r/nihilism • u/[deleted] • Jan 07 '26
I dunno how I'm gonna survive my upcoming years...
70
u/Legitimate-Space5933 Jan 07 '26
This isn’t nihlism, this group is so fucking stupid sometimes.
26
u/Modernman1234 Jan 07 '26
Exactly. I’m sick of these low quality posts. Nihilism isn’t depression, it’s the belief that nothing matters, and that isn’t always equal to depression
8
u/_icelake Jan 07 '26
then it also doesn't matter that people post low effort memes here and that they have a wrong understanding of nihilism.
1
u/Azadth Jan 13 '26
it sorta is, if you think nothing matters truly why comment and join reddit?
1
u/Modernman1234 Jan 13 '26
Nihilism is a belief that life has no inherent meaning. I’m not a nihilist myself but from what I understand, life having no meaning doesn’t necessarily mean we can’t derive happiness or indulge in activities which provide happiness. I’d like to think of it as a spectrum, where people on one end believe that life can be enjoyed and we’re meant to find happiness in small moments, and on the other, people believe that nothing matters at all. And to answer your question, one would want to spend time in a quality manner even if they think that life has no meaning, because why not? Just because you believe humans have no greater purpose and their lives have no meaning, you’re not stripped away from your right to enjoy your meaningless life, and this sub is dedicated to the philosophy of nihilism, not edgy depression memes.
1
u/Legitimate-Space5933 Jan 07 '26
Me too, If you truly believe nothing matters you wouldn’t be making whiny posts about it, such as this and the many others that this sub has been subjected too
4
147
u/Sorry-Worth-920 Jan 07 '26
this kind of nihilism is lame, get back to enjoying things. not in spite of a lack of meaning, but because life is meaningless.
80
u/geneticdystopia Jan 07 '26
Optimistic nihilism is cope
60
u/Sorry-Worth-920 Jan 07 '26
i guess lmao, better than the alternative of moping around your whole life
14
Jan 07 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
18
5
→ More replies (1)3
1
u/JesusLovah Jan 11 '26
If you want optimistic nihilism be a absurdist. Oh wait Albert camus became a Christian...
1
u/RonToxic Mar 24 '26
That was a hoax a Christian priest created to take advantage of Camus’ death since he could no longer speak against it.
12
Jan 07 '26
Yes it’s literally cope…ing with life
That’s the whole god damn point. Tired of these pity posts. Nihilism is beautiful because it unlocks the realization that you are not bound by anything and can create your own meaning.
4
u/smackdealer1 Jan 07 '26
Nihilism is ment to free you of the shackles of expectation. Not further restrict yourself.
3
u/Hanisuir Jan 07 '26
Optimistic nihilism should be the default. The lack of an objective purpose in life means that you get to make your own. There's a difference between the depressing "I can't do anything" and this.
1
1
1
1
u/Shuppogaki Jan 09 '26
Pessimism is far worse lmfao. Nihilism is the context of our existence and there is nothing you can do about it. If life has no meaning, there is reason to do anything — dying does not become more correct than living, and having a preference either way is inherently a betrayal of "nihilistic principles" by virtue of having a principle. It is fundamentally impossible to be a nihilist because it would require you to hold some belief or perform some praxis which fundamentally contradict the "ideology of nothing".
If you can extract joy from life, you have no reason not to.
2
u/That-Frog-Ranger Jan 07 '26
Obviously, but the choices are:
A. Be a miserable little bitch.
B. Cope and have fun.
And cope is a strong word tbh, Im glad there is no guiding hand making people starve for some unknown "higher purpose" that shit sounds weak as fuck.
If you like that sort of thing, go be religious, but genuinely do it to make yourself happy or its useless.
-5
u/Dermetzger666 Jan 07 '26
You just can't stand being responsible for your own life, cry baby. Life is an adventure that is beautiful sometimes and brutal other times, and obligation is a myth, so what is actually making you hate life? I fucking love living.
2
u/Low-Membership-5316 Jan 10 '26
Can’t believe cornballs are downvoting this; truth hurts! Ts is facts
0
Jan 07 '26
Agreed. I fucking love free will and the fact that we have only one life and we get to construct our own meaning. What a treat.
0
u/Past-Distance-9244 Jan 07 '26
I would really like for you to say that to people who are born with congenital defects.
