Why should I wish to live?

[.Alex.]

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i know so many people like you its ridiculous. your problem is you're a coward. YOU ARE NOT LAZY, YOU ARE A COWARD. youve created a womb like world where you are as smart as you think you are. your afraid to venture out and find that you are...ugh...average. that you are as dumb as the people you make fun of but they just have the courage to go out and compete. heres why you should wish to live. to see what sort of f'd up shyt you can accomplish. on my best days i wake up in the morning and jump in the middle of something i have no idea how im going to get out of. it used to be every day but marriage has slowed me down. if i really had balls i woulda started a religion, that is my suggestion for you.

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I don't understand this line of reasoning at all. You're trying to propose the premise that Anacardo isn't actually smarter than anyone else, but just thinks he is and is afraid to do anything productive with his life. That seems entirely flawed. I'm sure there's plenty of objective evidence that he is much more intelligent than an average person. It is entirely reasonable to suggest, as Alobar did, that these types of people have a different and more sophisticated view on life that makes it harder for them to be happy or satisfied with existence. Ignorance is bliss after all.

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in my experience w/ super intelligent people none behave this way. they create an existence that is satisfying. that is part of being super intelligent.

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I don't know; maybe they have a level of intelligence even higher than Anacardo's which allows them to do that. But there are plenty of examples of objectively intelligent people who have trouble finding happiness in life. Just look at Yeti's thread for instance. I know I also have similar problems, though I am not well known enough around here for people to assume that I am highly intelligent. In any case, I don't think the answer is to claim that these people are simply average, no different from anyone else.

[Anacardo]

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"in my experience w/ super intelligent people none behave this way. they create an existence that is satisfying. that is part of being super intelligent. "

I would agree. I read once that smarter kids/teenagers can have a harder time growing up, as they will question fundamentals about life, religion, etc. more than their peers, or at least at an earlier age. However, I think they mature as you suggest--to create an existence that is satisfying.

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On what basis? That's the whole question. Also, I might contend with this, but it doesn't really matter and isn't the point. I don't think this is a problem that relates much to intelligence, though I must say that in my own experience, I've never encountered a gloomy retarded person.

[Anacardo]

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"It's a completely arbitrary challenge that you invented yourself and accomplished yourself. Is that all life is?"

sorta. but the accomplishment brings free golf and lotsa gambling which is fun for me. you listed some stuff you enjoy in your original post. related to those pastimes im sure are some "dream scenarios" which would make your life pretty fuqqin fun for awhile. you dont have what it takes to make those scenarios a reality because your not as smart as you think you are. you cant take someone elses place in line. you stay back with the other cowards and dullards.

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I repeat again: Intelligence is a tool, to be used towards goals. Goals are not chosen by any process resembling intelligence. You want what you want. Desire, or lack thereof, transcends reason. You imagine yourself bright and courageous because you have chosen things and gotten them. But there is no special merit in having chosen them. You chosen because that's what you like, and what you like happens to fit agreeably into coexisting with the rest of the world.

It's not as though I'm sitting around moaning: If only I could have X, but I haven't got the stones! Every suggestion people make just seems fruitless.

And besides, there are plenty of things that ARE unattainable that no amount of pluck or wit will get me. Let's say I wanted to be the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. That is patently impossible. It has nothing to do with not possessing the brains or the fire to figure out a way. I just don't have the qualities it takes, and never would.

This is what the protective veil of self-esteem accomplishes; it allows those who feel successful to always credit themselves, and those who feel unsuccessful to always credit their circumstances. Neither is reasonable or logical; merely what feels best.

Finally, let's say you're correct - I'm a stupid coward who's constructed a whole lifestyle designed to guard myself from having to find that out. Okay. The moment of truth is upons us. Why would I want to live now?

[cbloom]

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In my experience w/ super intelligent people none behave this way. they create an existence that is satisfying. that is part of being super intelligent.


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I know a lot of super super successful people. They are mostly not super intelligent. They usually have people skills, ambition, determination, things like that.

