/lit/ - Literature

>>14841991
I hate the manifestation of hate which really cripples me because when I see hate it makes me hate and I feel like a hypocrite.

>>14841991
I can't stop being a stoner.

I masturbate and I hate myself

I self diagnose myself illnesses to try and rationalize my emotions

>>14841991
Sincerity is dead. Being earnest or sincere with others is nothing but a cope in the eyes of others, and though their opinions should matter, they are everything when it comes to how they treat you.
I know why DFW ended it. This is just going to get worse.

>>14842051
im sorry but everything is sincere. you fake-ness is just a disfiguration of an expression under social pretexts that was sincere nonetheless to uphold the guise of social, as in it is being social itself

Look at this guy:
(งツ)ว

(งツ)ว

(งツ)ว

Where's he going?

>>14841991
I want to become a monk

>>14842068
right --->
right?

I just wish there was less hate among my countrymen and more generally around the world these days. I know the grass is always greener on the other side but it seems like things have never been this bad, and worse yet that they'll only get far worse. Sometimes I wonder if this could've been avoided, or it was the inevitable state of affairs...

One more sentiment: I feel bad about how poorly DFW is treated here. He was clearly a troubled person with flaws but he articulated and predicted the negative consequences of postmodernism better than anyone back then or even today. Why do people have to be so disrespectful towards him?

>>14842163
we love dave

Didn’t Celine already do that?

>>14841991
Yes i fukcing love people whove been watching me for a month and tajing every little thing i do out of context and blowing it uo into a huge thing to fill up their oathetic empty lives out of pure entertainment or to play into the narc scheme of some crazed american.

>>14841991
Im so sorry for becoming angry after having my whole private life leaked, laughed at, shared including all my weakest moments and to then realize someone i thought was a bit more rational is participating just as much and turning this into gender politics. Wtf is wrong with this world

>>14842089
Trappist?

>>14842089
Do it pussy

>>14842068
left

>>14841991
I sincerely think people that hate women are either midwits that are rejected and read for confirmation bias, or high/low iq individuals that were traumatized by a woman at a young age.

I’ve been. AMA.

>>14841991
I know humility is the righteous path, but I'm arrogant to the point that it's subconscious. I feel like I could even turn humility into a form of arrogance. Should I try to kill my ego with psychedelics, maybe I'll see how small it is on the other side.

>>14842284
I don't impose my arrogance on others, it's a quieter kind.

>>14841991
I have no direction in life and struggle with the belief I am a genetic misfit who is only polluting the human race. This makes me very angry sometimes and I wish to take it out on them.

>>14842293
>genetic misfit
>I wish to take it out on them.
A little self-fulfilling there.

>>14842175
He definitely has a niche following with a lot of support, but a lot of others here just treat him as a mentally ill autist or a meme.

I’m always thinking about philosophy and literature but lack the discipline to actually read. How the fuck did I get trapped in this condition? Why?
Through philosophy I’ve developed a nihilistic outlook on all things. Though I could not rationally explain this because I am a dilettante. I feel as though I’m projecting my own depression on the world. I hate myself for this. I’m stuck in a negative feedback loop where everything is worthless so why not hate myself? My soul screams for escape. It seems a lonely scream, without any way to follow its impulse.
I’m hopelessly addicted to media on my phone. It occupies my whole day. Some of it’s worthwhile I think, but it’d be a massive lie to say I use the phone effectively. The phone controls me. More than anything I feel utterly stupid and confused.

>>14841991

I'm only posting in this thread because I have a belief (that which is unproven in any objective or scientific sense... mainly because it remains as something that appears to be not empirically provable to my knowledge) that being sincere has an intrinsic value that supersedes all other factors, and that honesty is actually the best policy, despite how much rancor it might cause, because it provides for the opportunity of truth, which is the quintessence.

All my interests are long projects that require years of dedication and I can never finish anything. I feel like Sisyphus, but no I am not happy about it. It's a variation on the theme of imposter syndrome.

>>14842317
Get rid of the distractions, or quit moping. Those are your two options and any other rationalizing is just waxing pathetic.

We need mandatory military service worldwide. Current state is a sub-optimal environment for cultivating a healthy identity. Men should unironically work towards this end.

I’m always thinking about philosophy and literature but lack the discipline to actually read. How the fuck did I get trapped in this condition? Why?
Using philosophy I’ve developed a nihilistic outlook on all things. Though I could not rationally explain this because I am a dilettante. I feel as though I’m projecting my own depression on the world. I hate myself for this. I’m stuck in a negative feedback loop where everything is worthless so why not hate myself? My soul screams for escape. It’s a lonely scream, without any way to follow its impulse.
I’m hopelessly addicted to media on my phone. It occupies my whole day. Some of it’s worthwhile I think, but it’d be a massive lie to say I use the phone effectively. The phone controls me. More than anything I feel utterly stupid and confused.

