# Existential crisis in gifted individuals



## Guest

http://www.giftedbooks.com/authorarticles.asp?id=7


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## brandon is not taken

Wow, thanks man, really cool article. Sounds alot like they are talking about me 

Here is my favorite quote...
"I am a small, insignificant organism who is alone in an absurd, arbitrary and capricious world where my life can have little impact, and then I die. Is this all there is?"

Haha i think that all the time. And yes, I am convinced that IS all there is.


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## Guest

but at the same time it an be reeing I think

"i have no resonpsibilities, no god judging my lief and morals... I can do as I please

To the world ur insignificant bbut to you you matter more than the world


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## 17545

un.


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## flipwilson

Tigersuit said:


> The purpose of life is to enjoy yourself. Who cares if you don't have a significant impact on the world? All you need is fun.


Id love to agree with ya on that one, but opinions like that are reserved for those on the sidelines. Try telling that to some poor sap in a war torn country or some small child starving to death.


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## dunno

so we're gifted individuals?? i'd like to be stupid and live my life peacefully without having existential thoughts...


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## LOSTONE

> Id love to agree with ya on that one, but opinions like that are reserved for those on the sidelines. Try telling that to some poor sap in a war torn country or some small child starving to death.


Yeah it is not good to go around telling starving children that they should be joyful and happy.

I do think that one of the big purposes in life is simply to enjoy your life though.

If not then what would the purpose be?

To be miserable and suffer and die?

Obviously not.

It is sad that joy is not a part of many peoples lives right now but I personally believe that the main purpose of our lives is so we can simply enjoy being alive. Since I believe in God, I view life as a gift. I just view it as a gift that got messed up because it was not used right.



> All you need is fun.


I would not really agree with that. There is much more to enjoying life then simply having fun. Thats what I believe anyway.



> "I am a small, insignificant organism who is alone in an absurd, arbitrary and capricious world where my life can have little impact, and then I die. Is this all there is?"


I had that mindset for a long time. It is a depressing way to think but it is the reality for a lot of people. Gladly it is not my reality anymore.



> i'd like to be stupid and live my life peacefully without having existential thoughts...


I actually used to envy retarded people because of their childlike joy that they can display.

It can be very painful to know about some of the more disturbing realities in this world. What is even more painful is to always be aware of these realities and not being able to ignore the awareness of these "bad" realities. Heightened awareness in my view is a very painful experience and it is overrated. I just would like to go back to normal awareness of things. I don't want to be gifted or retarded. I just want to be right in the middle.


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## CECIL

We are all small and insignificant, but we simultaneously play our part and each part is necessary for the whole.


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## suz

brandon is not taken said:


> Wow, thanks man, really cool article. Sounds alot like they are talking about me
> 
> Here is my favorite quote...
> "I am a small, insignificant organism who is alone in an absurd, arbitrary and capricious world where my life can have little impact, and then I die. Is this all there is?"
> 
> Haha i think that all the time. And yes, I am convinced that IS all there is.


Gosh, that's pretty much the workings of my brain summed-up in a single sentence too...


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## Cam

Does it really matter how I see the world, who really cares, we all have our own theories. How can they all be right?
It is a waste of time trying to work reality out as a whole.
It is a waste of time being angry. What purpose does it serve?
:?


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## Rozanne

What I liked most about the article is that is says it is okay - possibly sane - to be disillusioned with reality. I have been since I was a child and basically disillusionment will never get the vote of the collective, because depression or a depressive outlook will never be endorsed by the mainstream as a ligitimate outlook. The reason being that it doesn't support a functional society.

I do, however, believe that through intellectual analysis it is possible to prove that life is somewhat meaningless. For instance, if you are happy, but have compassion for others, your life is still not perfect because other people are suffering.

The main thing for me is believing that we can tell only so much about each other from the outside and even in ourselves, possibly know only a small portion of our latent "potential". Another thing which has bothered me since being a child is the issue of "persona" and the fact that if you DO have talent, or if you are good looking, or what have you...it is almost assumed that your qualities belong to the collective. Even though music and art, and other good things should be shared...I personally think the emphasis should be on each individual finding the creative flow without the pressure of meeting up to expectations. And yet, at every corner, there is a general belief that, unless you are a good artist, you shouldn't be painting, or unless you are a good singer, you shouldn't be singing. I believe a lot of people do not express aspects of their personality, especially creative sides because they are in fear basically of this hierarchy which is all pervasive.

That, the issue of freedom - there's no way I want to be tied down in a job in an office....I'd rather be homeless, literally - ...lead me to choose non-conformity, for the sake of deriving ANYTHING from life and being a human being.