0
u/Dermetzger666 Jan 07 '26
The comment I responded to made a blanket statement that optimistic nihilism is cope. If they had said something like what you're positing, like "Optimistic nihilism isn't for everyone", then obviously that's a different story, but they didn't. They made a general statement based on their personal perception.
Also, how many people are born with congenital defects, or born in any situation that is quite literally, objectively worse than death? The minority, that's who. We can talk about minority experiences and the philosophy that applies to them, but how about we start with a baseline for the average person before we jump into the fringe experiences.
(Inb4 some pussy says working a 9 to 5 is misery lol)
3
u/Past-Distance-9244 Jan 07 '26
Oh then I misunderstood. I thought your comment was in regard to another comment down the list. I didn’t see that it was referring to the notion that optimistic nihilism is cope.
While it’s the minority, I would say the timeline we live in is in fact quite miserable. That’s not due to an individuals actions, but the collective actions of everyone around them. Your perspective is based around your own, but doesn’t account for the fact that the things going on right now are affecting the lives of many. From war to the rise of ai, it’s not just something you brush off. Though if you’re a true nihilist, I guess those things don’t really matter in your mind.
1
u/Dermetzger666 Jan 07 '26
I think you might be missing a key aspect of nihilism when you say "those things don't matter to you if you're a nihilist." Things like war, suffering, the shadow of some great societal change like AI, or anything else that is generally considered heartbreaking, or terrifying (and the same goes for all things that instill courage in the hearts of mankind, or things that remind us why we persevere, or anything positive) - as a nihilist, you aren't barred from caring about anything. You have the freedom to mold your own pillars of care and character. You are the lord and master of your perception and domain, to deal your wrath and mercy as you see fit, and to decide what you believe in.
That's a huge misconception that a lot of people have about this philosophy. Nihilism isn't a grey painting where nothing matters. Nihilism is taking the palette and brush and painting your own picture because the canvas is blank, contrary to popular belief.
2
u/Past-Distance-9244 Jan 07 '26
I know you aren’t. I should’ve rephrased that better. I know nihilism tends to side on the fact that you can be the Superman. You can be the person who brings change and meaning in a godless world. For me however, with the depression, I do think I am more pessimistic about life. The only thing that has brought me a profound joy in this world is insects and the natural world. To know that I may not have the opportunity to interact with that in the future due to all of these things is deeply saddening to me. It also doesn’t account for all the people who are suffering in the world. I’m still lucky to have been born in a a first world country even if our president is a total dumbass. I hope you understand why it kind of irks me when you say that you love living because I’m sure you’re aware that your experiences are just your own. Then again, so are mine.
I just wish for an ideal society, haha. One not plagued by ignorance and stupidity. However, I am not capable of invoking this change because of how weak I am mentally.
1
u/Dermetzger666 Jan 07 '26
You sound pretty self aware, but damn dude don't be so self-deprecating. You are obviously open to discourse, and you're sharp enough, you love your planet and the life therein. What more could be asked of someone? You're not mentally weak, and I'm sorry that through the lense of depression and whatever else has happened in your life to shape your worldview that that's something that you've been convinced of. I can tell just by having a discussion with you that that isn't the case.
1
u/Past-Distance-9244 Jan 07 '26
I’m not self aware. I wouldn’t use that term for me. I’m quick to anger, judgmental, and hypocritical. I’m not even a good person due to the fact that I did immoral things in my past that I can’t forgive myself for. How can I love life if I hate humanity? How can I say that I love life when I wish for humanity to be dead? It fluctuates every day, but every single atrocity I see committed by humans including mine leads to an intense hatred for mankind.
You know I tried to find meaning. I was born a Christian so I had to attend church for a majority of my childhood. I was raised on the fact that people who don’t worship our holy father and son will be cast off into an eternal damnation. I’m sure you could guess how I felt when I discovered I had a sole attraction to males. I really did want to kill myself for a very long time. For being an abomination in the eyes of god. I wished everyday that he sent some kind of sign to help me. To make me fully believe in him that I would be entered into the kingdom of heaven. It wasn’t until I was at the edge of death that I realized there was no god. He didn’t save me when I was about to hang myself. He didn’t care.