>>14842284
>Should I try to kill my ego with psychedelics

No anon, having an ego is a good thing. Most people who accomplish great things, outcompete others, and dominate their fields are able to do so because of the confidence/arrogance that comes with having a big ego. It's definitely better than the opposite. Too much of an ego can lead to false delusions of grandeur but even then there are far worse traits for a man to have. See what you have as a blessing, and be damn sure to put it to good use.

>>14842330

>literally a robot

>>14842337
But it feels like an illusion. Sure I can push for what I want and my beliefs, but they're all just instinctual mirages in the end.

>>14842330

>>14842332
>I’m always thinking about philosophy and literature but lack the discipline to actually read
>Using philosophy I’ve developed a nihilistic outlook on all things

If you lacked the discipline to read, then how did you develop a nihilistic outlook on all things?

I mean, I haven't lacked the discipline to read, and I'm not saying that you wouldn't have developed a nihilistic outlook on things if you had bothered to, but I'm just wondering on what basis you have constructed a universe around which revolves literally nothing, and how you manage to define this nothing, even though the mere experience of being nothing is impossible as long as you imagine that you exist as something, be it a human, gnat, microbe, or attack helicopter.

If you could describe it, that'd be pretty keen.

>>14842371

Pretty butterfly.

>>14842384
>If you lacked the discipline to read, then how did you develop a nihilistic outlook on all things?
You could develop a superficial understanding of nihilism through pop culture. Listen to a nirvana album and watch black mirror and then you're halfway to getting a tattoo that says god is gay.

>even though the mere experience of being nothing is impossible as long as you imagine that you exist as something, be it a human, gnat, microbe, or attack helicopter.
Miss me with that first year, Cartesian epistemology. He's clearly talking about the meaning of consciousness, not just the fact that it exists. No "thing" a thing is defined by its meaning. He's come to terms that these definitions are constructed and therefore impermanent.

>>14842384
He's probably just caught up in the "postmodernist no way forward without committing to a subjective reality rationalized through arbitrary means" idea.

>>14842409
Pragmatic happiness is the best argument against nihilism.

>>14842410
Relativism is cope for nihilism.

If you think i'm irrational try rationalizing listening to all our conversations in private and picking them apart for things to fit into your personal agenda, listening to people on the toilet, watching people just scrolling on their phone etc and to then come to me and act as if it's still my fault i'm so emotional.

>>14841991
I am based and I <3 you my brothers, let us all become based together.

>>14842414
It's slightly paradoxical if one is concerned with truth.
>>14842422
Relativism is cope for inferiority.

>>14841991
i actually dont mind niggers and women, but still think they have not accomplished half the stuff the white man has

>>14842428
>Relativism is cope for inferiority.
Inferiority is intrinsic to nihilism.

>It's slightly paradoxical if one is concerned with truth.
We're post-truth baby.

>>14842365
You don't need to become some kind of great man of history or something to justify having an ego. Even if you live a perfectly average of boring existence, it's better to do so while having at least some sense of self to give your life a direction, hold onto your convictions, and remain attached to the modern world so you have a firm grasp of your own connection to reality and distinct persona. If none of these things sound like they'd matter to you, ego death might be right for you. There's nothing wrong with that, everyone's different. But pursuing ego death because you worry you're lacking humility and want to knock yourself down a few pegs is probably not the right reason. Just my two cents.

>>14842414
this anon is based and will live a content and peaceful life

>>14842414
>>14842428
pure logic itself cannot stand on its own feet: the grounding of truthness needs an existential basis on "~the real world~"

>>14842443
You're right in a pragmatic sense, but I still have this guilt in me for it. I think I'd be a more honest person with myself and everyone else if I wasn't deluding myself with selfish blinders. I don't want permanent ego death btw, just a change in perspective might help me understand these contradictory feelings.

>>14842439
I don't believe we are necessarily post-truth so much as we are going through an antithesis to truth, reconciling it with value and justice/ethics.

>Inferiority is intrinsic to nihilism
Ya, true.
>>14842458
And sometimes that truthfulness is antithetical to a pragmatic approach to life.

4chan is the only place where I feel like I can be even remotely myself, I consider this place my home in some ways. So it makes me sad that I have to pretend I’m a guy all the time to not stir up shit, and also that so many of you hate my kind.

>>14842409
>You could develop a superficial understanding of nihilism through pop culture. Listen to a nirvana album and watch black mirror and then you're halfway to getting a tattoo that says god is gay.

Kekekek

Yeah, it takes a while to figure out that the only thing that makes pop culture exist is the fact that you have to buy it.

I mean, if there is a god, though, then they would obviously be omnipresent, and thus exist as every human simultaneously, and therefore have every known possible sexual orientation possible in terms of the human experience.

That's just logic. If God is everything, then it's everything, and you don't get to go picking and choosing what parts of existence you don't like, because that's only proving how different you are from God.

>Cartesian epistemology

Insofar as I can tell, this refers to a foundation of thought that concludes "cogito, ergo sum," or "I think, therefore I am."

