Quote:
Originally Posted by
Linzey 
But I am overwhelmed and very sensitive, and like I said, often struggle with bouts of severe melancholy. However, it isn't like classic depression...it's not so much illogical as very logical. The Earth is in ruins, death is not certain, and if you get attached to anyone you better not love them too much because they could die the most horrendous death imaginable.
I do not have faith in a benevolent creator, and I think life is "too much" for me...too much sadness...all these people and I don't really know anyone that is even happy. It doesn't give me much hope for the future.
I often feel like that too. It's so easy to get overwhelmed, pessimistic, lose hope. There's just so much wrong with this world.
It's so easy to succumb to the view that it's all meaningless: Life is short (or painfully long; whatever sinks your boat). You watch people you love die. And then you die.
And just in this thread here. All this needless suffering. And I can't do anything about it.
So yeah. You do need to learn to adopt a certain amount of cynicism to get by with this world. Mixed with some sort of resilient optimism and an ability to never lose hope. Otherwise life crushes you like a bug.
I think it's also a matter of learning that there are things you can't change. There will always be people suffering. Millions of them. And wars, and natural disasters, and poverty, and illness. You can either let that get to you, or you can learn to adopt this convenient shield of ignorance and get on with your own life, and be able to be happy. (while of course trying to help those you CAN help, and be a decent human being).
Not that I think that people who are happy are just insensitive and ignorant- that's not what I mean. It's normal to be happy, and its right rather than wrong. Because otherwise- what have you: those who are suffering suffer, and those who could be happy suffer in unhelpful empathy too. A lose-lose situation. Let's just go ahead and die all of us, then, because life must be a mistake.
So you're primarily responsible for yourself. There are a million things you can't do anything about, but the one thing you CAN better is your own situation. You need to start with your own life. (And thats what I wish you would do now).
Sometimes I think I've got an obligation to make the most out of my own life. Because I CAN, because I have that opportunity, because I have options, unlike incredibly many others. I have a safe home, good parents, access to good & free education, have no financial problems and I am healthy.
But it's a good idea to humbly recognize what we have and be grateful for that, it should never go as far as constantly blaming ourselves for making ourselves unhappy, or criticising ourselves because we have so much ("you're spoiled and ungrateful") and still have problems dealing wit life. This is important: guilt won't lead you anywhere, nor will constant self-criticism. Relativism, as in seeing the bigger picture, and comparing, can help with us with a healthy view of things, but that's about it. You can't guilt yourself into being happy.
Its a cliché, but you need to love yourself to get by. Take care of yourself so that you have mental capacity left to help others.
And by all means- while much is rotten on this earth, there is thankfully so much good and beautiful and valuable too. Like love, literature, music, friendship, nature, animals- dont forget that while it sometimes seems like the world is filled with unhappy people, many manage to die of old age surrounded by people they love after having lived a fulfilling live.
Id like to see you become one of those