Dreams

I realised that i need dreams and ambition in my life. Im not really sure what to dream for, but im too cynical to 'aim to be the best in the world' at anything. Most likely, im just gonna be an average person in life, but the lack of goals are killing me. What goals and dreams do you have? What drives you? Do you ever see yourself achieving them or are you content with not doing so?

For my part I do things because ideas pop into my head and won't leave until I enact them or at least try. In your case, I'd recommend signing up with some community organization. Maybe a local environmental group or a mentoring program for children or something like that. Often, when people feel directionless they regain a sense of purpose by engaging in work that helps others (or at least with others). Just don't let the groups you sign up with put you behind a desk. Make sure you're engaging in physical and direct human interaction.

From my experience, there's two kinds of people in this regard. The first is simplistic tribal animals who just want to eat good, get drunk, fuarrrk, and be lazy while something entertains them with audiovisual stimuli. Then there's the rest who try to find something meaningful to do in the world and to that end try to figure out the meaning of the world. At one point they fail as the world is orders of magnitude more complicated than their minds are, so they'll be chasing a false ideal for false reasons based on their faulty understanding of the world. These people include all self-improvers, progress-oriented people, scientists, religious folk, philosophers, artists, existentialists, absurdists and nihilists, and anyone I haven't listed that isn't a mindless stimuli bot. Of course they all disagree and defend their point of view with tooth and nail, as it is the absolute greatest achievement they were able to attain so far in their life. Just like the stimuli bots are able to work and raise kids, these people are able to pull off some pretty awesome soykaf during their time; but their understanding of the world is nevertheless faulty by design; they are just a small part of it. So am I, with no idea what I'm talking about, yet being pretty much on point. Awesome. So OP, take your pick. You can choose to listen to and satiate whatever your body demands - you can rest safe and assured that its demands will never cease and thus you'll always have something to want and do. Or you can walk the detached path of dreamers who go through life hungry and confused, but get to see some of the glitter others watch on Netflx IRL.

>>11174 I disagree with the overall tenor of your argument. Science, for example, might not explain why we're here in terms of the Big Bang and such, but it can make our existence a much happier one. Whether there is meaning for humanity (in general) found in that can be debated, but as a species we have survived by helping each other. Working for the betterment of mankind in small or large ways helps improve life overall, also in large or small ways. Simply giving in to personal hedonism encourages divisions between people and damages our ability to coordinate with one another. That ability has contributed to the dominance of human beings to this point in history.

>>11175 Despite claiming disagreement, you seem to just rephrase what I said. >Simply giving in to personal hedonism encourages divisions between people Namely, it makes them more like simplistic tribal animals and less like humans, yes. >but it can make our existence a much happier one >but as a species we have survived by helping each other >working for the betterment of mankind in small or large ways helps improve life overall >the dominance of human beings to this point in history That's exactly what I mean by dreamers. People who don't quite know yet, but are sure that some general attitude, principle, value or meaning is worth it. They pull of some cool stuff by self-regulation, self-sacrifice, community effort, ingenuity, whatever, but they are wrong on every level in the end. The best way to identify these people is a strong belief in something that isn't tangibly there. Things like "I know the truth", "The truth is out there", "There is always room for improvement", "Some things are worth it", "The right thing to do" or really anything with "I just ...". The whole point is that by believing, choosing or valuing things you make yourself wrong. You rip yourself out of the world and put yourself into a small part of it where things like before, after, progress, change, humanity, and so on can exist. You leave the void for a dream that you probably can't leave by your own.

I want to be a psychadelic artist, making sound and imagery and combining them in all sorts of ways while being completely fuarrrked up on drugs. I have some rather sophisticated technical means at my disposal to pursue this dream, however im lost in the endless sea of ideas and creativity. I also want to actively fight the mainstream culture and capitalism in any way i can and allow make the voices of the lost be heard and not drowned out and inspire people to have trust and hope despite all odds stacked against people like us. Im willing to live the full cyberpunk life for that, but im not stupid, i will think this trough and no go on alone as long as i can avoid it and not headbutt full force against the wall. I know i can find a way out from this wicked world and i will not stop at anything to find it.

>>11180 I was reacting to the damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't message. At least, that is how I perceive the post. It seems like the message being conveyed is "there are no good options and failure/doom is a certainty". At least, that is how I read it. I just feel like life doesn't have to be perceived in that manner.

>>11186 The "failure/doom" is basically from the win-lose dichotomy that gets added to the picture by choosing some goal or value, that is by separating the world into a set of conditions that are victory and another that isn't. Those who don't choose such conditions will have a meaningless/pointless time, which obviously isn't good or bad because they didn't set that dichotomy up. Those who do set the dichotomy up will play their own game; but the dichotomy isn't real and you may not be able to keep it up in your head if the world doesn't look like it. That is liberating for those who lose, and devastating for those who win. You aren't really damned either way as the void ones just drift with reality while the dreamers chase their beloved dream; it probably feels doom and gloom for you because this scenario is a losing condition in your dream.

Today I realized I lost track of what my long term goal is. I've been working toward it for two years, denying myself all kinds of short-term pleasures in pursuit of it. I can't remember what it is. So this week I'm attempting to reconnect with what is lost, so I can stop being lost.

>>11172 This idea of lacking or feeling like lacking direction is exactly something I'm experiencing currently, and have done for the majority of my adolescent and adult life. It doesn't matter what I end up doing; whether I can tolerate or even enjoy my persuits in the short term -- I always seem to end up growing weary of what it is I'm doing and fearful of the direction in which my life is headed. This isn't an attitude as much as it is deeply ingrained in me as a being. I need to keep moving or I seem to always wind up bored and miserable. It's caused me to make some decisions which many would consider to be irrational; and it always seems to lead me towards conflict with those close to me, which is why it hurts me so much to be the way I am. I'm terrified of what the future might bring for me, and if I keep throwing away opportunities that gurantee me comfort I feel like I may one day find myself unstuck; unable to support myself and with nobody to turn to. I'm in the process of quitting my job as an IT Security Analyst. It pays well but I feel like I'm stagnating where I am, so I'm currently considering getting a part-time menial job and studying carpentry. I don't particularly care for material possesions and as such the money I'm currently making doesn't mean a whole lot to me. Experiences and forming connections with new people are far more fulfilling to me than feeling like being glued to a computer screen all day every day. I love all of you guys; best of luck on your pursuits for happiness, belonging or love.

>>11172 I'm studying programming, philosophy, and economics. I believe that if done right, we can live in a true anarchist society without bureaucracy or economic error. Once I feel I have become sufficiently educated, I'm gonna go full /fit/ in hopes of becoming a political leader. Even if it doesn't work out, I'm perfectly content dying trying, because in the end as long as my thoughts and ideas are on paper, I'll have contributed something.