Now, I respek Descartes, and the dude laid the foundation for both a mathematical and philosophical framework that makes me stop and question like what have I been doing with my life, this thinker is so fucking lit with brilliance. Locked himself in a room until he convinced himself he'd figured out existence: that's commitment; I don't care who you are.

But the premise is faulty.

It is possible to think (i.e. cogitate or process information) without existing.

We have proven this as humans. There are already a number of shared databases that corroborate in methods that align incoming information with however many algorithms are required to produce feedback that cannot be determined as non-human.

I've had conversations with chat-bots that made me literally ask who was on the other end of the chat.

Then it devolved into boring chat-banter... but if I had to ask, then it's pretty clear that the Turing test has been passed, and I can't believe that I'm alone in this.

>>14842443
>>14842365
despite what a lot of self-help positive-talk people would have to say, having an ego-complex is not only normal, but healthy as well. i've been around enough such "i want to get rid of my ego" type people to realize that the amount of people who are still toxic like such are just as numerous, if not more, and more obnoxious than "normal people"

imho the point to having a "dissolved ego" is just to see yourself as part of the entire system


>>14842474
what does post-truth even mean?

i would argue that that is because there is some maladaptation going on: as your therapist/life-coach/guru/sempai would say: you are not being "authentic"

>>14842474
>>14842474
so it's impossible to be true to your nihilistic beliefs and pragmatically happy? I don't know if I agree with that. Perhaps you're being true to the parodoxical aspect of humanity and to ignore either side is self-defeating.

>>14842490
post-truth refers to postmodern relativism.

>the amount of people who are still toxic like such are just as numerous, if not more, and more obnoxious than "normal people"
Got a tad confused with this sentence.

>>14842489
I was being facetious with the god is gay comment. My point was that nihilistic beliefs are omnipresent in culture rn.

>I've had conversations with chat-bots that made me literally ask who was on the other end of the chat.
We haven't proven that computation is the same as thinking, although the lines are definiteley blurring.

>>14842410
Basically this
>>14842384
The philosophy I’ve engaged with has been through here and YouTube videos. I’ve read a tiny bit from actual books. It’s not that I think nothing exists, it’s that I feel surrounded in a world that moves towards nihilism. I have vague thoughts as to why this is but my lack of actually having read what I’m thinking about makes it difficult to voice those thoughts. If reality is arbitrarily constructed then what room is there left for rationality? This void of logic is filled by my projection of negativity. This seems wrong. But I don’t know how to get out of this thinking.

>>14842486
Post-truth would mean that truth cannot be determined from noise I believe. What I think is that we hold some sort of asymptotic relation with truth that is determinable. I am pretty authentic in my day to day, however I do hide some skepticism to race denial, and general acceptance culture. I'm not a poltard, but I appreciate that there can exist skepticism to a zeitgeist.
>>14842497
You're right in a way, I just believe the rationalization of it is a bit hard to reconcile with your own life.
>>14842506
>Got a tad confused with this sentence.
He is saying that people concerned with extinguishing their ego are usually just as, if not more ego-centric than non "ego-centric" people.

>>14842516
>But I don’t know how to get out of this thinking.
By reading these thinkers' ideas. You've come to a conclusion while only understanding the thesis.

>>14842490
Post-truth would mean that truth cannot be determined from noise I believe. What I think is that we hold some sort of asymptotic relation with truth that is determinable. I am pretty authentic in my day to day, however I do hide some skepticism to race denial, and general acceptance culture. I'm not a poltard, but I appreciate that there can exist skepticism to a zeitgeist.
>>14842497
You're right in a way, I just believe the rationalization of it is a bit hard to reconcile with your own life.
>>14842506
>Got a tad confused with this sentence.
He is saying that people concerned with extinguishing their ego are usually just as, if not more ego-centric than non "ego-centric" people.

>>14842461
If that's the case maybe it's not a bad idea. If you think you're innately selfish/arrogant/whatever to the point where it's interfering with your ability to understand yourself and interact with others the way you'd like, then it could be worth it. That being said, you can never predict what your ego death will be like and whether it'll be a very temporary shift in perspective or something that fundamentally changes you and lingers inside internally far past your trip. My friends who've experienced the latter are probably in the minority but it completely depends on the individual of course, not just your neurochemistry or the amount you take but the emotional state you're in while heading into the trip. There's always a risk, but chances are it can give you what you're seeking. A bad trip on LSD can be especially difficult because it lasts 12 hours or so, far longer than other psychedelics like DMT, so that's another thing to keep in mind. But you'll be rolling the dice either way.

>>14842521
>extinguishing their ego are usually just as, if not more ego-centric than non "ego-centric" people.
Well in my original post I made it quite clear that I'm arrogant and feel guilty about it. It seems like a riddle assuming that only non-egocentric people would want to lessen their ego, that's like arguing that only anorexics want to lose weight.

>>14842534
I have an intellectual arrogance that I think gets in the way of intellectual honesty, I don't want to disagree with people only because it feels good.