I know a lot of super intelligent people who are depressed, drifters, aimless. They satisfy themselves with money, women, power, and/or drugs, but aren't happy, they're just trying to fill the void of pointlessness.

I know some super intelligent people who have immersed themselves in work. They are rarely very successful and most of you would consider them "losers" but they seem to be very happy. They are usually scientists or researchers or technologists who work 60+ hours a week and bury themselves away in a lab and devote themselves to their work.

I know a very small handful of intelligent successful people who actually go out in the world and take risks and earn money and so on. They seem pretty happy and are generally admired.

Objectively I cannot say that any one life is better than any other, those who are happy are simply getting more happy juice released into their brain.

Cardo - the point of life is to be happy. Surely some things that you do make you feel good. Your body releases endorphins when you win a huge pot in poker, or when a girl says "I love you" or whatever. So, do those things. Devote your life to making those things happen more often. Your goal is to have as many truly happy moments as possible.

[Zeno]

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Okay. The moment of truth is upons us. Why would I want to live now?

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For the next day or so, live for the purpose of debate with stangers on an internet forum.

-Zeno

[skunkworks]

Cardo,

When I said that you need pride, not inspiration, I meant pride in the sense that you should be challenging yourself to become a better person and achieve greater things, or to make a positive impact on the world. Hell, if you want to get down to it, pride in the limon-ian sense of making arbitrary challenges solely to prove to yourself that you're capable of doing so. You've gotten lazy, and all the meanwhile, there are tons of people who are less talented but way more motivated that are doing something good with their lives. If you have pride in yourself, in your talents, and in your God-given existence on this planet, you should feel indignant and ashamed.

I would hope that you would ultimately find greater meaning and purpose in life than funneling your talents and intellect toward somewhat arbitrary and selfish pursuits (playing poker to fund your country club membership), but if that's the kickstart you need to get going, then go for it.

Your other option is to mindlessly apply to law school like the other unmotivated, drifting zombies our age are doing.

[leehrat]

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i know so many people like you its ridiculous. your problem is you're a coward. YOU ARE NOT LAZY, YOU ARE A COWARD. youve created a womb like world where you are as smart as you think you are. your afraid to venture out and find that you are...ugh...average. that you are as dumb as the people you make fun of but they just have the courage to go out and compete. heres why you should wish to live. to see what sort of f'd up shyt you can accomplish. on my best days i wake up in the morning and jump in the middle of something i have no idea how im going to get out of. it used to be every day but marriage has slowed me down. if i really had balls i woulda started a religion, that is my suggestion for you.

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THIS IS SOLID GOLD. i'm certainly not perfect in following this man's advice, but i'm improving.

[Shadowrun]

Cardo, have you ever tried to live for something other than yourself?

Have you ever been in a long relationship you cared about, take care of parents/siblings.
Basically, it seems you need motivation, which for whatever reason you can not do on your own. Thus, you need an outside source for motivation.
Can you think of anything that can provide you with motivation i.e. your mom gets cancer and your insurance drops you, so now you are motivated to earn money and help her etc.

P.S. Religion is good for this (but normally you need to be stupid for this option to work).

[Anacardo]

Cbloom, it's funny you should choose as your two endorphin examples subjects that are so manifestly outside my control.

[leehrat]

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Cbloom, it's funny you should choose as your two endorphin examples subjects that are so manifestly outside my control.

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see that's the loser attitude right there. of course it's within your control to get a girl to say "i love you" to you. you hit the weights and do cardio as hard as you can, whatever it takes, get a 6-pack with some muscle, and then go hit on some girls. assuming your face isn't disfigured and with your supposed level of intelligence, you should be able to score something. you then date the girl, have good sex with her (if you don't know how, study it until you know how to please her), and then eventually she might develop those types of feeling for you.

exercise is incredibly rewarding and trust me, if you go all out you'll feel that natural high that will make you more sociable AND you'll start looking hot which will get you girls. it won't happen overnight though; just keep up with it and it will slowly become part of your lifestyle.