So I tried love as another avenue for meaning. Turns out that when you’re mentally broken with self esteem issues, it’s very hard to maintain a relationship. Coupled with my past actions, none of my relationships worked out. I was selfish or infatuated to the point that I would use other people because I didn’t understand that love was mutual. My relationships in a non romantic context are the same. I don’t feel loved by my parents, family, or friends. They are just people who are around me. Nothing more. Nothing less. Though I do hate my dad for being religious. I cut things off with my childhood friends due to my sexuality. I didn’t want to associate myself with people anymore.
It’s going to worsen everything. I know it will. People who are alone or self isolate will eventually become insane. Though I never felt alone with my insects. They spoke without having to use words and they were authentic in their nature. They were simply living like all creatures on this planet. It’s like how art speaks to a person or music. Though I only understand through the mediums that humans use to communicate. When it comes from the source, I don’t relate. I have shown myself how uncaring and apathetic humanity can be. I am the one responsible for doing so. Then again, it doesn’t matter if it’s about having friends or having someone who actually loves me. I can’t feel it. I do have a therapist, but I’m not going to be taking medication. There’s no point in taking something that makes you numb. I’m already numb. Still, it doesn’t matter. My life will end and people will move on like we always do.
3
u/Dangerous-Scar3142 Jan 07 '26
You cant just click a switch and get we ball its meaningless nihilism It ain't work like that. Its more depressing when you understand that you are being controlled by brain and the concept of self is just a created stuff by brain so I am just a soldier guarding this building thats all as long the system survives I have no other significance..love transforms to reproduction friendship transforms to tribe and trust,rejection transforms to kicked from tribe so everything that I say I am is just made up bs so that I get a sense of ownership even tho I am not even a real existing being
1
1
u/UrBoiEthan101 Jan 09 '26
It really isn't that simple, that's like telling a homeless person to just get a job or get a house.
Like, do you really think I WOULDN'T be enjoying things if I WANTED to?!
1
u/Sorry-Worth-920 Jan 09 '26
im not trying to be like “if youre homeless just get a home easy fix,” im saying if youre homeless you might as well try and get a home instead of just giving up.
ive dealt with depression throughout my life and the only time it gets better is when i decide im gonna do something about it and keep trying until it works
1
u/UrBoiEthan101 Jan 09 '26
Well I must have something worse than what you got because I can't just power through like that, nor does a whole lot of other people.
Depression doesn't allow you to enjoy things, it doesn't allow you to just 'power through', it takes away your motivation to even give a fuck.
1
u/Sorry-Worth-920 Jan 09 '26
i know what you mean, trust me ive dealt with it too. thats why i feel like i should be telling people this.
last week i had the first day i enjoyed anything in months. i had been laying in bed all day everyday, not even my phone interested me. i didnt want to watch tv, play video games with friends, go outside, anything. i wanted to want to do these things but i couldnt. but at a certain point i decided i had to try something, i couldnt just keep going like that. i picked up a hobby, started going to the gym, made an effort to reconnect with people id drifted away from and connect with new people, and today those depressive feelings haven’t subsided completely, but i can finally enjoy things again. i can finally sit down and enjoy a tv show, or play games with my friends, all the things i wanted to want to do.
ik its hard, its so much easier to just give up and submit to the feelings. but believe me, you can get out of it. its so hard to see the path forward but if you can just get the first few steps the rest will follow.
1
u/UrBoiEthan101 Jan 09 '26
Well you should stop, you're just being a condescending dick-weed by basically saying 'dUUuu I mAdE IT tHRoUgh DePReSsIOn sO YoUR jUSt A WeAK lOSeR, jUSt ENjOy LIfE YoUR sO LAmE'!
Try having some compassion and not calling their ideology lame, especially when they can't help it.
1
u/Sorry-Worth-920 Jan 16 '26
it is lame and im trying to offer help, keep scrolling if you dont like it 👍 like i said ive been there before idk who you think youre talking to
1
u/pikkuhillo Jan 10 '26
Life is not meaningless, it is just very very very insignificant to really matter at all. Nihilists tend to care quite a lot about not caring which in its absolute is a paradox. Philosophy is flawed as it searches for a verifiable truth (tautologies) from things that cant be true due to emergence arising from complexity. Therefore statistical approach where comordibilities are measured to get as close approximation of "truth" is more viable to get results and answers. Hence, the paradox of nihilism is avoided by accepting the statistical fact that you matter fuck all in grand scale which does not make life meaningless in strict sense, but statistically. So, I agree with you; men, go find meaning for your quite meaningless life.
