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IMO you need to look beyond atheism and just accept the reality of life. No delusion on my part. I believed in God even when everything was just swell. I am sorry that atheism does not give you peace. You may want to try something different.
Interesting point. OP does come off as the militant atheist type (assuming faith automatically means religion, for example), yet there is peace to be found in atheism. The ones who really do embrace it and accept it, without holding some silly grudge against religion or a deity they don't even believe exists, don't usually reply in snarky ways to fairly innocent posts.
I suggest the OP actually gets some real counseling.
Interesting point. OP does come off as the militant atheist type (assuming faith automatically means religion, for example), yet there is peace to be found in atheism. The ones who really do embrace it and accept it, without holding some silly grudge against religion or a deity they don't even believe exists, don't usually reply in snarky ways to fairly innocent posts.
I suggest the OP actually gets some real counseling.
I love how you talk about assumptions before making huge assumptions about me.
I'm not a militant atheist I'm just not big on people using admissions of despair to try to market their personal belief system to me... and when I read something into someone telling me to 'have faith', I really don't think I'm a militant atheist for assuming it's some sort of religious pitch-- it happens all the time using those exact words.
I can't say that I wasn't expecting these types of answers. Smug proclamations of irrationality from people more concerned with their own egos, armchair psychologists repeating whatever brief tidbits of information they've gleaned from the handful of Psychology Now articles they've read... or more likely, just repeating twelfth-hand observations that they've read on forums like these.
Of course the second someone suggests that maybe modern life is toxic, or that maybe this climate change thing is a reason to worry about the way we're living, or that it's very possible that it will lead to collapse, people start pulling out the mental illness card.
Of course the 'true' way to live is guiltlessly consuming as much as you can just like everybody else, isolating yourself in portable entertainment devices, air-conditioned buildings, personal vehicles, the walls of your houses, etc. How is this in any way more 'real' than looking at the world and realizing it's actually kind of terrifying?
And the 'idea' that the US is an oligarchy isn't a delusion, and it isn't 'coming', it's here:
And nobody has actually addressed what I'm saying. I mean, in what way is the notion of climate change having disastrous effects on society and civilization the product of an irrational mind? It's already happening in the poorer countries... that isn't even disputable.
And it's not like I'm not talking about alien invasions or the government trying to read my thoughts here. Is the notion that perhaps there might be a legitimate cause to worry so outlandish that the only possible explanation is 'you're mentally unbalanced'?
And I have no idea how religion or guns or extremism or politics has anything to do with anything I've said. I'm not religious I don't own guns, and nothing I have said here or elsewhere isn't something that can't be read on the most mainstream and accredited news or science journals. I get you need to use generalizations and stereotypes to relate to the world in a way that makes you comfortable, but yeah, sorry... that's not the case this time. To be honest, bringing that up strikes me as a strategy by which you protect yourself-- associating troubling information with lunacy or some sort of cartoonish image lifted from pop culture because you don't want to face the truth or take any responsibility.
And of course the whole 'do something then' argument where suddenly it's all about me, deflecting blame and responsibility so that you can feel morally superior because even if you're not exactly living a conscientious lifestyle, at least the way you are living is consistent with your lack of belief in anything save your own pleasure and comfort.
Perhaps I am not doing all that I could, but none of these comments about 'reality' are in any way inspiring.
Lady, climate change is occurring, no doubt, but, human beings have suffered through this for all the ages. I just want to tell you that man made climate change is a misguided belief. There is nothing you or anyone else can do about the "climate". If it gets hot turn on your air conditioner, too cold, turn on the heater. Save your money as best you can and turn off the tv.
Lady, climate change is occurring, no doubt, but, human beings have suffered through this for all the ages. I just want to tell you that man made climate change is a misguided belief. There is nothing you or anyone else can do about the "climate". If it gets hot turn on your air conditioner, too cold, turn on the heater. Save your money as best you can and turn off the tv.
Or vote with your feet, as people and critters have always done.
I am really having a hard time dealing with this at the moment.
I'm not talking about the ridiculous conspiracies about governments trying to spy on us or the rich taking over the world, I mostly mean things like climate change, out of control capitalism, and societal collapse.
