It’s so funny, the way we see ourselves and each other. What appears to one outsider as a sparkling star full of wonder and promise is to the insider a worthless inadequate tortured with self-doubt and despair. What looks like someone flying high externally is perceived as plummeting to earth internally. There’s always someone below you, looking up, thinking ‘God, if only I could live like that. What the hell are they complaining about!’ So much talent, beauty, & goodness, all going to waste because you think you’re not good enough.
If only we could share these positive views of each other. But we can’t. Not really. We’re each trapped in our own little bubbles, constrained to judge ourselves by our own standards of success and failure. Nobody can convince you that you’re ok. Nobody can save you from yourself. We’re all alone with our warped little views of ourselves.
It’s a shame. But it’s also funny, in a sad kind of way. Tragicomic maybe?
23 comments
So true
We can’t escape ourselves
It is ironic how self awareness, this gift of complex human intelligence, dooms us to be existentially alone in our own minds.
I believe our high level of self-awareness and intelligence – so much higher than any other animal – is precisely what leads to these problems. There are natural challenges to life, but we humans invent far more problems than we can handle.
It also provides us with the opportunity to move beyond where we are to a higher level (sorry if that sounds corny, but I don’t know how else to phrase it). So very few of us will go in that direction, though.
That’s true. It’s not as though cats and dogs commit suicide I guess. Just us humans for the most part, that’s a funny observation
actually animals have been observed to both commit suicide and appear depressed
dogs, cats, so on, even birds, , stop eating/drinking, or down right drowning themselves, or leaping to death (no not lemmings)
it might be a more common phenomenon in humans, but we definitely do not “own” it
so intelligence might not be the deciding factor
then again, i don’t exactly consider our species to be the most intelligent of animals, since we clearly do more dumb shit than other animals, which really wouldn’t be the intelligent thing to do…
Oh wow that is interesting
I wonder what pushes animals over the edge
Very interesting
animals with an existential crisis? 😛
ok, jokes aside, animals do also get depressed if their loved ones die, like elephants for example, or their baby or mother dies (seens way too many animal documentaries as a kid lol).
Aw darkness
Yea it’s very loyal of them
It’s less about them
Beautiful really
@ 1FineDay
sometimes if an animal loses a baby, or if it loses a dear owner, or it loses a particular mate (yes some animals have been known to kill themselves if their mates die early)
or even if it’s cast out from its pack/pride/herd
usually it seems the connections is a lost “social” interaction of some sort, not unlike humans, the need/desire to be with someone once that connection is formed, and then unbearable when lost…
depression and suicide might be more prevalent in humans, but we truly are not alone, in being sad or lonely enough to want to die
though the animals usually tend to have “lost” something/someone, and not so much like the depression and suicide desire some humans get/feel “seemingly” out of nowhere for no apparent “good” reason. since some us can feel or get told our depression/suicidal tendency isn’t valid because maybe we haven’t “lost” something, or we have “too much” to be unhappy about, despite having lost our happiness, for some it isn’t “enough”/doesn’t count as a “loss”.. (another pointer towards humans lack of intelligence in my book, when judging others feelings or thoughts isn’t “valid”, pff)
I agree that animals sometimes kill themselves, although I don’t know if they understand that concept in the way we do. I didn’t mean that animals don’t do a lot of the same things as humans, but rather that we understand those things at a much higher level and we take them to much greater extremes. No other species bends nature to serve their will anywhere near to the extent that humans do. This also allows us to understand the concept of letting all of this go and reaching a higher plane. This could have been an advantage, an advantage we as a race haven’t taken.
Very good point Snorlax.
Thank You for explaining that.
The judgement as to what makes Depression warranted or not is wrong
I didn’t understand this though myself before I had my loss
So I am more like the animals it turns out
Not too smart but maybe somewhat loyal. If u were truly loyal I would still have my Beloved.
But it’s true that some people don’t understand. They just haven’t had the experience to I guess. Lack of heart and compassion. Some people turn cold from life. That was me. Now I’m dead.
Sorry this makes no sense
But thank you for explaining that
I’m sorry for that typo Snorlax
I meant to say if I were truly loyal I would have my Beloved
Oh my goodness, MysteriousVisitor, I’m not sure I understood the last part of what you wrote. I hope I am understanding it though. By higher plane are you referring to the life after our physical life? I hope so
I didn’t know what wording to use without going into some ridiculously long explanation that probably none of you wanted to read. I was thinking of letting go of our ego, clearing our minds of delusion and desire – that sort of thing.
Oh ok I understand MM, like Buddhist principles. I agree totally. You have great insights. I forget if you’ve ever discussed this because my mind is gone but what is your view on the afterlife?
I don’t know if my view of myself is warped or I’m simply putting unnecessary emphasis on it. Why am I so worried about all of this stuff, to what end?
What you have written here is an excellent description of external appearances versus internal thoughts and feelings. Others definitely see me in a different light than I see myself.
www. bbc.com/earth/story/20160705-many-animals-seem-to-kill-themselves-but-it-is-not-suicide
an article by the BBC…
only issue is that not everything is “non-human -arrogant” enough to make every point completely valid, especially the slight hint of contradictions
I wasn’t sure if I should post this but I guess I’ll tell you now Snorlax. Your last post you describe a beautiful spot with stars and the way you did it along with your other post on the dancing night brought to mind that song “Moondance”
“It’s a marvelous night for a moondance, with the stars up above…”
@1FineDay
if I could indeed have a dance with my friend in that spot, that scene, in my final moment, that would indeed be an extra beautiful and wonderful moondance i would appreciate
an interesting article by the BBC. it’s long but worth the read.
indeed, but one should note the slight scent of besserwissen from some of the wigs