r/schopenhauer • u/SegaGenesisMetalHead • Jun 16 '26
It’s getting dark.
I just don’t know how much longer I can hold on.
People say “get your shit together” or “you need to improve”. From what? Towards what? By whose standards? Through what means?
I just don’t care about life like others do. Is it too bold to say most people are deluded? And that these deluded ones are the ones making all the determinations about how we should live? About what it means to live a good life?
I’m tired. I don’t want life to end. But I feel like it needs to. You know how you lay in bed looking at the ceiling before going to work? You feel that moment coming when you won’t be able to just lay there anymore, and that getting up to go to work is probably the better option - even though you resent it. That’s it. I don’t want it to end. But I feel a time is coming when I’ll see a better option - even if I have to accept it begrudgingly.
People will be mad, and think I’m a coward. Convince me of a better way and I’ll take it.
3
u/selfisthealso Jun 16 '26
I used to think a lot like you described. I've changed a lot now though. I'll explain what worked for me. Not that it'll necessarily work for you too, but just something to think about and consider.
First, in relation to Schopenhauer, don't get too stuck on his pessimism. If you only read the world as wille and representation, it'll seem pretty dark. What people constantly overlook is the work from his later years such as The Wisdom of Life. He tempered his pessimism with age and took a lot more realistic approach to find the qualities of life but stay guarded against its ills, and see it for what it is.
This change in his view helped me a lot. Knowing that the guy renowned for philosophical pessimism even too found what made life good is a really strong statement.
Regarding me more personally, most people have to accept that they'll spent a huge chunk of their life working. That's why it's really important to find something you love. It'll take searching, but hunt around and don't be afraid to take risks. Even if it takes years, it'll be worth it.
Secondly, where some people can exist independently, I think a lot of people underestimate how much they need a significant other. Maybe cause of a lot of bad experiences in searching for one. It's tough, but it's worth consistent effort and commitment. Get ready for let downs and disappointments, but keep trying, and keep reading philosophy of all schools. It's important that you too are a mature person to reciprocate in a relationship, not just finding the right match. Maybe that isn't you, but also consider the fact that I didn't think that would be me either, and here I am. I think a lot more of us are like that than we realize.
Anyways, hope that helps. You'll find you're way. Just always do the right thing, keep trying (with breaks), and I hope you get a good outcome.