at the futile point of view. Life is an enigma for me, nobody knows the reason we found ourselves here as humans, the most advanced creature in our world with a brain of incalculable capacity. Perception of our surroundings and the pressures that effect us is important, we mostly see things differently to others. Try critical thinking to see things in another and hopefully brighter way, we have a group on this site which you will find helpful.

I honestly think I do too much critical thinking but thx. What's the site? I'll check it out

@Mojo1998 Critical thinking. Unambiguously named!

@Austin-Cambridge thx

2

You are a super non-believer, and yet you describe life as futile. The rough opposite to futility is Purpose which most people describe as being provided by a deity. And yet, how could a deity provide Purpose? (The notion of Purpose is the child's "Why?" taken to the Nth degree. )

Consider that life has neither Purpose nor futility, and that such notions are merely semantic misunderstandings. You give the experience of being whatever meaning that you will.

We have the opportunity to understand some fraction of reality in a way that other living things cannot; that provides some satisfaction. More understanding provides more satisfaction, and sometimes wisdom. Atheism may not be spiritual in the conventional sense, but it can still provide any number of ineffable experiences and epiphanies.

As you grasp the superficiality of acquisitive materialism, relegate it to being a necessary evil of your experience, and only indulge as much as you must. Consider and try minimizing it, and see if the change agrees with you.

2

i have never associated my atheism with futility. (and some humans are less susceptible than others, and less consumerish than others -- and worry less about whether there is any such thing as american exceptionalism.)

g

2

If not for my two grandkids, I would have already checked out.

I didn't mean to sound so depressing but thank you for the reply. Keep up the fight as will I!

2

I agree with you on everything, except the futility of life. Now that you’re enlightened as to the other things, make your life exceptional!

1

Happy Belated Birthday!🎂 best wishes for your next trip around the sun.

1

Read Nietzsche, that is my prescription for you, ha ha . . . . in all seriousness though, there are some wonderful perspectives one can take, we are all in this hellish caldron together, and, all subject to the same forces, and for that very reason we should strive together to improve our condition. The Ancient Greeks were a big-time influence on my thinking . . . . for some of the Ancient Greeks, the true hero was the one who strove against impossible circumstances, even when they knew failure was inevitable, they remained defiant, they opposed the gods . . . . as in the legend, Promethus did, when he handed fire to man. There was a lot more to the Ancient Greek tragedy than most people realize. This is just one more reason why I think that it was detrimental to society when we stopped studying the classics . . . . the study of the classics were also the impetus that led to the flowering of the Renaissance.

1

can't disagree. i think Shakespeare pretty well described the futility, to para: we enter this world toothless, helpless & mewling & if we live long enough we depart the same way.
although, nowadays most ppl depart with at least a few teeth as did my wife's uncle at 101.

1

Life is ultimately futile, but I'm damn sure going to go on living it until I can't anymore.

1

Ecclesiastes: "All is vanity." The only book in the Bible that makes some sense.

1

I'm afraid the huge corporations , spend millions , building the concept that everyone deserves , what were once considered luxuries , as a part of their daily routine , and when they've got nothing bigger , better , or improved to sell , they beat a product up , quadruple the price , and sell it as if being used , worn , and dirty is something special . The surprise , is that there are people who are dub enough to fall for it , repeatedly !

1

I can agree. The older I get the more faults I see in theism and our system. You have to have a cell phone that wipes your ass and also makes pancakes to understand modern America today. Buy all the apps and be happy. Of course, I only have an old flip phone. 🙂

1

Life sucks then you die!
LOL!!!

Too many are too positive, too many of us are negative!!!

That is life!

Then there are those like me that are not happy or unhappy!

We are only responsible for ourselves in reality, you make life what it is!!!

We are all individuals who are really the same as everyone else!!!

So if you want to be sad, be sad, if you want to be happy, be happy!

The reality is no one gets out alive!!!

So do what ever the fuck you, say what the fuck you want!!!

There is always someone there to criticize and harm you, just as there might be some one to help you!

We all roll the dice, you can not always get craps, maybe crapped upon!

If you feel like that maybe you are the only one who lives in reality!!!

Love the reply. We need more people like you in the world!

1

One could go a step further to say that there is no such thing as human exceptionalism (unless you were to say that humans are exceptionally good at destroying the planet).
However, I (try) to not take such a pessimistic view. It doesn’t really do much for human let alone American exceptionalism, but I think this video is a great way to realize that our time is not merely a test and that we’re not meaningless.

Sorry to put the main point of your post as an aside here, but on the free will debate, I will just say that I (think) I agree with you that we have no free will, but I would argue that we’re better off acting as we do since that is the only way to ensure accountability.

Awesome!

1

Life is a cycle. When confused or irritated by behavior I observe ..it begins to make sense when considering ‘where in that cycle’ someone is. Don’t know if we become more tolerant with age, but we should get better at avoiding what irritates us.

As mentioned before, I’ll turn to nature. It can can both lull and shock you into appreciation. Culture is fabricated, and when hostage to it, it’s rarely pretty. ‘America’ is likely the first example of what happens given a world-wide mix of cultures and resources. They compete. At that, it’s not pretty..

Seek the truth, avoid false. At 58, you should be close to good at that. I stopped chasing fashion or fads in my twenties, claimed ‘I’d won the game by not playing!’ Looking back, I did. At 62, it’s definitely frustrating wading through those still playing … be they 20, 40 ..or more. Drop out, and live ~

Varn Level 8 Aug 16, 2019
1

Happy 58th.. that happened to me this year as well.. z'ok.. just another year. Thinking 60 might be the next one that matters much.. from maybe a party pov.

As to your pondering this whole life thing..

" The sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being." Carl Jung

and

"Whatever gets you through the night." John Lennon

A mix of these two sentiments, I think, can sum up in a way how society at large combats the futility you see. And I agree the " thing" that gets people through the night and kindles their light as a whole seem depressingly negative in North America in particular.. like consumerism, etc. A lot of it seems nonsensical. Such as the idea of "exceptionalism" the way you mean it.

What is exceptional.. I'm not American btw but I think this stands for western 🍸emocracies.. is that I can choose to not buy into the brainwashing with little consequence. I have great opportunity to be individual within my culture. In many societies individuality.. or nonconformity.. makes it difficult to kindle the light to get you through the night.

So a little bright spot for you to stand in as the Black Friday madness escalates and the Boxing Day sale hits it's third week.. we can ignore it. 🙂

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