My issue of lack of meaning

[Bob Seeker]

It seems to me like self-actualization can only be meaningful if I practice willful ignorance.

Watching the news for 10 minutes will clearly show me my self-actualization means nothing. Millions/billions of people suffering in absurd poverty or oppression.

when you have no meaning, and you have little being, life is lame.

I blame my lack of being largely on wage slavery. It makes you almost like an animal. since I have little being I’m forced to pretend self growth is meaningful, by becoming willfully ignorant.

This isn’t even very convincing. Even if I break out of wage slavery, most people still are suffering. These sucky thoughts can make me unmotivated, even unmotivated to break out of wage slavery to achieve more opportunity for being, and thus, less able to achieve being.

it seems like this whole situation puts me in a position where I have to do something like chase women just to say I have a reason to live.

 I’m not trying to complain. I think I will have success. It is just arduous to feel that I am on this path that looks meaningless, and demoralizing.

Edited February 3, 2022 by Bob Seeker

[Bob Seeker]

Maybe I am avoiding the meaninglessness of chasing women while working a sales job because it won’t make me happy, although I want women more than anything no else at this time.

[Terell Kirby]

1 hour ago, Bob Seeker said:

Watching the news for 10 minutes will clearly show me my self-actualization means nothing.

Your mind is construction the news that is demotivating you. Take responsibility by reducing your consumption.

1 hour ago, Bob Seeker said:

when you have no meaning, and you have little being, life is lame.

The meaning that you have given to life, is no meaning. You can literally change this at any time.

1 hour ago, Bob Seeker said:

I blame my lack of being largely on wage slavery.

Blame is the opposite of responsibility. Without responsibility, you will most certainly never succeed in life.

[Bob Seeker]

33 minutes ago, Terell Kirby said:

The meaning that you have given to life, is no meaning. You can literally change this at any time

I don’t know how to change this. I’m not very conscious of myself choosing this

It is hard for me to believe in any meaning I make up for myself. This is why I referenced the news. It’s a reminder that my meaning system is a joke.

Edited February 4, 2022 by Bob Seeker

[Bob Seeker]

When I leave home next week I will be forced to get a job and these thoughts  will be reduced. Most of the time I will just live basically like an animal until I again have extended free time.

sad to think about it.

Edited February 4, 2022 by Bob Seeker

[Terell Kirby]

14 minutes ago, Bob Seeker said:

It is hard for me to believe in any meaning I make up for myself. 

All of reality is your minds construction .. in which you have all the free will to give any meaning to it you want. This is not a belief, it's the Truth .. as radical as it may seem.

If you are able to do the difficult and emotional laborious task of deeply realizing this, and integrating into your psyche, you will reach new heights. There is no short cut to get here. Grit and a willingness to do the dirty work despite your fears and limiting beliefs are critical.

[Bob Seeker]

11 minutes ago, Terell Kirby said:

emotional laborious task

I think this for me is already taking place. This time and moving forward is like a mini death, my ideals and the things I like about my life being swept away. 
 

I may be left with little to claim about myself other than being basically an animal fighting to fulfill his needs. More nihilistic, just hoping to come out on the other side one day, as you are saying.

Edited February 4, 2022 by Bob Seeker

[Leo Gura]

Of course it's demoralizing when you constantly tell yourself that nothing you do matters because billions of people will still be suffering no matter what you do.

Stop thinking such demoralizing thoughts and you will stop being demoralized.

Make it your goal to escape wage slavery. This will be a meaningful goal for you.

In general, cut out all the negative thinking you do. Focus on being creative and constructive.

Yes, all reasons to live are like chasing women. Meaning is the chasing of things.

If you want a truly meaningless life in the good sense, then pursue spirituality.

The problem is that you're attaching negative meaning to things in an unconscious way.

[Loving Radiance]

8 hours ago, Bob Seeker said:

Watching the news for 10 minutes will clearly show me my self-actualization means nothing. Millions/billions of people suffering in absurd poverty or oppression.

when you have no meaning, and you have little being, life is lame.

