Driving to work I had a Nihilistic moment.

[G-MAN2004]

This is why I reckon I'm going to do a Chris McCandless. Sell everything I own, go travel and probably not come back. The thought of working for the next 50-60 years is horrible.

 

[One]

I find it best to have a hobby or small project that when you realise you've spent 4 hours of your precious weekend on reddit and internet forums and it's only 1pm on Saturday you can log off and go and do something that is actually rewarding.

Thing's I've done/do:

Started to learn German on Duolingo
Learnt how to solve a rubiks cube in under a minute
Building a clock based on an arduino
Motorbiking
Go for lunch with mates

I'm also a fan of occasionally spending a day hungover in bed watching the lord of the rings trilogy. Or binging a TV show.

Ultimately just make sure you do things you actually enjoy and can talk about when you're at work. Something when you are going through the monotony of work you can think about or plan things you want to do in your head. It makes the day easier to get through.

You've averaged about 3000 posts a year on this place. No wonder you're not feeling fulfilled. You've got nothing to show for it and this website could shutdown and vanish tomorrow and nobody would ever know easyrider ever existed. I think I spend too much time on here and reddit. I've been making a point if when I notice I'm clicking refresh because I'm bored to log off and stand up. Even if it's only to sit down somewhere else and watch a tv show.

 

[Dup]

Great post Housey. I really appreciate it.

I'm 30. I own a house (small terraced shed) that needs at leask 10k work to be livable, this is in joint with someone who wants nothing to do with it. So I live with my parents and pay for the house. It's on the market for 8k less it's worth, and I get offers 5k less than that only. I work 24 miles away by car (or 20 when I cycle to save money), I hate my job but love the work I do. I have had some amazingly positive job interviews locally for places that could really push me and my career forward as they would have been the perfect environment, but sadly they changed the goalposts at the last moment to then select someone else.

Problem for me is, it is money. The house I thought would sell and I just wanted to put it and the bad memories behind, but she didn't bother filling out her side of the short sale forms when I got an offer. Now I see it as an investment. If I can earn (or save) £150 a month I can take the mortgage on solo. I would then focus on making it at the least rentable, depending on how my situation pans out, or live there in the mean time. Really it wants gutting.

I do however feel I'm just stuck between a rock and hard place. I keep trying to be positive but frankly even though it's just a margin to bridge to make progress, I'm 30 and it's slow going. I want a family, kid(s) and that special someone. It's all I truly care about. But sadly in my situation I am not really a good prospect for someone, and by the time I might be it'll probably be too late to truly enjoy family life and have a relative degree of comfort.

Some days I feel like going full vagabond, just selling all I have, getting as much physical cash in my pocket as possible and just leave the mess behind. Let her deal with the house, let it be repossesed and just go be free. My family is really only my parents anyway and they'd understand. But I'm too controlled for that. In many ways I'm introvert but in others I'm wild and free. It's strange.

I'm sure I'll work it out. But I just feel like I'll never get the upper hand in this situation and I'll always be on the back foot while others seemingly get on with their lives happily and easily.

This is why I reckon I'm going to do a Chris McCandless. Sell everything I own, go travel and probably not come back. The thought of working for the next 50-60 years is horrible.

Yeah, this story and the movie based on it doesn't help my train of thought!

 

[easyrider]

I'm sure I'll work it out. But I just feel like I'll never get the upper hand in this situation and I'll always be on the back foot while others seemingly get on with their lives happily and easily.

That is the illusion. All the things you have mentioned are material shackles that can easily be dealt with.

Just get rid.

Most people I know who are in these perceived relationships are either making compromises to often to keep the peace or utterly miserable.

My sister is happy to work part time in a flower shop while her husband goes to work around the country. She's happy with her EastEnders and strictly and Celeb big brother.

This philosophical suicide is keeping her in check.

I'm guilty of it. I buy guitars...I commit philosophical suicide buy consumerism. I have to many guitars, I'm deluding myself the fruits of my labour mean anything by buying stuff I don't need.

I want a new GT86..I have a BMW with nothing wrong with it.But creating meaning in the job I do that allows me to even ponder such purchases is utterly pointless its own right.

In reality its all meaningless and tragic. But 99% of the time I'm not aware of this...

 

[Puzzled]

I think most people have these thoughts from time to time, it's just some are better at ignoring them than others.

Personally I tend to get stuck in negativity at times, particularly around work. I can honestly look back at the last 10 years and say nothing I've done at work has made any real impact or been of any significance. I've done all the jobs well but my god they feel pointless.