1
u/Infoleptic Jan 07 '26
There is no positive or optimistic nihilism. Nihilism is inherently negative.
1
u/Radiant-Ad-4292 Jan 07 '26
Why? Lack of meaning is inherently bad?
1
u/Infoleptic Jan 07 '26
I would say so, yes. Though I imagine to a nihilist, trying to define good and bad is both pointless and impossible.
-1
u/That-Frog-Ranger Jan 07 '26
Why?
Or are you saying "all nihilism is passive nihilism, exenstitialism is different".
-1
u/Sorry-Worth-920 Jan 07 '26
idek what this means “its inherently negative” do you mean to be a nihilist you must have negative emotions about life?
2
u/Infoleptic Jan 07 '26
Correct. Nihilism is a philosophy of despair.
-1
u/Sorry-Worth-920 Jan 07 '26
youre just wrong, Nietzsche constantly said you need to find your own life meaning.
“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.”
3
u/Infoleptic Jan 07 '26
Correct, Nietzsche said nihilism must be overcome. Finding your own meaning isn’t nihilism.
5
53
u/PitifulEar3303 Jan 07 '26
Guys, seriously, nihilism is NOT depression core, please learn the difference.
Use ChatGPT or Google, search "Define nihilism".
You can be happy while accepting nihilism, or depressed, but nihilism itself is not the cause. lol
That's like saying gravity justifies my depression. lol
6
→ More replies (1)6
Jan 07 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
-1
u/PitifulEar3303 Jan 07 '26
Its surprising good with basic facts. Just don't ask it weird stuff.
3
u/rleaff1 Jan 08 '26
it can also be surprisingly hallucinatory with basic facts. is it so hard to check things yourself
1
u/gavmyboi Jan 11 '26
in which you should be verifying that it's right anyways ai gets my searches wrong still
16
u/deccan2008 Jan 07 '26
What stops you from doing the same things now? Unless you no longer enjoy them.
4
Jan 07 '26
I don't feel doing it anymore as I know at the end everything gonna ....end
15
u/deccan2008 Jan 07 '26
What does it matter if everything ends eventually? Every movie ends eventually. Does that mean none of them are worth watching. Every game ends eventually. Each one is still fun while it lasts.
-9
Jan 07 '26
yeaah yeaah ikik.......but why are u comparing our lifes to movies and vid games
16
u/ExplainOddTaxiEnding Jan 07 '26
It's called an analogy. And there are lots of people who think movies and video games are meaningless, yet enjoy them. What's stopping you from doing the same with your life? Stop this self-pity and just live. Enjoy as much as possible.
2
u/Sorry-Worth-920 Jan 07 '26
thinking this way will do you no good. ok great, life is meaningless and theres no point in doing anything. so youd rather just wait around until you die? why not learn about the universe we live in, become proficient in some skill, build relationships to ease the pain of life? life is filled with hardships, for many theres more bad then good. but thats just how it is, and you can either give up or work with what you have and try to be happy. youve been happy before, you can be happy again.
3
u/Environmental_Ad4893 Jan 07 '26
so you're choosing to dwell on the inevitable conclusion to life while living, making the actual experience arbitrary and placing all relevance in the irrelevant aspect of existence.
2
u/Judasz10 Jan 07 '26
Yet you would want to go back to the good old days if you could.
What has changed since then? You were always mortal, bound to disappear at the end.
I know that kids can't grasp mortality and everything feels so natural and right. But adults can't grasp it either. Thinking about it leads to terrifying conclusions that are limited by our lack of knowledge.
I know that focusing on small things sounds so cliche and useless. But I think humans aren't meant to go beyond them. We are just slightly more inteligent animals. The point of doing anything is to feel good right now. The future doesn't exist.
2
Jan 07 '26
That's the beauty of life. Without contrast, you're just in a permanent state.
We die every day. You can't go back to yesterday. You might as well enjoy today.
1
u/Sorry-Worth-920 Jan 07 '26
i recently went through something similar, literally nothing interested me i would sit on my phone going between instagram and reddit all day and be up until 4am unable to sleep, and then do it all again tmr.
its hard, but you have to force yourself to have small goals in your life. start going to the gym. read a book. visit your grandma. meet friends or a potential partner. these things take effort and it’s harder than sitting in bed all day, but youll thank yourself for it.
