Posted by alexandra_k on March 9, 2005, at 16:19:23
In reply to Re: Why death is an option for me » Impermanence, posted by Shy_Girl on March 9, 2005, at 15:40:12
> Well...all I can really say is that suicide can be inherently selfish. In the egocentric view, the world ceases to exist when one perishes.
Yes indeed. If Berkely was right that 'to be is to be perceived' and if he was wrong about the existence of god then it follows that the universe ceases to exist once we have died (assuming that death is the end).
But maybe Berkely wasn't right...
I am a realist. I believe there is a real world (which is unfortunately inaccessible to us as a matter of principle). But what is left is the inter-personal world. Which is made up of our collective experiences in the world (a meeting of minds and world). Gosh, listen to me ramble...
> >There is no right or wrong other than what society has decided is right or wrong and good or evil.> I agree, but I do think that what society chooses to be right or wrong is not simply the result of whim and fancy. There must be inherent advantages for humans of all different cultures to develop similar beliefs about right and wrong. Now, whether or not these tendancies to conform are 'good' or 'bad' may depend on the particular environment at a particular time. The core beliefs about right and wrong seem consistent and longlasting, so perhaps they have been advantageous in the past...it remains to be seen whether or not they will in the future.
Hmm. Anybody want to join in the 'everything is relative' thread below???
> The game of life...I know what you mean...it seems meaningless at times. From the outside, everyone and everything seems the same...people living to work and working to live...choosing to conform because that is what is comforable. I think this is a misconception though, because we are too egocentric. If I could somehow walk in another person's shoes, I think I would find most people have wonderfully detailed and intricate live...truly unique.Yeah. And if you kill yourself then all of us miss out. And you miss out on us too :-(
> I sit in wonder at the chaos and beauty of the universe.Isn't that a reason just there?
> I recently got into astronomy (sorry, no astrology for me!). I've always been interested in learning about the cosmos. Camping out in dark skies, checking out telescopes and gagets, looking at galaxies, star clusters, nebulas and meteors, wondering about superstring theory...it's awe inspiring.And there is another one there.
> It's difficult for me to grasp the whole spirituality concept. The universe is seemingly wonderfully complex, but for me it is enough to be able to explain parts of it. Meditation and stuff is good because it calms one down.Hmm. But maybe the microcosim is the macrocosim in miniture. Maybe to understand the parts properly you do gain an understanding on the whole. Maybe they come as a package deal. One of my profs used to say 'there are two ways to become wise. One is to study one thing in as much detail as possible. The other is to study as much of everything as possible'. The thought being that you end up in the same place in the end.
I was in a similar place maybe 5 years back. I wanted to be a philosopher but was told I had so very many cognitive errors and was incapable of logical thought
:-(
:-(
:-(
So I thought I may as well kill myself because I was in so much pain and I thought I could never do what it was that I most wanted to do. And what I most wanted to do was my only reason for living.I read the Myth of Sysiphus. And I decided to be defiant to all those f*cking clinicians who kept telling me I could never do it. I thought I owed it to me to give it the best shot I possibly could. And so I gave it my best shot. I started back part time and it was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.
And now...
I am waiting on my PhD applications.
Whether I manage to get in or not I managed to put together a competitive application or two. And I have applied to insitiutions that are very hard to get in to. I could stay where I am. Could have started my PhD at the beginning of last year on a scholarship in fact. But no, I want to go to the best place I can...But It won't be the end of the world, the end of my world if I don't get in. Because I don't have to live in defiance anymore. Because along the way I found other reasons to live. Friends. Enjoyment in other things.
All I am wanting to say is that maybe you are feeling so bad because you think that you won't be able to do what it is that you most want to do (lab work). But I reckon that you will figure that out and you will be able to do it. If you really want it and if you are prepared to try really hard and find some people to help you out.
It will be the hardest thing you have ever done, don't get me wrong. Much harder than just killing yourself. But that is what makes it so worthwhile in the end.
poster:alexandra_k
thread:468490
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20050305/msgs/468851.html