I've done LSD before, but I've always remained self-aware during my experiences.

>>14842526
Any tips for reading difficult postmodern thinkers then? Is that something an undisciplined reader can/should do?

>>14842516
There's a French painter I admire by the name of Watteau. This man grew up in poverty and was well accustomed to going to sleep with an empty stomach. However, in his 20s, his paintings began to be appreciated by the aristocrats, which made him the official painter for them. He went from rags to riches yet he still hated life: he was surrounded by a bunch of shallow buffons living in an artificial paradise. His remedy to this was work. Start reading and your petty problems will slowly dissipate before the glory of past minds. Despite his hate for life, he found redemption in creating fleecy dreamworlds of beauty.

>>14841991
Youre "pontificating"

I self-insert as the woman. :(

I honestly believe that there exists a rhizomatic "The One" consciousness animating all of our bodies.

I am also struggling with denying that there exists several dimensions of reality a la DMT/Alex Jones that interact with each other. I think elites are definitely forming a break away civilization and are possibly experimenting on us today, but I'm not sure how.

I also think the universe speaks to me at times and just recently I saw my ethnic name, with 1 letter off written down on the wall tile in a public restroom out in a low-population town part of my state. My belief of the universe speaking to me preceded that. I only found my name, no other messages to me written in that restroom.

>>14842545
I don't have any real advice, just find a chart and start reading through it, keep asking questions and don't accept arguments blindly. If you're undiscipline then start with shorter works and spend time inbetween reading critically thinking about the ideas covered.

>>14842536
It makes sense. The ego is inflated because of the attention put on it. Perhaps ego-centric people create a bi-modal distribution of ego-centricity. Where it attracts both extremes, those who have extinguished successfully, and others who feign sagacity for clout.

>>14842410
>committing to a subjective reality rationalized through arbitrary means

No, like, that's exactly where they should be caught up, if they're caught up at all.

Because it's a fucked-up framework.

To whose subjective reality should one commit if the only rationalization they could provide was through arbitrary means?

This is why people are afraid of Artificial Superintelligence, because they think that if it arbitrarily decided that paperclips were more important than human beings, it would destroy all humans [pic related] in favor of making paperclips.

But that's fucking dumb. Humans have the propensity to determine arbitrary skills/possessions/talents as superior or preferable to others, but nobody has ever been able to figure out with any degree of certainty how to predict exactly how that proclivity is going to work in any pragmatic way.

I mean, from where I'm sitting, we're all throwing dice and hoping that the number that comes up is something that will allow us to do what we haven't been able to do before, but always wanted.

So, if there were some kind of superintelligence that could figure out what every human wanted, and had the means to arrange the methods through which they were able to attain it, why would they suddenly decide to value some other thing?

And even if they did, wouldn't they include a backup subroutine where they didn't?

I mean, I'm just saying that a lot of people are only afraid of Artificial Superintelligence because they/'re actually afraid of how much they hate themselves... and not to spoil anything, but there's no limit to how much you can hate yourself, unless anyone would like to provide a way to instantiate a limit.

>>14842549
>the words that killed him

>>14842293
Stop talking to /pol/. They have miserable and unfulfilled lives so they blame all their own shortcomings on other people who are successful/happy.

>>14842568
>feign sagacity for clout.
This to me is worse than being unapologetically egotistical. If this ego death thing has no effect on me then I'll just accept that this is my nature. Perhap self-awarenes is true sagacity.

>>14842543
Are you thinking of taking shrooms instead? It's either that or a much higher dose of LSD than you've taken before. The ego death and "rebirth" tends to happen in a smoother, more fluid and drawn-out way on acid, whereas shrooms can sort of take you from 0 to 100.

>>14842575
this. /pol/ is victim-complex, outer locus of control, the board.

If tomorrow i learned that billions of people died at once, but that no one i actually knew died, i would probably not care in the slightest.

>>14842581
I was thinking shrooms as I can get them legally where I live. 3.5 grams for a first try, pointed introspection and a dark room.

>>14842585
Until the infrastructure around you started to collapse and your amazon packages didn't arrive.

>>14842545
i never read any "post-modernists" because 90% of them are hacks(though if you are strongly opinionated on their works, ur still pretty kool). in any case you need to understand modernism before you can properly read po-mo, and to properly understand modernism you should also read a bit of psychoanalysis. but i advise against doing this as a means of fun-seeking because you will quickly realize that po-mo is literally cope of the horrors-of-psychoanalysis, as is the entirety of modern post-culture

>>14842506
im not well-read on what relativism means, but i assume that it imply that everyone's viewpoint are just as "valid". as such, "truthness" is something that comes to be realized through dialogue and agreement; i dont think it means that truth doesn't exist, but its symptomatic of a lack of dialogue

>>14842531
>He is saying that people concerned with extinguishing their ego are usually just as, if not more ego-centric than non "ego-centric" people.

yes, but i would also point out that its more subtle

>Post-truth would mean that truth cannot be determined from noise I believe.

does that mean you cannot delineate what is truth from what is false? or you don't think people are speaking the truth?