I don't believe it is because I am gifted that I think this way, however my internal life is somewhat sensitive to the outside, and from the earliest age I have been disillusioned with life, other people and my own futility.

For many years I cut off from these anxieties, trying instead to "succeed in the system". During that time, my whole personality and sense of self was lost. I was perpetually unsatified and felt all autonomy and sense of goodness in myself had been invalidated. So I am sorry - to the collective whole- but I don't want to be a function of the state. I'd much rather be a human being with a soul.


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## AllmindnoBrain

Angel_Ariel said:


> .I personally think the emphasis should be on each individual finding the creative flow without the pressure of meeting up to expectations. And yet, at every corner, there is a general belief that, unless you are a good artist, you shouldn't be painting, or unless you are a good singer, you shouldn't be singing. I believe a lot of people do not express aspects of their personality, especially creative sides because they are in fear basically of this hierarchy which is all pervasive.


 By the way, i really enjoy reading your writing, you are a very good writer angel ariel.

I completely agree, I feel this way very often, If i am interested in something i immediately examine if my perceived natural abilities will suit this interest, i.e. whether or not I will be successful at whatever the interest may be and if i am not i may not choose to continue it. Your right, it shouldnt only get satisfaction from doing something if you are good at it, you can still gain enjoyment from it cause you have a passaion for it. What used to haunt me as a child was the fact that we as individuals don't have any control over our own natural abilities (intelligence, athleticism, creativeness etc.), so how could we ever feel proud of something that we accomplished for it was our natural given abilites that allowed us to do it. i would always strive to be successful in whatever it was that i did, and if i couldnt i would curse my own potential and if i could do it i would discredit it immediately because i would tell myself "what did you do? you got an A on that test cause you have a good memory. You won that race because you were born with a more efficient running style". I think it is because of this mindset that i struggle with confidence issues today, because what is there to be confident about?  I understand you can harness your abilities through training and reading and hard work, but isnt that drive and ability to work hard all given to you also?


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## brandon is not taken

Black Box said:


> Does it really matter how I see the world, who really cares, we all have our own theories. How can they all be right?
> It is a waste of time trying to work reality out as a whole.
> It is a waste of time being angry. What purpose does it serve?
> :?


No, none of this really matters. Nothing.

I dont know if it is possible to waste time. I mean, the concept of wasting time implies there is something else we should be doing. Is there?

And i dont think anything really serves a purpose, as we all die anyway.


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## Rozanne

brandon is not taken said:


> And i dont think anything really serves a purpose, as we all die anyway.


To be honest I think this is somewhat foolhardy. I mean, if you die while you are still alive, it makes sense that life is here to be used. I can't explain...please don't ask for reasoning or proof. It is my gut instinct that if you do not treat people well, or if you ignore your responsibilities it could lead to further torment. I don't know why I think this, but it is my instinct. If death is real, if you really know in your heart that it will end, and your heart might be weighed...the slightly scary thing is that life makes a little more sense thereafter. I believe in God and I know I must think of other people. I'm scared to waste this journey. The good thing is that "waste" on the outside is not necessarily waste for God. If there is a God or objective reality you'd answer to Him no body else (remembering he works through other people.

I'm going to impress Lostone with reference to the Bible: the story of Lazerus.


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## Rozanne

The way I see it is that one day I'm going to be on my death-bed (I hope..as opposed to an accident) and will look back and consider how I used my life. I'm trying to remind myself of this now so I might start taking things a bit more seriously.


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## LOSTONE

> The way I see it is that one day I'm going to be on my death-bed (I hope..as opposed to an accident) and will look back and consider how I used my life. I'm trying to remind myself of this now so I might start taking things a bit more seriously.


That has already happened to me.

It was a very useful experience.

I was on my deathbed and now I am still alive. So I guess I am getting a 2end chance.


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## Coming?Back2Life

lol yeh life seems to have no point, we`re just here and we die and thats it! Sometimes i would kinda like to be "brainwashed" like those religious nuts (no offence) but i`m too intelligent to believe in such rubbish, its obvious to me that humans clutch and cling on to this "hope" and have done throughout the ages.

I mean remember Humans used to worship the sun and the moon as gods? just shows u how fkn gullable we really are, people would`ve done crazy things due to their belief in these gods ( sounds familiar? ;-/) but now we have proven the moon and the sun are not gods etc amongst other theories so we just invent more to keep having hope... i find it hilarious how no one else can see this, we are just here and we`re nothing special and have no more worth than the animals and insects of the planet, its just humans have an arrogance and believe they`re here for a reason!



