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  #1  
Old 1st December 2024, 02:03
The Devil, Probably. The Devil, Probably. is offline
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Default All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

The question is distinct from do you wish you were dead, and also somewhat from whether you enjoy the "little things" in life, etc. - If you weren't born there wouldn't be a need or desire to enjoy the little things of life. Or anything else for that matter.

-----

Being a social cripple has not only stripped most value from my life, but also any realistic possibility of it - leaving time killing habits and hobbies to fill the days and decades instead. I would not have consented to being born, if ever that statement could make sense. Life has mostly been one long, pointless stress fest, of never feeling at ease or comfortable around people, and of wanting to withdraw from the world but being seemingly unable to..
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  #2  
Old 1st December 2024, 02:34
anxiouslondoner anxiouslondoner is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

It's impossible to compare. Nonexistence has no properties.
I exist, so I might as well try to make the most of it within the extent available to me. That said, I won't, because I'm not inclined to act in my own interests, ultimately.
You could say the show's crap, but there's nothing else on. Might as well watch until closedown and the eternity of nothingness starts. I'm not rushing to experience that because I won't experience it. In geological terms, it will happen in the blink of an eye.
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  #3  
Old 1st December 2024, 04:14
Merritt Merritt is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

I don't know, it's hard to say when the alternative is nothingness. Ever since I was a child, I've had a very blasé attitude towards my life, not really caring about being alive beyond not wanting to experience dying. And nowadays I don't think it's a terribly big deal whether I live for another 40 days or 40 years. I guess I'm not pleased I was born, but I'm not displeased either. Just sort of... meh, it is what it is, not really arsed.

By the way, I read Steppenwolf recently and thought of you TD,P. Can't convince you to take up dancing by any chance, can I?
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  #4  
Old 1st December 2024, 10:05
biscuits biscuits is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

This is one tough question!!

I'm neither glad nor mad about it. It just is. It's one of those things that's out of our control and I wouldn't ordinarily think about it too much because I am here. Sometimes it's enjoyable and a lot of the time it's really difficult/challenging!

Maybe a question we think differently about at different stages in life as well?

I have no strong feelings either way!
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  #5  
Old 1st December 2024, 14:09
Mr. Nobody Mr. Nobody is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

I think it's interesting some times to imagine nonexistance side by side with being conscious and alive just now,
Rather than thinking of the future and achievements and all that,
If you just imagine non existence and then see what you have just now,
I think being alive just now will always trump nonexistance,

It's maybe comparing lifestyles with other people and stuff, and maybe judging where you perceive yourself to be on the social ladder and all that, that can muddy the waters.

Having said that, I can relate to the pressure of anxieties spoiling much of what life has to offer,
The anxiety of relating is a mind fvck no doubt, that spoils things SO much,

I'm sure we humans though,are all somehow misinterpreting something fundamental about life,
I'm sure we've somehow allowed existence to sometimes feel like an unbearable burden, when I'm sure it isn't at all,
It's as if our minds have somehow turned a huge blessing into a huge almost insurmountable burden,

Somehow I think that our thoughts have spun a web of ego where there really isn't one,.. but it's so difficult to get free of that,
I'm sure it's this idea of ego that is ruining everything that could be so good, so different from how we experience it?

Someone once said, "thought itself has created the thinker"
I'm sure the answer lies within that somehow?
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  #6  
Old 1st December 2024, 16:37
Aelwyn Aelwyn is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

Not pleased, no. Accepting and trying to make the best of it. The little things that you mention help quite a lot, and therefore perhaps they're not really so little after all. I'm thinking of things like a walk through a wood, watching wild animals, reading a good book.

I think Mr Nobody has a point when he mentions the ego being part of our problem, though I certainly don't think I have social anxiety because of my ego.
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  #7  
Old 1st December 2024, 16:39
BFG_ BFG_ is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

Why would I not be pleased? Nothingness or existence isn't that hard of a decision is it?
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  #8  
Old 1st December 2024, 17:56
Mike.Kzov Mike.Kzov is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

^ well, would you rather have a bowl of shit, or no bowl of shit?
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  #9  
Old 1st December 2024, 18:04
Dougella Dougella is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

^ Yeah I think some of us can probably relate to the feeling of wondering if we would have preferred to have never existed.