I only know a couple of people that seem genuinely happy and they are those annoying ray of sunshine types .
Everyone else just seems to plod along or they have kids and do it all for them.

 

[pepp77]

a very pessimistic view of our existence. A great philosopher once said:

Yeah, well, everyone dies. You're born, and you die. The bit in the middle's called life, and that's still to come!

So, life and death are certainties, what you do with your existence is your choice - there are no re-runs.

When did Lister become a great philosopher?

 

[SexyGreyFox]

I can't answer that for you. But in my case my long term goal is to start my own business becasue I'm not prepared to push other people's rocks uphill any more.

And then you just have different rocks to push

 

[Raymond Lin]

We can all give up and be a hippie, or these days, live on benefits.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

We can all give up and be a hippie, or these days, live on benefits.

Just different rocks

 

[Zethor]

This never happens to me, I'm an incurable optimist. Also, the world has changed so much in my lifetime , I just can't wait to see what happens next.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Just different rocks

Exactly.

Just do what makes you happy, be it materialistic or artistic expression.

Make a difference to the world hopefully in a good way, be it a smaller way like kind to your neighbour or getting the Nobel Peace Price....

All the while knowing that eventually the sun will go supernova and wipe out every trace of this planet ever existed. (assuming we don't figure out how to leave this solar system)

 

[ivrytwr3]

When did Lister become a great philosopher?

Good spot

 

[Zefan]

All the while knowing that eventually the sun will go supernova and wipe out every trace of this planet ever existed. (assuming we don't figure out how to leave this solar system)

In which case bear in mind that scientific predictions for our universe point towards heat death.

 

[Mart2912]

What I'm trying to say is that no amount of changing things will result in anymore happiness once you have the sudden realisation its all pointless.

Its this rejection of meaning that in reality makes us free..And that is what scared me for a moment. The mere fact 99% of the time we distract ourselves with stuff (religion,things, money,power etc) enables us to function

But in reality we are not functioning at all. We are just existing with a deluded sense of meaning to our world. This meaning providing us with perceived essence.

Logically, I would agree with you and have too thought like this many times. And like you say, it's the distractions in life which keep you going.

I feel quite lost in life at the moment. When I left Uni 8 years ago, I thought I had it all worked out and all of the pieces would just all come together. What has happened instead is the complete opposite. Trying to figure out what you want from life is far from easy.

 

[Trifid]

I've had this thought before. But then realised that at least my life isn't dominated by the need to gather the basics to feed myself like many less fortunate.

I have a similar thoughts about cycle machines when you can be outside on a real bike.

 

[mattyfez]

I depends on the individual... I used to be very materialistic..

I'm approaching 40 and have always been a work to live type person, that's not to say I'm not ambitious, but I've had fast cars and been to fancy restaurants and all that jazz.. I'm quite happy going out to the Pennines on my push rod, stopping for a few ales and pork pies along the way looking like a complete scruff.. I'd rather be out in the country rather than living a glitzy city life... It all seems far too much hassle.

 

[easyrider]

Just do what makes you happy,

That in itself is illusion.

According to Aristotle, happiness consists in achieving, through the course of a whole lifetime, all the goods — health, wealth, knowledge, friends, etc. — that lead to the perfection of human nature and to the enrichment of human life. This requires us to make choices, some of which may be very difficult. Often the lesser good promises immediate pleasure and is more tempting, while the greater good is painful and requires some sort of sacrifice.

Aristotle would be strongly critical of the culture of “instant gratification” which seems to predominate in our society today. In order to achieve the life of complete virtue, we need to make the right choices, and this involves keeping our eye on the future, on the ultimate result we want for our lives as a whole. We will not achieve happiness simply by enjoying the pleasures of the moment. Unfortunately, this is something most people are not able to overcome in themselves. As he laments, “the mass of mankind are evidently quite slavish in their tastes, preferring a life suitable to beasts”

I'm sometime embarrassed at my consumerism in the pursuit of happiness...

 

[Deleted member 66701]

He gets off the treadmill, showers, changes and when i get to the office, he is already there with a big grin on his face and says, "I just quit".

I had that exact same realisation 3 years ago and saying a big **** *** to work was an awesome day at the office!

I'm now half way through year two of a degree

 

[easyrider]

I had that exact same realisation 3 years ago and saying a big **** *** to work was an awesome day at the office!

I'm now half way through year two of a degree

Iv'e done that before...I walked into work...Come tea break at 10 am I had resigned and 3 months Later I was doing a degree at university.

Its when you get the good paid job after you graduate that traps you

 

[mattyfez]

With work it really depends on the ethos of the company.. And colleagues.. I've worked at some horrible soul destroying places..