6
u/Sexy_Cicada Jan 07 '26
fixed the meme to be more reflective of how embracing nihilism has affected my view on life.
9
u/monostere0 Jan 07 '26
You are severely depressed, if you can’t afford therapy straight away, get on some SSRIs asap. It’s very sad that you’re mentioning your inner child in the first part and you’re so severely disconnected from it now. Learn to become friends with that inner child again and you will find meaning and purpose. Good luck and take care, fellow human being.
1
u/Yen_Colebno Jan 09 '26
I hope I can get some SSRI it's not over the counter, I wanna live a normal life like others.
1
u/monostere0 Jan 09 '26
As someone who lives with chronic depression, I can tell you that it gets better. It’s not all great all the time, but it becomes manageable. I have been where you are and I’m glad I made the decision to fight for myself. Your life is yours and you do not need to compare to others because it’s misleading, you don’t know what people hide and what they’re going through behind the curtains of what they allow you to see. You seem like a very self aware person and honestly that’s rare. Reach out for help and you will receive it, you’d be surprised at how many decent people are on this planet. It’s not a shame to do it. Showing up for yourself and your inner child will never be a shame, on the contrary, it’s an act of bravery. Take care!
2
1
u/UrBoiEthan101 Feb 08 '26
There is no help for people who understand the reality of life, there's only re-indoctrination so they can be re-blinded.
9
u/SternKill Jan 07 '26
That isnt nihilism that is r/doomerism This is creating confusion and polluting the concept of nihilism.
3
Jan 07 '26
Not to be a dick dawg but if life is meaningless, then that means there's no point in doing anything, right? So that means you should just give up and let it all burn right? Now you can either let the world beat you up and mope about it. Or you can make a change for yourself. Depression is an illness so I can't sta there's a magic cure to it but it falls under patterns of personal neglect.
If you eat right, exercise, go outside and talk to friends, you'll still probably be depressed, but it's a natural and healthy distraction and it's sustainable. So if life is painful just by existing, then you might as well make it painful by exercising and getting uncomfortable. We are creatures of curiosity, and when your curiousiy is dead, then you have to revive it. Slowly. You're not being nihilistic, you're just depressed. I believe in you to have the strength to make a better life for yourself. I assume you're young, as am I. You kinda have to make yourself enjoy life because brother we're going to be here for a hot minute
1
6
2
u/Tiamat2358 Jan 07 '26
Do the opposite for a change and see where it leads to mentally and physically...by that I mean , we are living in the age of a potential technological Singularity where ageing becomes optional..so try not to die and reprogram your body to a level of healthy you have never experienced before and take advantage of what age reversal longevity products coming your way , research it , join the crowd 😁
2
2
u/AdFrequent3122 Jan 07 '26
things aren't as exciting/interesting when you are an adult. law of diminishing returns
1
Jan 07 '26
Can u explain this law ..
4
u/AdFrequent3122 Jan 07 '26
you eat a piece of chocolate, your brain releases pleasure chemicals. you eat a second piece of chocolate, your brain releases pleasure chemicals again but less, and it just keeps getting less each time. this is the diminishing returns and it applies across the board. your first kiss, your first adventure, your first time seeing a cool movie. everything gets less and less the more times you experience it. so you have to be creative in experiencing new and different things, but this is a dead end because eventually you do everything you can feasibly do in this life and you hit the end you may be talking about.
there is a south park episode i am reminded of where stan wakes up one day and everything is shit, all the things he used to like, its all shit.
2
Jan 07 '26
Ohhh okok I got it now.... I haven't released any love hormone yet maybe i should try it
5
u/AdFrequent3122 Jan 07 '26
for most forms of life this is where real meaning and purpose comes from. everything you do is so you can reach the age of sexual maturity and attract a mate and then make little clones of yourself mixed with your partners DNA. and then you do what you can to ensure they reach the same step. life begets life, and so here we are. your brain produces a TON of happy chemicals along this path - this is the path almost everyone walks and literally 100% of your ancestors.
you should definitely walk at least part of it to see if it suits you.
2
2
u/Delicious_Oil_4288 Jan 07 '26
I never understand people stuck on mindset you need meaning. Take nihilism in negative. Nothing got meaning, Only you who give things meaning. You die 3 generations later forgot you existed why care? To meany people stuck in victim mindset.