But overall, as Aelwyn says we do exist so we just have to try and find some positives in life i we can.
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  #10  
Old 1st December 2024, 18:07
BFG_ BFG_ is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

^^ as my life isn't comparable to a bowl of shit I'm not sure of the relevance of your comment.
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  #11  
Old 1st December 2024, 18:27
Mike.Kzov Mike.Kzov is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

^ I'm saying I think (not that it matters!) the choice could logically be between the bowl or no bowl, and not between existence and non-existence. And then I can certainly understand why someone would prefer no bowl!
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  #12  
Old 1st December 2024, 21:56
Hopeforme Hopeforme is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike.Kzov
^ I'm saying I think (not that it matters!) the choice could logically be between the bowl or no bowl, and not between existence and non-existence. And then I can certainly understand why someone would prefer no bowl!
Schrodinger's bowl
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  #13  
Old 2nd December 2024, 16:03
gregarious_introvert gregarious_introvert is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

I think that, on balance, I'm glad that I was born, although I can't say definitively as it's impossible to experience the alternative. Certainly, there were significant portions of my life, during which I wished never to have existed, but there have also been numerous times when I have felt real joy and happiness.

I have no religious beliefs, so can't claim that my life has any purpose, other than that which I assign to it, so from my perspective, life is pointless. If I were to make a balance sheet, list the pros and cons of my life, then in reality there have probably been more cons, from the daily physical bullying throughout my school years, loneliness (which still remains today), poverty, homelessness etc. but somehow those don't seem to matter when those moments of happiness come along - and I have to say that my life has got better as I've grown older, so it was all worth it in the end.

Sent from my 23021RAA2Y using Tapatalk
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  #14  
Old 2nd December 2024, 16:10
Dougella Dougella is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hopeforme
Schrodinger's bowl
Yes!
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  #15  
Old 9th December 2024, 23:06
T T is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

This is hard question to answer... part of me says yes i'm glad i was born and another part of me wish i hadn't, guess i'm torn some days i have good days and my SA and other stuff is in the background but on a bad day my SA is severe and thats all i think about is the bad stuff... i guess i got to learn to balance both the good and bad but its bloody hard!
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  #16  
Old 12th December 2024, 14:33
catlover catlover is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

For me, it’s a difficult question to answer. There have been many times when my answer was “not pleased” based on difficulties I was experiencing at the time.
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  #17  
Old 17th January 2025, 01:18
Stuufe Stuufe is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

No matter how hard my SA has been (and some days really hard!) I've never wanted to have not existed.

There's far too much pleasure in the world potentially for that to be the case.
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  #18  
Old 17th January 2025, 06:31
girlinterrupted girlinterrupted is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

Yes, I didn't use to exist, and I won't exist again at some point, so this is a nice break. Change is as good as a rest n' all that

Seriously though yes, as sh*te as it's been at points, it's also had lovely bits, even just moments, and lovely people, and love. There'll be more of both sh*te and lovely (with any luck) 'til I go back to not existing, but I wouldn't have wanted to miss the ride. Not existing for ever sounds boring, but then ofc I have no concept of that, and I guess you can't be anything if you don't exist. It breaks up the non-existence though, like popping out for a wee and eating a wispa breaks up an afternoon.
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  #19  
Old 18th January 2025, 11:05
Tembo Tembo is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

Like my answer to most things, it is ‘meh’. Not pleased but not displeased either.

There are moments of joy and wonder, but they are rare and it’s mostly just struggling to get through each day. Life shouldn’t be like that really. It probably beats non-existence though.
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  #20  
Old 18th January 2025, 11:29
anxiouslondoner anxiouslondoner is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

I'm pleased you were all born.
This forum would be a bit boring otherwise.
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  #21  
Old 29th January 2025, 23:48
choirgirl choirgirl is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

What an interesting question.
My ego doesn't like it, because that is how egos are, but at the moment I probably would choose non-existence. It makes sense that someone naturally happier should be here instead. I also felt that way in my 20s for a bit. At other times, I would have said pleased.

I think it's hard to feel its worth it if you feel youre not in your life, youve fallen out of it somehow. I feel like a guest or witness. Also my poor stress tolerance and inability to be focused and disciplined towards goals that are more than a couple of years in the future are my main reasons for failure. I lack the ruthless trait, so I'm left with luck and effort. The high tolerance for stress is pretty much needed to achieve even ordinary worthwhile things.

However, the show is not over yet! It does seem that each stage of life does give you a different gift.
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  #22  
Old 30th January 2025, 14:05
Seagull Seagull is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

100% I am. I’ve seen attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion...I’ve also seen Merritt’s avatar, which makes my skin crawl every time my mince pies land on it, conjuring up thoughts of some pervy old man (soz Merritt).
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  #23  
Old 30th January 2025, 14:53
Mr. Nobody Mr. Nobody is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

^
I watched Bladerunner a few weeks ago, so I vaguely recognised your reference,
Nexus 6 and their quest for more life, very apt
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  #24  
Old 30th January 2025, 15:18
anxiouslondoner anxiouslondoner is offline
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Default Re: All things considered, are you pleased you were born or not?

^^ I watched the video that Merritt's avatar was from a month or two ago, can't remember what it was called now (some redubbed comedy thing about a man walking around an old market)
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