> Does it really matter how I see the world, who really cares, we all have our own theories. How can they all be right?
> It is a waste of time trying to work reality out as a whole.
> It is a waste of time being angry. What purpose does it serve?


Word to that bro! no one can truley know who is right until they have died, so why waste your entire life or in the extreme cases, kill innocents in pursuit of something that tbfh people doesn`t exist the way they see it AT ALL. I`m a bit of a Hippy and believe everyone should be one no matter the skin colour etc and i believe religion is the LAST thing on the planet to leave then we will have no more differences! and we can live as one, in peace and harmony! and the final stage of human evolution will be set, i doubt this will happen in my lifetime tho  altho its a nice idea. Peace


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## Rozanne

Peace probably doesn't come from intellectual unity, but from the acceptance of intellectual differences and the lifting up of human values above intellectual difference. That is the argument of both sides it seems.

So if religion was erradicated from the world, there would be another form of religion in its place.

Freedom of religion is a human value. Religion isn't the only tool of oppression. Science bonds people in other ways, by saying the emotional life, or instinctual experiences are lower than the intellect.


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## LOSTONE

> i would kinda like to be "brainwashed"


You are.



> So if religion was erradicated from the world, there would be another form of religion in its place.


Yes and good point.

This has already happened in a way. This is why I am able to say to Coming?Back2Life that he is brainwashed. I know this for a fact because I have read up a great deal about propaganda, brainwashing, human psychology and these types of subjects. There are some really good books that have detailed very clearly how the human mind works and also other books that show us how all of us are being "brainwashed" every single day that we are alive. Actually our "brainwashing" began at our birth and from that time on our minds have been filled with all kinds of manipulative information.

These days I think the main brainwashing is pointing into the direction that we ourselves as humans are God's. Pretty soon I think that the U.N. is going to be made to look like some kind of God itself and the whole world is going to be bowing down to the U.N. and almost worshiping the U.N. for bringing the earth "peace". That peace will not last though and it will not even really be peace. I just think that eventually things will get so bad that the U.N. will become our savior and all the nations on earth will be bowing down to the U.N.'s power and looking to the U.N. for answers.

Whatever happens in politics or in science, one thing is very clear to me. ALL the people on this earth are very brainwashed. The art of brainwashing mass populations has actually become a science.



> just shows u how fkn gullable we really are,


Yes us humans are very gullible and that is because most people are willingly going into the direction that they are herded into. Personal beliefs are usually not based upon facts or any evidence at all. More often they are based upon personal choice rather then logic or evidence. So since this is obviously the case, I personally feel that it is important to never stop searching for the truth. Because almost everything here is all lies. ALmost everything we are told our entire lives is all lies. So it takes a great deal of effort to know that you have the truth.

Most people do not search at all for the "truth". They only search for any evidence they can find to back up their own personal beliefs that they have chosen for themselves.

It is because of the way our minds work. That is why I believe that it is important to use your heart and your mind to find the truth. If we are only using half of our senses then we will be easily fooled into believing in what is false.


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## LOSTONE

> but now we have proven the moon and the sun are not gods etc amongst other theories so we just invent more to keep having hope...


Yes new Gods pop up all the time. The God of the bible has been believed in since as far back as recorded history though. And I have not found him to be dis-proven. Everything I have found out about the God of the bible has only backed up my belief in him.

He is more real to me now then anything else.


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## brandon is not taken

LOSTONE said:


> ALL the people on this earth are very brainwashed.


Lostone, have you considered the possibility that you have been brainwashed into believing the above statement? Or are you the one and only person immune to brainwashing, who can still make an independant statement?

I think it is important to make a distinction between cultural assimilation and brain washing. I mean, we all have the belief that we should wear something to cover our penis/vagina when we are in public. Could you really consider this belief brainwashing? Or is it just a reasonable way to conduct oneself that has been passed on throughout the generations?

I think the word brainwashing should be reserved for more extreme examples. Such as the united states campaign to sell the war in iraq, or some extreme religous groups.


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## brandon is not taken

LOSTONE said:


> Yes new Gods pop up all the time. The God of the bible has been believed in since as far back as recorded history though. And I have not found him to be dis-proven. Everything I have found out about the God of the bible has only backed up my belief in him.
> 
> He is more real to me now then anything else.


Well i believe in an 8 legged 3 headed creature who lives 3 light years away from here. He created us to fulfill his sadistic fantasies and to see us suffer. I have not found the belief to be disproven, so therefor it must be true.

The longer i hold this belief, the harder it is for me to let go.


