Losing interest in things I used to love

[Michael569]

I've been browsing Linkedin recently after a long time and realised I've completely lost interest in so many things I used to Follow and subscribe to and now it has become an issue to lead a meaningful conversation about any of them. This makes it often difficult to socialise, share interests and have general conversations. 

• teambuilding, networking, socialising
• news, media, politics, business, finances
• tv shows, pop culture, movies, even most documentaries, porn movies, video games,
• my corporate job and everything related to it  
• watching any kind of sports on TV or talking about them

The ego would like to think it is getting above all that, becoming more spiritual and conscious but I kinda sense that that is bullshit. Perhaps it's just that these things have now become so absurd and Orange-saturated to a point of you wither loving it or being completely discusted with it. 

Anyway, was wondering if any of you guys experience the same and whether you have any insights? 

[ajasatya]

@Michael569 when it happened to me, i embraced it. i quit everything and got closer to nature. i started practicing yoga and learned a lot about permaculture. my circle of friends changed entirely.

it was a glorious journey, just as glorious as my current journey "back to society".

was it easy? nope... it required a huge amount of courage to do the first move. but i can't put in words how valuable it was.

[ValiantSalvatore]

@Michael569 For me I found it is an up and down. The more I read up about what interested me the more I sense that even knowledge is interconnected to some degree, considering history.

• I stopped watching TV 4 years ago and I don't own a TV in my apartment. 
• Stopped watching animes 3 years ago, because of lost of interest. I watched one series the whole 3 years and glimpse into a 20-minute video from time to time.
• Reduced video games, which has been especially effective this year. Only playing on two days. Otherwise, I had potentially a 5h of video games if even per month. The last 4 years with some setbacks, where I gamed for two weeks or a month. 

Basically what changed is that I read more and watch my high-quality youtube videos and engaged with live more, traveling, meeting old friends who study abroad, journaling a lot. Way more sports and fitness, dabelling into interests. 


Yet, all of these interest comeback in a newly defined way especially when changing lifestyles for instance. You can even choose your social milieu based on your interest. https://www.sinus-institut.de/en/sinus-solutions/sinus-milieus/. Which also makes sense when you talk with people from different social classes and upbringings, what they value or what you can talk about then. This model is used in marketing. 

For instance, I get along quite well with people who are more environmentally conscious, high-performance people or cosmopolitan people. I dislike hedonists for instance and conservatives and get along quite well with modern mainstreamers, and adaptive navigators are so so. 

I want to join and move to a different city and join a political party for instance, and live in a more digital city where I can talk about tech subjects where people are actually interested in it and not taking it as a means to an end. Also, doing martial arts and being financially independent, after I am done studying. 

I notice that interests solely depend upon knowledge not having even read 100 books and natural inclinations, the more important point is to expand upon that or even learn a new skill. Or filter information intake for a while + exploring new hobbies, diving or kayaking smth. active. I also, want to do yoga but learn it from a studio, especially hatha-yoga. 

A lot of history connects back to ideas of movies and films etc. I definitely want to do meetups again. Living in a bigger city, otherwise enjoying life and nature is always beautiful. I definitely want to do biking as a hobby if I would move to a more "rural" area. 

Here is my egotistical perspective... a classic lol...

 

[Shaun]

I've lost interest in a lot of things too. I'm selling a lot of my stuff because I want a totally clutter free living space border-lining on empty. The only things I will be keeping other than the necessities will be an FPV drone, computer and digital camera along with a few crystals.

[LastThursday]

Yeah. Losing interest definitely. 

It's an interesting phenomenon. There's an underlying urge saying that you should be interested in something and then you try and rationalise it by saying you're depressed or above it all spiritually or whatever other BS.

I'd say that facing it head on and simply acknowledging the reality that everything is uninteresting is the first step. Don't dress it up.

The next step is to ask yourself: does it really matter? Does it? Well does it? Really? Why does it? Could you go on the rest of your life being uninterested? If so, then stop there and move on.