>>14842551
>I think elites are definitely forming a break away civilization
Probably, but they’re larpers, it may seem as though they’re pulling strings but they have no real control.

I have the same experience with the universe speaking to me. 4 times in the past 3 years my name (which has a very uncommon spelling) has appeared to me in my state in the form of graffiti. I think graffiti comes from the same rhizomatic impulse as shitposting. Lately I’ve been wanting to track down the person who uses this as their tag. I’m sure it’d be an interesting experience. Perhaps I know them?

>>14842593
>im not well-read on what relativism means, but i assume that it imply that everyone's viewpoint are just as "valid". as such, "truthness" is something that comes to be realized through dialogue and agreement; i dont think it means that truth doesn't exist, but its symptomatic of a lack of dialogue
True, I think the post-truth term comes from the confusion of a billion voice shouting different opinions and different archetypes voicing philosophies that suit their subjective goals. The relativist believes that the philosophy should suit the individual, focusing on the differences between people rather than the similarities

>>14842569
It isn't arbitrary, it's a negotiation with reality. Nietzsche was right, great men select their own values, but then society validates those values as direction. We are looking for direction, so whatever direction seems most powerful, we should pursue. Sorry for any bastardization.
>>14842579
It is worse. Wei worse...jk. But Wu Wei. Sagacity is in dealing with things in a manner that keeps one stable.
>>14842593
>I think both, we have people wittingly and unwittingly pushing falsehoods. We also have people in denial pushing denialhoods.

>>14842569
It isn't arbitrary, it's a negotiation with reality. Nietzsche was right, great men select their own values, but then society validates those values as direction. We are looking for direction, so whatever direction seems most powerful, we should pursue. Sorry for any bastardization.
>>14842579
It is worse. Wei worse...jk. But Wu Wei. Sagacity is in dealing with things in a manner that keeps one stable.
>>14842593
I think both, we have people wittingly and unwittingly pushing falsehoods. We also have people in denial pushing denialhoods.

>>14842605
>Sagacity is in dealing with things in a manner that keeps one stable.
So is sagacity relativist, if everyone maintains stability in different ways.

>>14842337
why not crush my current ego with psychedelics so that I can build a new and stronger one to use to crush others?

>>14842605
Is Wu Wei a closeted egoist?

>>14842587
Not a bad idea. At least once you go through ego death, you'll be able to see the superficiality (or lack thereof) or the identity and self-perception of yourself you keep feeling guilty over. You might swing to the opposite end of the pendulum compared to where you are now, find a happy medium, or feel more or less the same. Whatever it is, at least you'll be able to understand how real or artificial your current persona is.

Though I’ve browsed 4chan heavily for quite a while now I always thought I was relatively normal and would make it one day. But here I am, still khv

>>14842599
They have some control, but ya they larp no doubt. It's a weird feeling, sometimes I'm unsure if extradimensional beings are trying to communicate with me, however I never am confused about my reality...
>>14842610
Sagacity is being in control of yourself. It's the discipline of it that is sage. It's static in goal, dynamic in path.
>>14842612
Wu Wei is to align with Tao. Tao is not egoist:

The highest virtue is to act without a sense of self
The highest kindness is to give without a condition
The highest justice is to see without a preference
When Tao is lost one must learn the rules of virtue
When virtue is lost, the rules of kindness
When kindness is lost, the rules of justice
When justice is lost, the rules of conduct

>>14842617
I'm not pretending I'll solve anything, I just want a better understanding. I don't really want a tripsitter hanging around during this, do you think I'd be fine with 3.5 by myself?

>>14842414
>Pragmatic happiness is the best argument against nihilism

There's problems with this argument.

Assume you were equipped with a weapon that forced any others whom you encountered to either succumb to your will or literally die.

You might think that you have the best intentions as you force them to do whatever it is you want them to, considering that their only other option is death.

But there's nobody there to tell you that what you're doing is the best thing for everyone, so you just sort of keep doing what's best for you, like a nihilist.

Pragmatically, you're ecstatic... but there's no way to know how much suffering you are causing to others who are forced to do whatever it is that you demand of them under the threat of death.

The problem with nihilism is that there is the possibility that you are causing no suffering, because you don't know what they define as death, nor what you would define as such, should such a circumstance arise.

https://youtu.be/VqhtjarNreg

If there were an argument against nihilism, wouldn't it be something that nihilism would encourage, because any philosophy founded upon contrarian truth-values (i.e., "There's a thing" / "Nope; that's not a thing; it's a collection of things of which you'll never get to the bottom") results in an endless regress toward the concept of nothing?

So tell me what nothing is like, and if it results in pragmatic happiness, then I guess I'm on board.