I know we don't know the future and all of that, but I have a hard time feeling motivated to continue participating in society or drumming up enough enthusiasm to go shopping (supporting corporations) or get in a car or going to work for money (I'm a teacher and while I maintain a professional exterior, in my heart I just want to tell all of those kids that they're probably facing a future with fewer opportunities and a lot of hardship, and they need to start toughening up and preparing to survive it, but more likely they are doomed).
I used to enjoy travel but now all I can think of is the jet fuel being spewed into the air, the radiation I'm being exposed to in the air, and the fact that all that's waiting at my destination is a tourist industry that I'm only benefitting from because of a history of racial and cultural colonization. It makes me sick to see people lounging on the beaches and resorts where they're catered to by locals who think they're lucky because they can actually afford a small amount of food.
I don't know how people can seriously be more worried about not getting a date or not looking like a superhero or not making enough money or not enjoying some movie (they ruined my favorite comic book character from when I was 12!) when there are so many things pointing to stronger, more destructive storms, more diseases, less drinking water, harsher conditions, etc in the future. Cities especially are supposedly going to become basically unlivable... and mining and heavy industry are polluting the drinking water in the rural areas. I can never seem to get enough money to get away, or set myself up in a safe place with my girlfriend, who also doesn't seem to feel as strongly as I do about it all.
I mean, at the very least, we're facing a neo-feudal society where the wealthy upper classes control most of the world's resources, it seems... it's like there are so many things that are already happening, that can already be observed... and they're all signs pointing towards a harsh future.
I don't know if I'm paranoid or if everyone else is in denial, but I cannot for the life of me shake this anxiety and I can't stop feeling sick with guilt just going about my daily routine. I can't watch the news because it makes me feel physically ill most of the time... every story is another step towards oblivion.
So yeah... how exactly do you live with this?
You seem to hold a lot of anxiety due to your awareness of the world around you, which is a positive trait you have, but you can't bear the weight of the world on your shoulders.
You can only do what you can do, little-by-little, one day at a time. You may have big goals and big dreams, and often times you may feel overwhelmed. Perhaps, what's happening IRL creates a sense of powerlessness/fear within you and you feel helpless? Hopeless even?
Surrounding yourself with hobbies/interests and people who share the same values you do, similar goals could help you to feel less overwhelmed.
I can't say that I wasn't expecting these types of answers. Smug proclamations of irrationality from people more concerned with their own egos, armchair psychologists repeating whatever brief tidbits of information they've gleaned from the handful of Psychology Now articles they've read... or more likely, just repeating twelfth-hand observations that they've read on forums like these.
Of course the second someone suggests that maybe modern life is toxic, or that maybe this climate change thing is a reason to worry about the way we're living, or that it's very possible that it will lead to collapse, people start pulling out the mental illness card.
Of course the 'true' way to live is guiltlessly consuming as much as you can just like everybody else, isolating yourself in portable entertainment devices, air-conditioned buildings, personal vehicles, the walls of your houses, etc. How is this in any way more 'real' than looking at the world and realizing it's actually kind of terrifying?
And the 'idea' that the US is an oligarchy isn't a delusion, and it isn't 'coming', it's here:
And nobody has actually addressed what I'm saying. I mean, in what way is the notion of climate change having disastrous effects on society and civilization the product of an irrational mind? It's already happening in the poorer countries... that isn't even disputable.
And it's not like I'm not talking about alien invasions or the government trying to read my thoughts here. Is the notion that perhaps there might be a legitimate cause to worry so outlandish that the only possible explanation is 'you're mentally unbalanced'?
And I have no idea how religion or guns or extremism or politics has anything to do with anything I've said. I'm not religious I don't own guns, and nothing I have said here or elsewhere isn't something that can't be read on the most mainstream and accredited news or science journals. I get you need to use generalizations and stereotypes to relate to the world in a way that makes you comfortable, but yeah, sorry... that's not the case this time. To be honest, bringing that up strikes me as a strategy by which you protect yourself-- associating troubling information with lunacy or some sort of cartoonish image lifted from pop culture because you don't want to face the truth or take any responsibility.
And of course the whole 'do something then' argument where suddenly it's all about me, deflecting blame and responsibility so that you can feel morally superior because even if you're not exactly living a conscientious lifestyle, at least the way you are living is consistent with your lack of belief in anything save your own pleasure and comfort.
Perhaps I am not doing all that I could, but none of these comments about 'reality' are in any way inspiring.
That's because hysteria is a loss of sanity. We don't have to be talking some DSM-recognized class.
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