Otherwise, you have a problem, aka suffering.

The only solution to the problem is either to learn to stop caring about it, or to actively seek new things to be interested in. 

Seeking is a bit hit and miss by definition and requires effort and no small amount of faith that you'll find new and interesting things to get excited about.

But the world is huge, really huge, really really huge. And it's all there to be explored!

Get out of your comfort zone and go find something interesting. 

And I'll try and take my own medicine...

Edited May 15, 2019 by LastThursday
grammar

[ValiantSalvatore]

At best you actively create meaningful experiences for you and others ideally.

[Yellow_Girl]

Me!

To my surprise, I lost interest in fiction & most movies and TV in my early 30's (now I'm 38). It was REALLY sad. It took me a really long time to unpack why.

I think that much of pop culture is based upon people in a more purple/red/blue spiral and I had started to move into Orange. Self-help, motivation books, etc became my most loved type of read. I swear I read it all! But more recently, those have started to seem sort of childish to me. 

Now I'm more interested in crazy complex stuff. Like really hard to understand tombs on reality and systemic thinking, even mathematics and physics.

It's just a part of growing up! But I must say I really miss fiction and I have a theory that it will come around again and I will be able to enjoy more of it in the future. 

It's like when your favorite stuffed bunny stops talking to you when you are 11 years old. It's so sad! But you know it doesn't "work" anymore and you have to put her in the closet. You'll visit her sometimes, but you no longer sleep together.

 

[DrewNows]

@Michael569 this is a great topic to bring up! What thirsty Thursday says I mean lastthursday said is a great way to go about reflecting on your new set of beliefs in relation to the world. 

You can consider changing your whole philosophy around how to socialize. Drop the idea you need “commonalities” separate from the individuals you engage with and focus on understanding them for who they are...learn to ask deep meaningful questions in relation to their interests to lead discussions into whatever direction you’d like. Using mirroring in interactions to help understand yourself 

also don’t be afraid to be openely honest in sharing your journey and change in perspectives, but be aware of the new attachments you’ve created 

[LastThursday]

Need... water... so.... bored... so... uninterested... please... GOD... show... me... the... oasis... in... this.... god.... forsaken.... desert. PLEASE.

[Michael569]

17 hours ago, ajasatya said:

when it happened to me, i embraced it. i quit everything and got closer to nature

@ajasatya thanks for the insightful post. I am not at the stage of being able to drop everything. I feel like my life purpose is too unfulfilled to do that. Unless perhaps it would be a short term reset with coming back with a new perspective on things. I think I would be able to do that. Perhaps a form of solo retreat is needed.

 @ValiantSalvatore, that was a very practical reply, I think there are some helpful tips for me to try to implement. I've also noticed disliking hedonists and materialists and have become very judgemental towards Orange even though deep in my heart I understand why they are so and that they can't be any other way at this stage of their life. 

17 hours ago, Shaun said:

I'm selling a lot of my stuff because I want a totally clutter free living space border-lining on empty.

yeah I feel like I'm slowly heading that way as well. Been getting rid of a lot of useless junk I accumulated over years. Feels very relieving. 

16 hours ago, LastThursday said:

The next step is to ask yourself: does it really matter? Does it? Well does it? Really? Why does it? Could you go on the rest of your life being uninterested? If so, then stop there and move on.

Otherwise, you have a problem, aka suffering.

The only solution to the problem is either to learn to stop caring about it, or to actively seek new things to be interested in. 

@LastThursday  I see your point. Exactly this is what's happening. The feeling that there needs to be "meaning" that we need to be "interested in shit", follow the popculture, know about politics, show business, know about latest gadgets...you are right it brings a lot of suffering. The more I "want" the more I suffer, it never ends even if you could swallow all the wisdom of the world in one tablespoon. Thanks for the insightful response!! I don't think I am ready to "stop wanting " or "stop caring", my spiritual development is far far away from that but I could definitely try to learn to let go and direct my attention to more meaningful things. @Yellow_Girl glad I'm not alone in that thanks for your support. @DrewNows thanks for the insight mate. There is definitely some retrospecting for me to do, perhaps its time to get back to journalling. 