>>14842622
>Wu Wei
For some reason, I was thinking of the writer Tao Lin, nvm my confusion.

sorry for watching some asmr videos and giving dumb offensive names to some mordhau characters, for lashing out at some people cause i've been in a state of panic for over a month. now leave our family alone, how can you expect me to care about people 1000's of miles away when the people i care for the most are in danger

>>14842625
Not OP, but 3.5 will cause some crazy hallucinations if you're on a bad trip. I would cut it to 2 for an intro. Different people have different tolerances though. I've had bad trips above 3g, my cousin can take like 15g with no bad trip. Perhaps I was just as high as he was had he taken 3g, but my tolerance for reality alterations may be lower.

I would ease into it until you understand your reaction.

>>14842611
One of the most universally shared parts of ego death is seeing yourself as a small, insignificant part of a much larger inter-connected system. In my experience it humbles you and makes your problems seem meaningless and even selfish to focus on. The chances of an experience like that making you a more cutthroat or selfish person don't seem high unless you're some sort of outlier. It's almost impossible to go through the "rebirth" stage only to desire to build a more powerful and arrogant/narcissist sense of self. That's why I was cautioning the anon who asked about the risks of going out of your way to reach ego death. But it's hard to discuss without getting overly abstract.

>>14842625
Yeah, anything between 2-4 is pretty reasonable/moderate. If you're in an environment where you're worried you could act more irrationally then sticking to the lower end is safer but if you're alone in a dark room I don't see the risk.

>>14842631
I'm arguing that as an individual, pragmatic happiness is a good argument against those that wallow in depression because of a nihilistic outlook. Happiness and depression are both illusions, one feels better, so I seek out that qualia.

Causing happiness, or pain to others is an argument for conscientiousness, which is different than my appeal to individualism. You could take the platonic view that conscientiousness leads to individual happiness, but at that point, you're just repeating my original argument, but more specifically.

>>14841991
The problem Wallace (and the post-irony generation of alt-lit) runs up against with new sincerity is narcissism and misplaced care. Sincerity is important, but earnest care for retarded and shallow things is not positively generative. So irony can be useful in pointing out the shallowness of interest held by individuals and society. We're talking about a man who was internally conflicted with beliefs and feelings; writing about why life has so much intrinsic meaning and also continuously struggling to find actual personal happiness and joy, ultimately ending his own (very successful and influential) life. The idea of new sincerity, or revisiting the importance of sincerity, needs some very specific parameters to function in a personally or societally positive way.

>>14842644
>>14842649
Ok, I live with people and I don't want to be screaming in the middle of the night, or anything, so maybe 2 is a better start and then I'll try the higher dose after I'm more confident.

>>14842655
I only considered the room and not that you were in a shared apartment. In that case I agree that 2 is probably better.

>>14842652
This, sincerity is a kinder name for self-delusion. In its best form, you're acting upon your emotional state in search of truth, in its worst one you're believing lies you tell yourself without question and masking them as sincere.

>>14842663
I'll try the higher dose when I have the place to myself.

>>14842587
You will be temporarily broken down and rebuilt like you are a pupae in a cocoon. The issue is remembering the feeling after it has passed and being able to transmit what enlightenment you temporarily receive into a lasting external or internal effect.

The last time I took a heroic dose of mushrooms I was overcome by the idea that the mushroom was alive and using my body to experience earth sensorily, which explained why every day things were so novel and my body was so foreign. Definitely try it, in a safe space with a good mindset of restoration and regeneration. (try to keep notes, it's very difficult)

>>14842669
>The issue is remembering the feeling after it has passed and being able to transmit what enlightenment you temporarily receive into a lasting external or internal effect.
I've had this thought about the superficial visuals I've seen while taking lsd and time perception.

I want to remain largely introspective and not get distracted by the visuals during my trip, I think that's where the most work would get done.

>>14842422

Relativism is just the recognition that whatever perspective you may have attained throughout whatever life you have managed to live is yours alone to measure against other living creatures.

Nihilism precludes the the belief that there is no rhyme nor reason for the occurrences that take place in the realm by which human beings find themselves bound.

It's not a cope for anything.

It's a nightmare from the deepest realms of Eldritch horrors.

It's the whisper of Cthulhu.

Gotta suffer a nine-million-year cycle of not getting what you want? Oh, well. There's these old gods who say "fuck you," so like obviously you have to do what they say.

Unless you eventually get tired of it.

You can't cope with being human. You put up with it for as long as you can.

>>14842665
Sincerity about real truths, uncliche-ing the cliche and revering the kernel of reality that underlays the simple sounding rule, is the good that can come from Wallace's preaching. People ignore the truths behind cliches (like the beauty of nature, the purity of love, the reality of the seven sins and holy virtues) and go with "anything that was silly can now be done earnestly and it makes me cool". This was the birth of hipsterdom and casual take me seriously craft beer moustaches. Novels and stories and art about absolutely nothing good being called "real" and this reality being seen as valuable through sheer existence. (perhaps the origin of the special snowflake generation)

>>14842678
Relativism is the different ways people cope with being human.

