Existential Depression - The Philosopher's Bane

[Clyde]

To help with depression I recommend doing being self indulgent, getting a hobby, or learning a useful skill. Also volunteering could help. If you think this world is a bad place, make it better for at least one person. Convincing yourself that you or life in general hopeless is the worst thing you could do.

I prefer not to talk about existentialism, and I'm not going to read about "gifted children."

 

[Rolling Thunder]

A person who is fundamentally pessimistic, or nihilistic, is nothing more than a moral coward. By pretending that the world is wholly black and cold, or else meaningless, they project their own cruelty or coldness, or, more often, their own desire to be cruel or cold, onto a Creation that has not time for cruelty and is only cold if you're fool enough to stand in the void.

So don't whimper, and don't go about and proclaim the cold, uncaring nature of the world, humanity/etc. You''ll merely be laughed at, for it's a sure sign of inexperience and foolishness. Those who have seen the world realise two things. Firstly, that there is great cruelty in it. Secondly, that even in that cruelty, there is kindness, humanity, compassion, or at least hope. People who bemoan the world's inequities and inhumanities need to go and see them first hand. If they did, they'd stop bemoaning them, and start living again, because that's the only way you can end them.

 

[kotorfan04]

Well if you are depressed I have some positive thoughts for you. You are a speck on a speck in a speck, in yet another speck, and then that grand thing is yet another speck. I am probably leaving out a few specks here, but otherwise this would be bordering on incoherence. Also no matter how great your achievements time will erase it. As this speck we are on is obliterated by the death of a sun that is no more consequential to the rest of the universe than the death of an ant is to me, so you don't need to ponder these deep questions. The answer to all of them is nothing, and if that doesn't cheer you up immensely something is wrong with you.

 

[TheLaofKazi]

I've definitely dealt with existential depression before, still am. I think I will keep coming back to those thoughts for the rest of my life, I am always searching for some sort of meaning, something to give me purpose and fulfillment. Whatever I find important in my life is always changing, and I'm alright with that. For awhile, trying to reach one goal made me happy, but once I reached what I was reaching for, I eventually need something else. Reading that little blurb on the whole topic made me feel good that other people out there understand so well the kind of thoughts I've gone through. I don't think I'm necessarily 'gifted' though. You don't have to be to realize these things. And it's not like there is an objective definition of 'gifted', as if there is a singular measure of intellect from "dumb" to "gifted". Intelligence is dynamic and diverse.

I like a lot of art with existential themes. I always find it oddly inspiring, however dreadful it can seem.

Let your insignificance set you free. The fact that you don't fit into a galactic scheme makes your world of experience all the more precious, because it's yours and no one else's.

That was beautifully said, and I feel the same way. I remember one time I was listening to song the "I Don't Want to Set the World On Fire," and suddenly I just sort of "got" the meaning of them, or at least my meaning for them.

I don't want to set the world on fire
I just want to start a flame in your heart

I think for awhile, in a sort of figurative way, I wanted to 'set the world on fire'. I thought the world was a terrible, unfair place, and I still do, but now I'm getting closer to being at peace with it. The thing is, I can't do anything about the world at large, but I can do something for the loved ones that are close to me. It may seem insignificant to some, but to me, my friends and family are the world.

Perhaps the Ink Spots were anarchist that found love.

 

[Dags90]

I've never experience depression from existentialism, seems rather silly to do so.

I also don't see this as a particular problem of gifted people, it's Philosophy 101 stuff and you don't need to be gifted to go to college. I think roughly half the U.S. adult population has some form of college education. It's also featured heavily in popculture.

Pretty sure the major bane of philosophers is unemployment.