[Truth Addict]

Actually, I'm quite the opposite.

I started getting interested in everything, everything seems meaningful and beautiful.

Chatting with low consciousness people is awesome! Even bad and boring jokes have now become interesting and funny!

Perspective is everything.

[Yellow_Girl]

5 hours ago, Truth Addict said:

Actually, I'm quite the opposite.

I started getting interested in everything, everything seems meaningful and beautiful.

Chatting with low consciousness people is awesome! Even bad and boring jokes have now become interesting and funny!

Perspective is everything.

#lifegoals

[Truth Addict]

52 minutes ago, Yellow_Girl said:

#lifegoals

You certainly can, in exchange for your thinking mind.

That doesn't mean that you should stop thinking.

It means that you should stop taking your thoughts seriously.

[Commodent]

Yes, my interests have shifted. I'm sure you still have some interests too, despite having lost some?

It becomes harder to socialize yes, but that doesn't mean you're doomed to unsatisfactory socialization. You need to find other people who match your values. It's difficult yes, but it can be done if you look in the right places. Like a meditation group or something.

Our society is very inauthentic, and I feel that's kinda what makes it so boring. People are scared to share their authentic thoughts and feelings. I dare say most people don't even have any idea of who they are as they aren't even aware of their authentic thoughts and feelings. It gets drowned in distractions. No wonder it gets dull and uninteresting.

[Truth Addict]

I think that the reason why any of you is lacking interest in anything is because you have subtly and unconsciously subscribed to the "spiritual, high conciousness" paradigm.

Lose that paradigm, and see the magic.

[Key Elements]

Yes, I understand. Although, I look at it kind of different. I say to myself, "I can't find time to do this and that." Here's an example:

But then, something else in my mind says, "You don't have to do it all at once." Day 1, clean the floor; day 2, clean a shelf; day 3, make the bed; etc. Eventually, it gets cleaned.

Set 1 day in a month to go networking. Just one day, that's all. Just have a look at what's going on and how startups pitch. Relax. ? Next time you go, you could have something else ready--maybe business cards, maybe a website, maybe better YouTube clips.

It's time we see it at different angles. We don't need to see the big picture all the time. That could be a trap. We forget to build our foundation gradually. Yes, see the big picture first; then switch to a smaller picture.

These clips helped me to apply things I do daily with mindfulness:

 

[Commodent]

@Truth Addict  Even if that was the case, I do not desire being interested in everything. Shifting interests drives me to learn new things and grow.

[Truth Addict]

@Commodent

Why do you think you should learn? What is there to learn? What is life all about?

What's the point of growing? At what point do you think that you'd have enough growth? When does growth end and living life begin?

Consider that you might die tomorrow, and act from that perspective. Well, not strictly speaking tomorrow, but you get what I'm pointing to.

START LIVING RIGHT NOW.

LIVE YOUR LIFE TO ITS FULLEST.

EXPERIENCE, EXPLORE, ENJOY.

Edited May 17, 2019 by Truth Addict

[Commodent]

@Truth Addict  Who said anything about "should"? I do it because I enjoy it. And what makes you think you can't grow and live at the same time? I enjoy the fruits of my growth every day. You seem to have a quite strained relationship towards growth and disinterest. They are not bad things.

[Truth Addict]

@Commodent These are your words, not mine:

47 minutes ago, Commodent said:

@Truth Addict  Even if that was the case, I do not desire being interested in everything. Shifting interests drives me to learn new things and grow.

To me, I find everything interesting, whether it's learning, growing, playing, reading, talking, thinking, working, etc...

I don't have a preference, that's what I am trying to say, and that's why I enjoy everything that comes my way, I don't resist anything (+90% of the time).

If you identify joy with learning, you won't find it anywhere else.

Identify joy with the present moment, and you will have fun every single moment.

Edited May 17, 2019 by Truth Addict