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## Guest

Yea in the end were all "brainwashed " to like thins and change opinions but evolution is a fact.
Everytime u doubt it see that ur TOTALLY flesh n bone and if ur a male : U GOT NIPPLES WHY CAUSE WE HAVE EVOLVED not een designed like some artifical robots.

Religion is DIRECT braindamaging brainwashing of insecure individuals.
Sad but true
And it shocks me how u SO intelligent individual LOSTONE dont face this

Life is simple BE BORN ENJOY SURVIVE HAVES SEX GET KIDS DIE

Love, joy peace, fear and all emotions still exist.
Morals exist.
Everything exist except ur fantasies


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## ihavemessedupdreams

there is more to this world then intellect and sorry to say but i belive all of you here where not intellects before your dp
you are now because this way you cant get hurt anymore because you where emotionaly sensative to everything powerfull imganation etc..
you where probly opposite to what you are now dont try to turn this around on me you know what im trying to say


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## Guest

I been atheist since birth, ALWAYS been VERY emotional and creative got hit wit DPDR sought out spirituality..... figured LOL

See even if ur emotional 1+1 is 2

Sorry ihavemessedupdreams thats the kind of logic that puts u inti this shit believin in ur fantasy


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## LOSTONE

> Such as the united states campaign to sell the war in iraq


Yeah I was basically talking about extreme beliefs also.

But the truth is that many "false" and extreme beliefs are believed in by all of us all the time.

If you read some books on the subject then you will understand.

I do not place myself outside of humanity as if I were immune to brainwashing. What I do though is I am always very careful about where I place my beliefs and I keep an open mind about things until I feel I have found decent proof for myself to continue believing the way I do.

Also I try to stay aware of my motivations and I always ask myself why I am believing what I am beliving. What really makes me so sure of myself? I ask myself questions like this because I don't want to be wrong. I also use all my senses and not just my intellect. I use my feelings and my sense of morality and justice along with my intellect so that I can find the truth.

Much of human wisdom is very intriging and convincing to our intellect but when we apply our other senses besides our intellect then it becomes easy to see clear flaws in much of human wisdom. I am not saying that knowledge is a bad thing. Knowledge is very important, but so are other aspects of our existance. Knowledge alone is not what will lead you to the truth. Knowledge can be distorted very eaisly and that is why we have to use all of our senses in order so that we are not ourselves "brainwashed" in some way.



> Well i believe in an 8 legged 3 headed creature who lives 3 light years away from here.


The God of the bible can not be compaired to teachings or beliefs like that.
For one clear reason. The God of the bible has had a very clear impact on everything that humans are doing on earth today. And their is proof of his activities that go back through the ages. Also the thousands of prophecies that have come true over the years. Very detailed and clear prophecies that were made hundreds of years before the actuall event took place. These kinds of things give clear evidence toward God's power. The problem for most people is that many people only rely on what they see right in front of them. You can not expect to find out about God if you are not looking for him.

For example, that 3 headed creature may actually exist. I don't have much evidence to prove anything against him.

I doubt though that you have any evidence to back up your belief in this creature.

I personally have so much evidence to back up my beliefs in God that I find it hard to even find the time to learn about all the different aspects of this evidence that I have. I will be learning for the rest of my life and I will still not be able to cover all the evidence that backs my own beliefs up. I have been learning for years and I still find out some new pice of evidence almost every day of the week.

When it comes to the issue of brainwashing I would have to say to simply choose a path. We are all brainwashed from a scientific standpoint. It is up to us as individuals to choose what we desire to fill our minds with.


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## Guest

WEL HOW DO U KNO LOSTONE

REMEMBER IN LORD OF THE RINGS Frodo meet some weird shit

Think it was "delusion 15 chapter: fantasy

THE BIBLE IS WRONG

chances of other "intelligent" life in the universe is SMALLL


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## EverDream

You know, I don't think I'm smarter than the avarge person. But I noticed that my imagination and creativeness are better than others. Like, when people try to understand something they try to understand only one specific thing and continue with it. When I look at it I don't see it as one thing. I see the whole thing which this small thing is just part of the whole. I think differently than other people. Maybe I see things on deeper manner. But I'm really an avarge, maybe avarge+ person.


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## LOSTONE

> THE BIBLE IS WRONG


Didn't you just agree with it?



> But I'm really an avarge, maybe avarge+ person.


EverDream I am not sure what your point is.



> WEL HOW DO U KNO LOSTONE


Because I have spent years studying and searching for the answers to my questions.


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## Dreamer

Should this be moved to Spiritual Debate?


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## LOSTONE

> Should this be moved to Spiritual Debate?


I think that Rev needs some new Mods Dreamer.


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