Philosophy Now Forum

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.

Wasn't all of this discussed in great length the last twenty times you brought it up?

I mean, did you get anything from any of the responses that anyone gave you?

I have known several people with chronic depression and they were doing fine with their meds.

In addition I would suggest getting a puppy or a kitten. This will give you a trusty companion for your life.

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.

MozartLink wrote: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.

Get a puppy or a kitten, like I said. That will change your brain.

You will stop being so selfish and start thinking about something else -- the kitten or the puppy.

yiostheoy wrote:

MozartLink wrote: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.

Get a puppy or a kitten, like I said. That will change your brain.

You will stop being so selfish and start thinking about something else -- the kitten or the puppy.

It has nothing to do with being selfish. The brain is a very complicated organ. Therefore, the mental state of having meaning in your life is complex as well. It does not all boil down to something simple such as that I am selfish. The mental state of having meaning is just simply different for different people. Some people actually find meaning in their lives with depression and suffering in their lives while others don't. It does not all come down to being selfish and non-selfish. It just means everyone is different and that the brain is a very complex organ.

Also, like I said, I tried everything and even the things you've mentioned. It does not work. It has nothing to do with me being selfish. It just means I have a different brain. 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.

ML, you're still around on planet Earth? Things are looking up. It won't last forever, so try to get through it. I have, thus far.

Get a puppy or a kitten.

yiostheoy wrote:Get a puppy or a kitten.

Already had one my entire life.

MozartLink wrote:

yiostheoy wrote:Get a puppy or a kitten.

Already had one my entire life.

What happened to it ??

yiostheoy wrote:

MozartLink wrote:

yiostheoy wrote:Get a puppy or a kitten.

Already had one my entire life.

What happened to it ??

It was stir fried and delicious.

MozartLink wrote: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.

Well, they are wrong. There is no meaning to life. It is nonsense. We are born and we live till we die. This is the reality. Now, you have two options. Either suck it up, accept it, and decide to have a great life, or bitch and moan about it and have a bad life. NOTHING WILL CHANGE. Life will go on exactly as it will. Your choice is either to enjoy it or not to.

sthitapragya wrote:

MozartLink wrote: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.

Well, they are wrong. There is no meaning to life. It is nonsense. We are born and we live till we die. This is the reality. Now, you have two options. Either suck it up, accept it, and decide to have a great life, or bitch and moan about it and have a bad life. NOTHING WILL CHANGE. Life will go on exactly as it will. Your choice is either to enjoy it or not to.

I agree, sthitapragya. But he is anhedonic, and it's not so simple for him. Blaming someone for a legitimate condition is not very helpful.

Dalek Prime wrote:

sthitapragya wrote:

MozartLink wrote: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.

Well, they are wrong. There is no meaning to life. It is nonsense. We are born and we live till we die. This is the reality. Now, you have two options. Either suck it up, accept it, and decide to have a great life, or bitch and moan about it and have a bad life. NOTHING WILL CHANGE. Life will go on exactly as it will. Your choice is either to enjoy it or not to.

I agree, sthitapragya. But he is anhedonic, and it's not so simple for him. Blaming someone for a legitimate condition is not very helpful.

Okay. But my post was more to do with his giving so much importance to having a meaning in life. It would just make things worse for him when there really is no meaning to life. So I was just pointing out the reality to him. If he can get rid of this need for meaning to life, it takes away one added tension of something he does not have.

Okay. That makes sense. I agree.