How do you guys deal with nihilistic/dark thoughts?

[travsha]

how pointless existence is as a whole even more so.

I dont know if anything is pointless or if anything has a point.... Depends on how you look at it I guess. For me - existing can be a point all on its own. Participating in the endless cycle of life and expression can be its own point.

Even if life doesnt have inherent meaning, you could still give it meaning as well. For me I decided I wanted to be a nice person, enjoy myself and help warm the hearts of those around me - plenty of purpose for me personally. I like smiling at people and seeing that smile change their face and mood into a smile because when they smile it affects them internally too and then they smile at someone else and it starts a chain reaction for a little while....

Personally I think existing and being is an inherent purpose, but even without that you can give life any purpose you want to.

The more I think about it, the more I begin to see how trivial all of existence is, how repetitive/limited human existence is and how chronically unfulfilled we are by nature. It's like human existence is just a game in escaping this depressing truth by distracting ourselves with the drama of humanity, before dying and recycling this for infinity.

I am not unfulfilled by nature. I find life very fulfilling. I think you are projecting your own feelings onto others. To me life is incredibly exciting and fun. Sure, there is also lots of work, struggle and challenge, but even that part can be very exciting to me.

I used to feel unfulfilled... So I looked at what I personally needed in my life to feel fulfilled and then I made that happen. Took a while to figure out the practical side of that, but well worth the work. I find the best things in life often require a bit of work, and the only times I ever felt unfulfilled was when I was unwilling to be honest with myself or unwilling to skip the shortcut in order to chase what I really wanted. Too many people do what others tell them to, or what they are "supposed" to do, or what is easier instead of really chasing their dreams. I cant think of anything more exciting then chasing a dream though - and luckily I have enough dreams to chase to last me a life time

If you think life is repetitive, then I suggest studying history for a bit. Things are constantly changing and evolving. Sure, there is always changing seasons and a cycle of life and death, but there are also new planets, new stars, new galaxies, new species, new races, new cultures, new technologies, new events, new challenges.... Life has an infinite number of ways to express itself.

Escaping drama of human existence? Why escape it? I personally try to make the most of it - I am here, so I might as well enjoy it!

The only 'solution' to this predicament I've found other somehow shutting off consciousness is the Buddhist method of trying to just be 'present', with no attachment to anything but pretending to be a free-floating consciousness which doesn't attach to fear, angst, joy or much of anything. This works for a short time but deep down I know the 'truth' is still burrowed deep in my psyche, just waiting for a bad day or a case of insomnia to pop back out. Is that all that existence can be for me at this point? An exercise in avoidance and feigned ignorance of the nature of reality?

If that is your only solution you are not very creative. How about living a life that you are excited about? Try that one yet? It worked for me....

BTW - I think you grossly misunderstand the Buddhist philosophy and practice which is probably why it isnt very helpful for you.

 

[pau]

Since everything is but an illusion,
Perfect in being what it is,
Having nothing to do with good or bad,
Acceptance or rejection,
One might as well burst out laughing!
― Longchen Rabjam

I suppose this means our depression and negativities are illusion, too. Sometimes I believe that, sometimes its difficult for me to accept. Working on it....

 

[entheogenic-gnosis]

I feel that there is something quite comforting and fulfilling about the realisation of the pointlessness of existence.
The possibility that our existence and subsequent sentience is the product of an accident means that we have lucked out in a big way.
I am gonna enjoy it while it lasts. Whether it be drinking cups of tea, taking drugs, reading books by Albert Camus,tearing about on motorbikes, starting a family, doing DIY, being spiritual, being philosophical, arguing about philosophy, listening to music, looking out the window all day, sitting on the toilet etc etc.

The fact that existence maybe pointless means that it really doesn"t matter that it is pointless. And if there is some benevolent overlord/creator/god/awarenes, then great. Either way it"s a win win situation for me.

It is healthy and normal to have existential crises. It is up to the individual to decide how they wish to develop them.

One night I was smoking marijuana and flipping through channels when I saw this: (trust me just let the story finish, it came from a strange source but makes a good point.... )

The clip in the link above a great way of saying "you don't know enough to worry about these things, just enjoy life! (Function in place), we are all going to die, we all struggle to understand our place in this existance, but rather than stress or fret, just enjoy your existance...look, nobody exists on purpose, and nobody is sure exactly why they exist, are your feelings on the issue going to change it?...just enjoy while your here.

The link above is a better version, I'm not sure why I used the tv version first, maybe because I randomly learned the story while tv surfing, regardless though...)

-eg

 

[Final Incarnate]

Offer them a something to eat n drink, MAXIMUM MADNESS MWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Then go back to doing what you were doing lol.

 

[BundleflowerPower]

I don't have time to read through this thread, so perhaps someone mentioned this, but one way to deal with it is to realize that you don't have to take your thoughts seriously. It's really that simple, be mindful of your thoughts, but you don't have to believe them all. Let them arise and then let go of them. In my experience, trouble comes when you have an uninterrupted stream of thoughts. You have to create a gap between them and then build on that. Eventually it settles down.

Another thing to remember is that you aren't your thoughts, if you were, who's listening to them?

So don't take them so seriously. I hope this helps someone because I know how it is.

 

[Nope]

dark clouds are just another cloud passing through the sky

 

[BundleflowerPower]

dark clouds are just another cloud passing through the sky

Yes. And the sun is still shines behind those clouds.

 

[nexalizer]

the thoughts about how pointless existence is as a whole even more so.

The purpose of life is to live a purposeful life.

Find out what that means for you, and it's all good