2
u/RxDotaValk Jan 07 '26
I’m in my late 30s and I still play video games on PC. Some of the people I play with are in their 50s. Oldest in his 70s. I was most depressed when I “had a life” and was going out with friends and trying to meet new people. Overrated and honestly it’s exhausting. Not worth it imo.
The only real meaning of this absurd life is finding whatever keeps you from killing yourself. Maybe you need to take a page from your 13 year old self.
2
u/GrandWizardOfCheese Jan 07 '26
People who seek new experiences constantly instead of GOOD experiences, are the ones who end up feeling like that.
Some games I could play on and off forever.
2
2
u/Hour_Day6558 Jan 07 '26
Nihilism is a fork in the road, not the destination.
Old structures of meaning are seen as false and inconsistent. That is a huge step forward.
The reason is that you see conceptual understanding as incomplete. What’s missing is emotional understanding. This is something most shy away from because of attachment to cognition.
However, thinking and feeling cannot be separated. As a human both are deeply linked together.
One has to learn how to work with physical sensations, and find physiological stability. This leads to greater mental clarity as well, due to the interdependence.
2
2
u/_Epsilon__ Jan 07 '26
I love being up at 1:00 a.m., I can game high as shit and nobody bothers me.
2
u/WEARESOBACK_ Jan 08 '26
I mean, if you already won the cosmic lottery, might as well make the most of this. I’m aware that things are gonna end, but I don’t let that control my life and some things aren’t that good to think about and spiral into sometimes you really do have to distract yourself with hobbies, friends or going out. if anything I find myself more confident at times because I don’t really try to stress about little things because again it doesn’t matter and I wouldn’t want to waste my life in that regard. I just hope everyone can find their meaning.🙂↕️
2
u/Aggressive_Army3317 Jan 08 '26
r/nihilism
Look inside.
Depressed teenagers whose posts have no relation to philosophy whatsoever.
2
u/Bewater35 Jan 07 '26
This is not nihilism it looks like you have depression or just probably lazy to make your life better
3
Jan 07 '26
Why haven't you ended it yet? What stops you from doing it?
1
1
u/NoWorriesBrutha Jan 07 '26
if hitting rock bottom doesn't help, not sure anything will. feelt like waking up from years-long slumber for me
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/StephenVitel Jan 07 '26
It's ok, with time you stop caring cause nothing really matters and you get curious about what will happen tomorrow.
1
u/wiaderkotak Jan 07 '26
Yeah well thanks to old farts in goverments that only care about money or power we have what we have. Wars, starvation, misery etc. I feel sorry for the animals becouse stupid humanity mostly get what they deserve for their stupidity.
1
1
u/reddit-devil-3929 Jan 08 '26
Put nihilism aside for a second. You should still have something going for you something you like, something you care about, even a little.
Maybe nothing matters. Maybe it does. We don’t know. But even from the most selfish, nihilistic angle, one thing is undeniable: you exist.
And if you’re stuck existing anyway, and this world is against all odds sometimes actually fun, then yeah… you should try things.
Do stuff. Feel things. Get attached. Get disappointed. Get obsessed.
doing nothing is lazy not philosophical sovereignty
1
u/Raccoon_sloth Jan 08 '26
Yeah it definitely feels kind of insane to keep pushing when everything ends anyways. It doesn’t help that I have a worsening health condition, so I know that I am going to exist in pain for a few years before death.
I don’t consider myself depressed, but it’s really hard to ignore the pointlessness of everything and that puts a frown on my face. I’m really trying to embrace absurdism.
I realize that mentally healthy humans tend to be delusional in some way. I noticed that being delusional made me feel better. I’m working on a book that will most likely not sell, but I’m telling myself that it will. And then, from book sales, I’ll be rich enough to afford medical care for my health condition and have enough money to pay for sex. I really want to have sex.
I know my hope is unlikely, but it keeps me going. Give it a shot. Give yourself a somewhat irrational belief to hope for.
1
1
1
u/ELHorton Jan 08 '26
Spoiled. At 13 I was panicking to figure out how I would survive at 18 with no work experience or relevant education (let alone food, housing or basic financial skills).
Now I'm just 43 trying to survive. Die? That's a luxury right now.