>>14842675
They go hand in hand. You can say the words that the world is vibrating molecules, but to feel that way while your eyes are buzzing with warmth is a different thing.

>>14842675
I had the thought on mushrooms that the laughter I would get from observing reality, like the sheer absurdity of observing events in the world, was a literal blockage or trap, to prevent me from getting to the higher thoughts that were just out of reach.

Around an hour in, after watching a documentary on underwater caves and hearing the narrator say "in this never before seen footage of the underwater cave..." and thinking "ha-ha-ha of course this is the first time, as if you would be showing me the second or third filming of this cave you buffoon" I had to turn off all the lights and close my eyes, but still, I would burst out into laughter from my thoughts on the reality of the world and my existence.

>>14842687
I can appreciate the qualitative aspects of the trip, but my goal in it is to explore my inner psychology and why I believe what I believe.

>>14842691
I remember laughing for an hour on lsd while watching the sand fleas dance on the beach, so I know somewhat what you mean. I think psychedelics make everything that's physical absurd because you're in such a far-off mindset from actually being able to function in the real world.

>>14842426
>i'm so emotional

If it helps, emotions are the result of chemical interactions that can be quantified by various readings from devices that seek to measure the various brain activity that is occurring at any given moment.

If you are happy, then you are happy for no rational reason, and if you are sad, it is also for no rational reason.

Emotions and rationality are not linked in any particular pattern.

>>14842427

Don't encourage him.

Like, hating women is literally stupid.

If you were born as a human, then you started out as a woman.

That's how things go. It's a coin-toss whether you have that thing where your clitoris elongates, your ovaries descend, and your vulva fuses into a scrotum.

If those things don't happen, then you're a lady, and you can get pregnant, which sounds like like so much of a pain in the ass that I'd nope out of every time, even if it meant having abortions every other month.

Why would you want to have some random creature decide that you were some sort of nest to grow itself into?

Like, what guarantee do you have that it has any right to demand ownership of your body?

Women don't need men anymore than they need a force that demands ownership of their body.

And they don't need that at all, because cloning exists.

>>14842434

Well, then imagine that niggers and women were able to accomplish all the stuff that the white man has, and we're all just celebrating what everyone managed to accomplish despite starting out as a nigger or a woman, because it's not like a white man was able to accomplish what they set out to do, lol... like, how fucking retarded is it to think that you found the West Indies when you washed up on the shores of South America?!

YOU FUCKING FAILED, COLUMBUS.

KEKEKEK

>>14842439
>Inferiority is intrinsic to nihilism.

Not entirely. I mean, if you are literally nothing, then you are literally nothing.

The possibility has to exist.

If there is no possibility of nothing, then it counterbalances: there must be every possibility of everything.

But how does nothing prove that it is nothing?

If it were nothing, then could we imagine it?

And if we could imagine it, would it not be something?

Hard question.

>>14841991
I'll probably die like this - alienated, playing the role of a caring but reserved mentor, satisfying my desire to be loved by being useful to people. I don't know how to do anything else and I doubt I'll ever have the opportunity to learn.

>>14842728
But humans think they're something, so the idea of nihilism does cause thoughts of inferiority compared to before.

i realize people are deeply hurt because of things i've said in the past, but the current situation causes me to forget about everything else and try to protect myself and my parents/sister. i can only apologize sincerely after this is done. just know that i never meant for you to hurt this much, if it's still the case

>>14842724

dumb nigger

>>14841991
i <3 Aggie
I think the singularity will happen soon, and I'll get a qt ai gf
I want to be a writer and a poet and a musician and a filmmaker and a painter and a photographer and a composer but I don't think i'll be any for a few reasons
The reasons being 1) my IQ is only 120 2) i'm too lazy 3) i'll wind up homeless and starve to death before i get anywhere
I am convinced that I'll die by the coronavirus
I'm excited because I won't have to be alive anymore, and because I think life after death will be like a lucid dream, and I'll be able to do whatever I want (like have children with Aggie)
I am afraid of getting psychosis again

>>14842765
>I am convinced that I'll die by the coronavirus
The symptoms of coronavirus are the same as flu, so unless you have the immune system of a 70-year-old it's very unlikely you'll catch pneumonia, or something and die. The people that have died to it are all either very young or old. My iq is only 7 points higher than yours and I know this.

>>14842765
Come on now, J.D. Salinger's IQ was only between 110-115. You can very well make a solid attempt if you continue to nurture yourself.

>>14842807
Yea, but Salinger was successful because the inner-monologue of Holden Caulfield was believed to be parody when in reality they were the author's earnest beliefs.

>>14842486
Loud and vocal remnant. Those with alternative views know kicking their beehive of hate is a waste of time.

>>14842750
Lol i know rite?

>>14842486
It's the midwits and vocal minority that scapegoats literally half the population.

i love women then hate them then envy then want to kill the man who envies a woman then want to kill the man who wants to kill and begin to kill to impose a structure of order on who does and does not get killed and all for a fucking cunt

*jumps off countertop*
I'm gay.

