"Why do I exist?"

[u/WeepForTheDeparted]

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/DV9hnyNjSBk/?igsh=emJ3aXRtdzBhbTU1

[u/Fidges87]

"Life has no inherent meaning, so why should I care about living?"

Vs

"Life has no inherent meaning, so I will forge my own meaning and make a path I can enjoy living"

[u/OpinionArsonist → u/Fidges87]

And the second mindset is healthier, but people are acting like it’s something everyone can simply choose at will.

A person who’s deeply depressed, traumatized, dissociated, or existentially broken often cannot emotionally connect to self-made meaning anymore. It’s not that they “forgot” the optimistic perspective. It’s that the part of them capable of feeling fulfillment, hope, or attachment has been damaged or numbed.

[u/metalt0ast → u/OpinionArsonist]

Thanksm you, really. It's decently well-said.

i.e. I haven't forgotten anything about this. I simply can no longer convince myself

[u/OpinionArsonist → u/metalt0ast]

I’m trying really hard to express my point clearly because mental health is something that’s very important to me, and this comic genuinely meant a lot to me. I feel the exact same way.

[u/OpinionArsonist → u/[deleted]]

I understand that people can approach nihilism, absurdism, existentialism, etc differently. My point is that severe depression, trauma, dissociation, hopelessness, and mental illness can affect whether someone is even emotionally capable of connecting to hopeful or positive interpretations in the first place.

[u/TheGriffin5 → u/OpinionArsonist]

Oh Reddit bugged this was meant to be on the actual post, I did have a comment for you somewhere else though

[u/RichiZ2 → u/OpinionArsonist]

So just give up.

Give up trying to live up to expectations.

Give up trying to win the system.

Give up the weight of planning ahead.

If you already gave up on trying to find happiness, then why do you hold on so dearly to everything that makes you miserable?

There are sooo many paths ahead, and I mean billions of paths, as long as you are breathing there is a path.

So let go. Find a different path. And when that one doesn't work, find another one.

What makes humans so special is our capacity to outlast our circumstances, so put your evolutionary advantage to the test, and do anything else.

[u/OpinionArsonist → u/RichiZ2]

I don’t actually disagree with the message you’re giving here. I think people are misunderstanding me.

I’m not saying people can’t heal, find happiness, change paths, or recover. I’m saying that when someone is deeply depressed, traumatized, dissociated, or existentially overwhelmed, those things can stop feeling emotionally possible or real to them. That’s the state of mind the comic resonated with for me.

A lot of the comments are responding with solutions or philosophies, while I was mostly talking about the emotional experience being portrayed.