Wouldn’t it be nice to have a crystal ball and peek into your future? If I can see my future, I can determine exactly what I should do now. Namely, if my life continues to be shit, might as well end it now instead of struggling to exist and getting through each miserable day/week/month/year/decade.
The ONLY reason NOT to do it now is the TINY shred of possibility that maybe life won’t always be shit, and if you off yourself now, then it’s a complete waste.
17 comments
eternaldarkness, yeah well I didn’t get out of bed for the past two days, because I knew if I did it would’ve been the end. The only reason I’m alive—I was overwhelmed by so many negative thoughts, so many methods explored, and I wasn’t even motivated to get out of bed. Today’s another day, I’m working on getting a part-time job next week. That doesn’t mean “happy happy, joy, joy.” Rather, just more shame while trying to fight and exist. Anything can put me over: any sort of insult, negative comment, whatever. It’s like an unconscious invitation for something external to finish.
It being me, I’d try and make adjustments, use the dynamic of change that is possible to try and figure out which investments would pay off.
For example, right now I’m on the cybersecurity track. It is reasonable to assume that a peek five years into the future would show how well that works out. If it works out well, I’d be so much more motivated to work at it. Then the future gets even better, a feedback loop of richer and richer, happier and happier.
but what if my worst suspicions are true? Then I don’t invest any more than I have to so I can keep folks off my back, and I go back to the drawing board.
The practical problem is that I can’t gain every skill on the market, there just isn’t time. I suppose I might be wrong believing that somewhere some skill still has the potential to make those holding it rich and happy. That being an actual skill, and not being born under the money tree.
“and not being born under the money tree.”
-ah that money tree. for most of us, that’s a mirage we see as we’re dying of thirst in the desert before collapsing.
-sigh. those born under the money tree have NO idea what real life is like. especially if you’re born disadvantaged. you spend your whole life trying to catch up, but ultimately failing. it’s like a 100m race, and you start off at 0m, but other ppl are starting off at 90m. You can only get so far before time runs out.
“Then the future gets even better, a feedback loop of richer and richer, happier and happier.”
–>You have no idea how much I wish I knew what to do, where to go (literally), what direction to go in my life, etc. I’m just so tired of it all. I’ve been subject to the “being at the wrong place at the wrong time” SO much, it gets tiresome.
At this point, I’ve almost given up on life. I see everyone else plodding along, trying. Sure they might not be “happy” but they’re still plodding along and trying, which is more than I can say for myself…
This buying my way out lark is my last attempt at making a serious run at a happy life. I tried being a good person, I tried relying on my intellect, now I think I’ll make an actual run at money, a specific amount and I’m either on the track out, or I’m bought up, either is fine with me.
I could sell out now and I’d live, but it’s that fear of trading real assets for artificial ones. You can’t cook money, nor build a shelter out of it. The inflation thing, it would mean I’d have to work very quickly to exchange shelter for shelter, food for food.
I strongly suspect in a few years I’ll be entirely used up. When/if this amounts to nothing of particular note…. I’ll be utterly stumped as to how this living thing is supposed to work. Any hope I have is irrational, it has to be…. sanity is deadly these days.
@HV,
I might be coming into some money myself in the future, not enough to be financially free, but definitely enough to quit work for about 10 yrs.
I figure I could either blow it away on traveling and having fun or put it in real estate and have a comfortable retirement (assuming it works out as hoped).
Given my inclination toward suicide, I think I’d rather just waste it on living well and then when the cash runs out, I’ll opt for euthanasia.
I have no kids to pass it down to and I don’t really care about living into old age, when all your closest friends/family have passed away and there’s nothing to live for.
there was a time when I wouldve killed to know my future but not any more because I know it. And it’s fucking shit. inescapable irrevocable incontrovertible fucking shit. So nah, I’d rather eke out my remaining years ignoring the future. less painful that way
One thing I like about this site and the comments is that they remind you of your own reality and your past.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the moment and be miserable day to day, but never really stop to take a look at the larger picture.
So ya if I could’ve seen my future, I guess I’d be even more sad than I was at the time, let’s say at 12 yrs old.
I knew my family was lower middle class and I knew we’d struggle but I thought once I finished my degree, I’d make good money and have the life we missed out on. Sadly it didn’t work out that way.
What’s worse is that I passed up on some great opportunities for making money and finding a significant other. For example I could’ve gotten into Bitcoin back when few people heard of it and it was really dirt cheap…but I didn’t take it too seriously, even though I knew better since I was familiar with the trading/finance/tech field.
What’s the point of living if you’re just scraping by, doing a regular job that meets your needs but doesn’t give you enough money or free time to really enjoy life?
Ofc it wasn’t all bad, I had some great times in high school and university…but then I did miss out on a lot as well.
So ya if I could see my future the logical answer is to have ended my life very early because I wasn’t going to have a great life anyways, aside from some good times, but they were too few and far between. So I would’ve saved myself a lot of pointless misery, pain and suffering.