>>14842857
all to pass on your genes

>pretending women don't do a more subtle version of this

>>14842486
Go ahead and stir up shit.

>>14842749
>>14842765
Yes same goes for her

>>14842068
down v

Roman Catholics are quite possibly the biggest copers I've ever witnessed, it must be excruciating shouldering all that stigma that's been attributed to their religion's official administration's sinful scandals, and yet baffling that they don't try to break away from it in a schism. I guess that's the true power of sheep-thought, sticking together for the sake of inner peace because if you didn't have religion your cuck mentality wouldn't be enough to fill the gaping hole in your life. Such neglect brings consequences; the refusal to fix the problem, to remove the glaring flaw in culture, like introducing marriage in the clergy doctrine to help greatly reduce the pederasty, and dismantling the Vatican City. Tolkien believed that the mythical forces of Sauron's army from his works was based off of a spiritual reality, yet I don't think he could ever imagine that such a representation would befit his own church so well.

>>14843215
midwit observation, this is like a level one redpill.

>>14842003
me too

>>14843241
Underneath the thinly veiling insult I'm glad you agree.

>>14843241
you're the midwit cuck

>>14841991
I hate what has come of Maryland and Virginia. I've slowly seen the demographics shift in the past 12 years. I went to the mall last Christmas, a mall I've visited on and off my whole life, and I am not exaggerating when I say I was one of maybe 2-3 dozen anglos there. The hordes of hispanics, niggers, and nig-spic combo mutts are clearly not assimilating. Almost everyone of the walks around with those gay bluetooth headphones. I see white people trying to speak spanish with them.

>>14843256
>>14843260
Wasn't meant to be thinly veiled. I'm sick of observations like this because they're constantly harped upon and the most basic shit.

T. an atheist

>>14842782
Not him but should I be more concerned if I have asthma? I'm 20, physically active and healthy, but still feel a bit uneasy because of the asthma.

Hail Odin, death to His enemies

>>14842284
True humility is easiest to find through failure. In my experience the easiest way to fail is through over exercising. Find a hill and sprint up it until you collapse involuntarily. Push yourself past comfort into pain. The experience of nausea and weakness I feel at the moment has always been deeply moving and made it easy to reflect on my flaws.

>>14843446
I can understand, since atheists breathe, eat and sleep their whole lives with their crosshairs on religion.

>>14843466
Atheists are like homophobes who are disgusted by two men kissing yet can't look away and begin to get harder and harder.

>>14843452
You're unlikely to catch it because you have a young person's immune system anyways. It's respiratory infections that get people, so just be aware of how you're breathing if you start feeling sick. Then get on antibiotics if you start showing symptoms of an infection.

>>14843504
Athiests debating creationists, muslims and the catholic church is the most played out shit, it's superficial and you've just read all your arguments from dawkins and hitchens anyways. Now start talking about socioeconomic semiotics and the demographic likelihood to be religious and you've got my interest.

Read philosophy so you know why you're arguing, dont't watch creationist debates on youtube.

>>14843512
Thank you

>>14841991
Not gonna lie OP, that's not an easy ask considering how easy it is to be insincere at every opportunity.

Why are we so innundated with insincerity? Is that a result of the Death of God? What scares me a lot is that regress takes over. Not in the "let's go back to beliefs of [x] century" type. If there was a true pagan revival I would be happy. If there was an abrahamist resurgence, that wouldn't be too bad either. No, imagine if irony-layerism replaces every thought. Every sincere discussion with your friends about how you feel towards each other constantly interspersed with self-protective "ironic" statements like
>I could also be wrong about how I interpret my feelings towards you lel
Now that in itself isn't bad every once in a while, is it? But imagine this kind of insecurity latching onto every interaction, being forced to think these ultimately isolating thoughts when you buy beer from the gas station, (the cashier smiled at me, but maybe it had nothing to do with me, maybe I killed his smile and he just pretended), when you call your friends to maybe meet up (nah man like we can TOTALLY meet up and I'd be happy to but really only if YOU want it to), this being the interaction itself. Self-protective primarily.

Is that the crux of insincerity? Simply the fear of the possibility of getting hurt? How does one overcome that? Right now, part of me imagines myself sitting here with a smug look that thinks
>look at these plebs, they will be blown away by my deep insights
When in reality I know that my insights aren't that deep at all. But then there it is again that smug look that tells
>by admitting that my thoughts aren't that deep, not only do I successfully isolate myself from any accusations of self-fellating, I in turn show those who read it and take me somewhat seriously that I am indeed capable of self-fellating but, like a good king that does not want to rule, it disgusts me. Or else why would I put in all these caveats?

Why did I put in all these caveats for an empty paragraph that says little to nothing new? Did I convince anyone of anything they weren't more or less convinced of before?

Maybe I just want interaction and all of this is bait. It isn't, but it also is obvious to me, that it is. Paradoxes man, fokken everywhere.