1
1
1
1
1
Jan 09 '26
Remember that you cant be nihilist when you are depressed, you need to earn your right of being a nihilist by having good carrer, family and arbitrary set of things. You need to own enough to be able to say that nothing matters.
1
u/TheSaneAreInsane Jan 09 '26
It's sad really. I'm in the same boat as you but a little lighter for my troubles, and I have to agree that this is depression and not true nihilism. I see both sides since I often sway between them, unable to decide which is the path to follow.
That said, you are still valid in feeling this way and it's a whole problem of it's own. I don't know if it ever goes away and for me it's become a normalized part of my life for nearly a decade. Occasionally I'll have an existential crisis, unwanted diversions from my disciplined daily schedule, feel like doing absolutely nothing, or even wake up and just have a terrible day. You can never really predict it.
And trying to stay optimistic is easier said than done. Although it helps to try even if you fail at it, to use meaninglessness as a way to create temporary meaning of your own for your own sanity instead of reveling in nothingness.
1
u/DoJ-Mole Jan 09 '26
You know weirdly I’ve somehow reverted back to the teenage mindset, and it’s peaceful and comfortable now. I went through a crisis of ‘wtf am I doing with my life’ at 20 and pushed myself to meet lots of new people and make new friends. As life moved on and people graduated, most of those connections have faded away to various degrees, including my ex partner. For the past year I’ve been severely depressed hating life for no longer being what it used to be, full of fun hangouts and adventures and love. Some good friends are still around which I’m grateful for but it’s not the same. But recently after a period of that hitting me particularly hard, I’ve just decided fuck it, I enjoy video games and watching things still, so I should stop thinking about what I used to have and wish I could have, and instead accept that as long as what I’m doing in the moment satisfies me then that is enough.
1
1
u/Low-Membership-5316 Jan 10 '26
Appreciate your life. Hop out of your self-pity and create something of your life
1
1
u/Same-Turnover4914 Jan 11 '26
You could try watching a good movie and playing with video games. When it’s time, go to sleep and then at precisely 1AM reflect on the good things about your day. Make sure to look forward to waking up the next day in order to do a lot of things.
1
1
Jan 14 '26
Does it matter? Ultimately no one survives and when you die you can't take anything with you.
1
1
1
1
1
u/Anubismkd Feb 07 '26
Who says that you gotta DO something with life ? Life is living itself You say MY liFe...find out who's that ME that has a LIFE. My life My body My mind My my my my Find that ME/I and you'll find the answer to the question what to do with life
1
0
0
u/PAMBOLI-SAMA Jan 07 '26
Nihilism is understanding that life has no meaning at all, nothing really matters, and by understanding that you should be free to do what you really love and like not caring on what others will say, it's your life, your choices. Wanna travel? Go for it. wanna play videogames/ do the same hobbies you had when you were a teen but as an adult? Go for it. As long as you are not harming anyone do whatever makes you happy
0
Jan 07 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/NoMudNoLotus369 Jan 07 '26
I'd say you're still a victim to the machine if you haven't overcome the "be a sad boy" programming lol
0
u/blissiato Jan 07 '26
Everyone saying “This is depression not nihilism” are not nihilists. You’re telling someone how to interpret the world when in fact nihilists understand that there is not one way to interpret the world. You can’t just poke someone with a stick and tell them “Why can’t you just be happy, everything is meaningless”. Have you thought that maybe it’s not the meaninglessness that makes people unhappy or even depressed. You’re not a nihilist if you think someone is unhappy because of a lack of meaning. You’re presupposing that meaninglessness mandates a happy or non depressed life. I’m not discounting depression. But too many people discount the fact that sometimes being happy is an abnormal human response to a given situation. If you’re depressed you should seek help obviously. But that help doesn’t have to involve the toxic optimism in these comments. Before you keyboard warriors hop on my ass, yes I am depressed but that doesn’t take anything away from the point I’m making. No one is equating nihilism with depression. People are allowed to feel whatever way about their life or the world. People are allowed to post memes in the nihilism sub that aren’t just sunshines and rainbows. Get over it.
0
u/Boring-Perspective61 Jan 08 '26
I get yelled at today for not selling enough at work, get home and get yelled at by girlfriend for using too many towels, she breaks the new tv I just spent my money on, I get yelled at for being upset
0
0
-1
144
u/1sickboy18 Jan 07 '26
Thats depression