The only reason I would’ve kept going is for my mother and siblings because without me they would’ve had terrible lives and I know my mother would’ve ended up homeless since my siblings wouldn’t look after her.
For that reason alone I would’ve kept living to help my family out and I don’t regret that. But it did suck having a bad life with little to show for it.
However my life has been gradually improving (in my 50s now)…so I’ll probably end up ok, I won’t be poor….but I won’t be well off either. Still it wasn’t worth it.
So if I was selfish and I saw how bad my future would be, I would’ve offed myself as a child. But I could never abandon my family as mentioned….lucky for them I stuck around.
I think however euthanasia should be available for anyone at any time…with some sensible limits. Then people should be fully educated on when it is the right time to take advantage of it.
This way living become an individual choice and nobody else would need to feel obligated to stay alive for them.
Like if my mother chose to keep living and suffering that’s on her, because the option to end her life is always there as it is for anyone else….that really would be the ‘ideal’ future for all. Ofc that situation now pretty much exists in Canada…it should be available worldwide.
Yes millions, maybe even billions would probably end their lives if that happened….but those were bad lives not worth living. The people who “love life” would just keep going and keep improving human civilization better. The rest of us who didn’t want to be alive, would be at peace.
yeah but the people who control this country/world would never allow people to end their lives. you think the legal mafia would ever allow people to skip out on their bills and debts and not pay up? all the medical debt, car debt, loan debt, credit card debt, student loan debt- if ppl were just allowed to die- those debts would not be paid. no way are those ppl at the top gonna allow the peasants to skip out on their debts. i guarantee you that’s why lobbyists always lobbying against voluntary euthanasia.
don’t get me wrong. i agree with you on principle that voluntary euthanasia SHOULD be allowed, but it will never happen in the US.
hell, they got rid of roe v wade, you can’t even abort a clump of cells in some states.
@ED,
Ya unfortunately the US is an odd duck for a developed nation. It’s still very backwards and barbaric when it comes to social/medical issues like abortion and euthanasia…most of that is due to the religious nutjobs on the right, voting to ban such things (and universal health care).
The good thing is at that Christianity is dying out in America and in a generation or so they’ll be a minority so the center-left can take over and re-implement such programs.
As for debts, they let corporations get off the hook, I know that some debt collection companies might try to stop that, but I think people’s right to self-determination would be violated…so they wouldn’t be able to stop them from suicide.
Though you make a good point about the lobbyists and buying off politicians, that’s about the only way (and the religious right) that’s going to stop legalizing euthanasia.
Still they won’t be able to stop ending their lives on their own, but ofc that’s harder and riskier, like back-alley abortions….but until it becomes state-sanctioned, people will just find other ways to the same goal.
Excuse my sloppy grammar, it’s late. 🙂
eh, i don’t have much hope for the center left. first, they’re center left and not progressive left. so things will never get to the point where it needs to be. in a generation or so, i will also be old/dying, so i won’t live to see things “be better” in America. well fuck, it’ll be just my luck for things to finally get better and i kick the bucket. my money is on that. that’s how shit my luck is. -_-
True, the Left is in power right now and they could do a lot to try to bring back abortion and euthanasia, but they’re pushing a lot of ‘woke’ crap and meddling in things they shouldn’t, while ignoring inflation, infrastructure and so many other big issues that need to be addressed.
I also agree that medically unsupervised suicide is very dangerous and has a chance of failing and leaving you worse off…so same for me, that’s why I haven’t tried myself.
Ofc there are some ways that are guaranteed (like drowning) but they’re not exactly easy and painless. So ofc it’d be best if euthanasia was legalized, since they can guarantee a safe, fast, painless death.
But how long would Americans have to wait for that? Could be decades…meanwhile some European countries and Canada are way ahead of the game and are making it easier for most people to get.
I think a solution might have to come from the ‘outside’ with some smart person inventing a suicide pill…though the trouble would be to try to prevent it’s wrongful use, once created.
“True, the Left is in power right now and they could do a lot to try to bring back abortion and euthanasia, but they’re pushing a lot of ‘woke’ crap and meddling in things they shouldn’t, while ignoring inflation, infrastructure and so many other big issues that need to be addressed.”
-EXACTLY!
there are plenty of “suicide” pills- lots of substances that can kill us in small doses, that are quick and effective. it’s just that all these products are banned so ppl aren’t allowed to suicide. well it also would make it easier for ppl to murder other ppl, which is why they should make it available only to euthanasia centers where the substances are kept there vs in an individual’s hands. but that also makes it harder for suicidal ppl to actually get approval to be euthanized, bc if someone on that panel doesn’t agree that it’s time for you to die, then you won’t be able to. which is what is occurring bc there’s so few of these places available and the wait list to get on is so long. so then we’re left with the same problem- people who genuinely want to die do not have access a quick, easy, painless death.
it’s extremely difficult to suicide properly, especially painlessly and quickly. Not without the proper “items.” 97% of ALL suicide attempts in the US fail. That’s fucking shit. The only reason I have not attempted so far is bc I don’t want to attempt and fuck myself up even worse.