Meaning is EVERYTHING

I’m talking about meaning of life, the meaning for keep you waking up every day despite depression and social phobia.

When I was a kid, - I’m 24 now - I used to say a lot things like:
“If everybody is going to die, why study so hard?”
“If everybody is going to die, why do exercises?”

And life could’t make sense for me, since it was a so hard and painful journey. And I have discovered not easily, I have to say, that meaning is everything you can have.

There was a guy called Vitor Frankl that used to be a very well known and respected psychiatrist last century. He was born in Austria, and by the time of the WW2 he was arrested and sent to Auschwitz.

And he found out that the guys that didn’t killed themselves inside the concentration camp and kept fighting until the end were the guys with a meaning of life. This meaning doesn’t need to be a religion one, it can be everything. In other words, if you have a meaning you will see reasons to keep fighting with social phobia and depression until the end.
If you don’t see meaning, you will drown in self indulgence or suicide.

He says that people that see meaning in life, can have the 4 member amputated and still have a productive and happy life. And people without meaning can have everything they want in life and be depressed and suicidal.

His views are called “logotherapy”. He created an equation that is:

D=S-M | Desperation equals suffering minus meaning.

See his interviews here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EIxGrIc_6g

If your meaning of life is strong, social phobia will not have a deep impact in your life. Because you won’t drown in social phobia, you will drown at your meaning and the disorder will be only a coadjuvant in your life.

You won’t care about doing a terrible and ridiculous public speech, you will only see that this helped you to go towards your meaning.

When I go out and people I know talk to me, I feel embarrassed, nervous and after the situation I feel as a terrible loser.
But I then start to think about my meanings and objectives in life, and things start to be much more acceptable and even worthy.

You have to discover your meaning of life.
Without meaning you are just a hopeless person consumed by despair.

Don't care so much about social phobia and acting weird. Care only about the meaning. You are not here for nothing, find something that only you can do or that will make you happy to achieve. And really believe at this meaning.

I won't be posting more topics here at this forum, thanks a lot for all the help you guys have given me for all this years.

Bye!

That was a nice post. Where are you going? Did you find your meaning already?

awesome post! I wholeheartedly agree! The cure for loneliness is not people, it's purpose.

Lea said:

That was a nice post. Where are you going? Did you find your meaning already?

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Hi Lea, I'm going to spend my time studying and working all day.
I will start monday.
And yes, I've found my meaning, my meaning is basically a religious (christian) one, help others, protect the weak and things like those, but I have other meanings like help defeating marxism at my country, own much money to help people with psychological disorders, buy a cool house at the beach to spend time with my family, get a degree to help me at my "causes", have a company and etc...

And I have to say that Viktor Frankl says that no one find meanings at theirselves, our meanings have to point to "causes" and others.
No one can live pretending that he is alone at the world. This person will fail.
We need others as we need air.

We can live alone, but we need to do things to others, and I'm not talking only about donations and stuff like that, you can be a business person and still help people with your job.

worrywort said:

awesome post! I wholeheartedly agree! The cure for loneliness is not people, it's purpose.

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Thanks!


And have you noticed that there are people who live by themselves and do not feel lonely?
And people surrounded by other people who feel empty inside.

The difference: Purpose!

I've honestly never thought of this before. Some serious soul searching for a more stable reason to exist, outside of social status and relationships, is something we can all use.

I've actually even thought, even if I was normal, what is the meaning of life.. soo this doesn't only go for us..unfortunately I can;t find mine, yet..

You make babies and continue the cycle of human until the apocalypse comes and destroys all life. That's life for ya!

Nack said:

You make babies and continue the cycle of human until the apocalypse comes and destroys all life. That's life for ya!

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yeha, but u gotta know ur baby is gonna have meaning then
edit: prolly some nack lee juniors.. just for the names sake..

i havnt found a meaning that suits me but i live because i know i have to for some reason

i dont know if this makes any sense but i feel like a warrior inside but i cant physically fight which causes a lot of internal conflict and depression which is unfortunate 2 say the least .

Real life is easier when you make it more simple. Trying to think of purpose and stuff; if your mind cannot cope with such ideas. You might end up in a asylum... Just saying.

Nack said:

Real life is easier when you make it more simple. Trying to think of purpose and stuff; if your mind cannot cope with such ideas. You might end up in a asylum... Just saying.

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we're not talking about the meaning of life,.. just what u want to do with ur life.. ur purpose.. the one u want.. not some kind u have to go mad looking for... i dont think u wanna be 90 and realize u had nothing

Interesting topic, here's my two cents on it. Life has no meaning, only feelings. Other animals in nature don't need a purpose in their life to do what they do. They are like us driven by the all the myriads of chemical reactions going on inside of them.

But unlike them, we have the power of logic. You can use ideas to make you go crazy and dash forward into life, but eventually your brain becomes resilient and confused by them and life lose all its meaning. Let's face it, there's no single meaning to life, and there isn't any if you haven't made them yourself in the first place.

However this doesn't define us in any ways. We do not have to constantly remember ourselves of who we are, what we like and what our hearts desire. Constantly remembering things is hard on the brain. Sometimes it's easier and better to act without thinking, but only by observing our surrounding and letting our true self come out of the hole.

chained said:

we're not talking about the meaning of life,.. just what u want to do with ur life.. ur purpose.. the one u want.. not some kind u have to go mad looking for... i dont think u wanna be 90 and realize u had nothing

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I think you know *wink*

i dont think depression is ''self-indulgence''

i think the purpose of life is finding the good in what you have. like even though your going through depression or anxiety or whatever you can still find things that make you happy. you still have things you love. i try to appreciate today and not just wait for my anxiety to disappear.