When I look at the suffering in the news I feel motivation. Can you guess how we come to such different views?

You are priviledged enough to be able to self-actualize and as a result up lift humanity. You are overlooking the combined change of millions of self-actualizing people. Just make sure that you do your part. Focus on yourself.

6 hours ago, Bob Seeker said:

Maybe I am avoiding the meaninglessness of chasing women while working a sales job because it won’t make me happy, although I want women more than anything no else at this time.

Then take care of your needs. Focus on chasing women. The roof requires a foundation and walls.

I for myself would like to just focus on spirituality but it's not integrous and is an avoidance strategy to not look at the dysfunctional areas of my life.

6 hours ago, Bob Seeker said:

It is hard for me to believe in any meaning I make up for myself. This is why I referenced the news. It’s a reminder that my meaning system is a joke.

Meditate and realize that the way you look at a thing can be changed in an instant. You can use a table as a working station or as fire wood. So, which perspective serves you more?

Edited February 4, 2022 by Loving Radiance

[ChrisZoZo]

12 hours ago, Bob Seeker said:

Watching the news for 10 minutes will clearly show me my self-actualization means nothing.

To me it sounds your self-actualization is having ego back lash.

[Bob Seeker]

12 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

The problem is that you're attaching negative meaning to things in an unconscious way.

This may be toward the heart of it. Breaking such a habit is like throwing my identity in the garbage. It is strange at the least. 
 

I think it is better to let go all meaning if I can, and see if this doesn’t make me depressed.

 

Edited February 4, 2022 by Bob Seeker

[Wilhelm44]

@Bob Seeker  What would your dream life look like ? Begin moving your thinking, feeling and action towards that. And uncover any beliefs which say that it's not possible. Living your purpose and passion is the best thing you can do for the planet. Don't use the suffering of others as an excuse not to be happy and fulfilled yourself.

[UnbornTao]

Taking lack of meaning as a negative implies you’re still operating from a meaning paradigm! Try to see it not in terms of positive or negative, but as something existential.

Meaning is invented and applied, not inherent. Create a positive and ambitious purpose for yourself to ground your life on. Whatever you think is worth it, do that.

Meaninglessness may be true, but holding it as cynicism is missing the point.

——

You can think of it as the following:

Life transcends meaning! You’re free to create whatever meaning you want.

Make it a conscious, empowering one for yourself, if you want.

Edited February 4, 2022 by UnbornTao

[supremeyingyang]

@Bob Seeker I can be wrong, but this mood of yours seems like a period of Nihilism, which - if that is true - is a blessing in disguise. To me it's an Indicator of you coming to a great opportunity to grow. The Problem is that you are unmotivated, because you can't find sense. What now? You have to find meaning. Of course you know that already, kind of. So there to start?

Do you know the great great work of Victor Frankl? He survived (as a psychotherapist) the Holocaust, meaning he was brought to Auschwitz. This was arguably one of the darkest places ever. However, It was also in Auschwitz there he developed the core of his teaching called Logotherapy. He claimed that's is possible to find (or create) meaning to endure even the worst circumstances and to emerge unbroken.
"The following list of tenets represents basic principles of logotherapy:

• Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable ones.
• Our main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in life.
• We have freedom to find meaning in what we do, and what we experience, or at least in the stance we take when faced with a situation of unchangeable suffering." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logotherapy

There are many good works out, but I liked this when I needed it and I remember that you are a Psychologist (even who critiques call Logotherapy a philosophy and not a science)

[Bob Seeker]

thanks all.

I reckon I have no better option but to stop thinking and focus on living.

 

Edited February 5, 2022 by Bob Seeker

[supremeyingyang]

@Bob Seeker

Well, that's a start. If you continue to search for meaning in everyday live things will get better.

[Bob Seeker]

I was caught in negative thinking. 
 

i used @Nahm’s https://www.actualityofbeing.com/going-prior  exercise to shift toward positivity

Edited February 5, 2022 by Bob Seeker