Existential Question...

[Vee]

When I look at the world today, sometimes I find myself wondering why my parents didn't wear a condom and spare me all this insanity. I'm not suicidal and I'm not blaming my parents for anything. They did the best they knew. But seeing things getting crazier by the day, knowing that it will get much worse before it gets better... it makes me think.
I love life, love this planet and I'm grateful for every thing I am and have, but if I had a choice, I don't know if I would have been born. Do the good things compensate the bad? Maybe for some people, I guess.
I still don't know the answer to my own question. I don't know if I would have wanted to be born into this world, given the chance. Pointless question, I know.

 

[exchemist]

When I look at the world today, sometimes I find myself wondering why my parents didn't wear a condom and spare me all this insanity. I'm not suicidal and I'm not blaming my parents for anything. They did the best they knew. But seeing things getting crazier by the day, knowing that it will get much worse before it gets better... it makes me think.
I love life, love this planet and I'm grateful for every thing I am and have, but if I had a choice, I don't know if I would have been born. Do the good things compensate the bad? Maybe for some people, I guess.
I still don't know the answer to my own question. I don't know if I would have wanted to be born into this world, given the chance. Pointless question, I know.

Do you have children?

 

[Vee]

Do you have children?

No. I've never had the slightest desired of being a mother.

 

[exchemist]

No. I've never had the slightest desired of being a mother.

Thought so.

When I'm tempted by such thoughts, I just have to think of my son and it all seems worthwhile.

In fact, the reason I eventually decided to get a serious girlfriend and get married was because I found myself, in my late 30s, increasingly wondering what the purpose of my existence was. I had a nice life: lots of rowing, a good job, girls, house, agreeable sports car, etc.....but I felt dissatisfied. Initially it was getting married that gave me a sense of purpose, and then my son arrived and gave both of us a new goal.

It may be banal but I suspect a family is what many people find gives meaning to their lives.

 

[Gargovic Malkav]

When I look at the world today, sometimes I find myself wondering why my parents didn't wear a condom and spare me all this insanity. I'm not suicidal and I'm not blaming my parents for anything. They did the best they knew. But seeing things getting crazier by the day, knowing that it will get much worse before it gets better... it makes me think.
I love life, love this planet and I'm grateful for every thing I am and have, but if I had a choice, I don't know if I would have been born. Do the good things compensate the bad? Maybe for some people, I guess.
I still don't know the answer to my own question. I don't know if I would have wanted to be born into this world, given the chance. Pointless question, I know.

Oh well.

 

[Left Coast]

When I look at the world today, sometimes I find myself wondering why my parents didn't wear a condom and spare me all this insanity. I'm not suicidal and I'm not blaming my parents for anything. They did the best they knew. But seeing things getting crazier by the day, knowing that it will get much worse before it gets better... it makes me think.
I love life, love this planet and I'm grateful for every thing I am and have, but if I had a choice, I don't know if I would have been born. Do the good things compensate the bad? Maybe for some people, I guess.
I still don't know the answer to my own question. I don't know if I would have wanted to be born into this world, given the chance. Pointless question, I know.

I love being alive despite the awful things of the world. However, I have to say that I'm not at all sad to see that birthrates are declining in various places. At a certain point there are just too many of us on this little rock, which I think contributes to a lot of our problems (climate change, homelessness, plastic islands in the ocean, etc.).

 

[Estro Felino]

Fear.
Fear is our first enemy.

I am not afraid of anything any more.

The world is becoming scarier and scarier, nowadays. No doubt about that.
In the last 2 years I have met wonderful people that made me understand many things.

 

[sun rise]

I see and react to all that is going on in the world today. But behind that is the belief that we're, in the words of the song, seeing the shattering of enslaving forms:

When darkness seeks to hold
The hears of men in fear,
When men cry out for help
And no one seems to hear,
That is when I rise again
To shatter forms enslaving men
To let a newer world be born

 

[viole]

When I look at the world today, sometimes I find myself wondering why my parents didn't wear a condom and spare me all this insanity. I'm not suicidal and I'm not blaming my parents for anything. They did the best they knew. But seeing things getting crazier by the day, knowing that it will get much worse before it gets better... it makes me think.
I love life, love this planet and I'm grateful for every thing I am and have, but if I had a choice, I don't know if I would have been born. Do the good things compensate the bad? Maybe for some people, I guess.
I still don't know the answer to my own question. I don't know if I would have wanted to be born into this world, given the chance. Pointless question, I know.

If you are religious, then everything is according to God’s will. And you should rejoice for it.

ciao

- viole

 

[amorphous_constellation]

I was sent here to chase understanding, and maybe express understanding, if I can capture some of that thing which I was sent to understand. The conditions are difficult for us all. But I find them unusual, having a flawed mind and self, and being surrounded by many with their own unusual flaws. Part of the answer seems to be transcendence of all these things, which involves the faith in change, and the acceptance of my flaws. And then, to enlarge my subjective view, to build it into something that can understand. I don't know

 

[Vee]

Fear.
Fear is our first enemy.

I am not afraid of anything any more.

The world is becoming scarier and scarier, nowadays. No doubt about that.
In the last 2 years I have met wonderful people that made me understand many things.

I'm not afraid, on the contrary, I have a hope that gets me through the day. I'm just tired.

 

[Vee]

If you are religious, then everything is according to God’s will. And you should rejoice for it.

ciao

- viole

I have great hope in God, but suffering and injustice will never make me happy. I don't think God is happy about it either.

 

[F1fan]

When I look at the world today, sometimes I find myself wondering why my parents didn't wear a condom and spare me all this insanity. I'm not suicidal and I'm not blaming my parents for anything. They did the best they knew. But seeing things getting crazier by the day, knowing that it will get much worse before it gets better... it makes me think.
I love life, love this planet and I'm grateful for every thing I am and have, but if I had a choice, I don't know if I would have been born. Do the good things compensate the bad? Maybe for some people, I guess.
I still don't know the answer to my own question. I don't know if I would have wanted to be born into this world, given the chance. Pointless question, I know.

You must be in your 20's. Or your 30's. Or your 40's. Or your 50's. Or your 60's.

Most all thoughtful people I know of various ages have similar feelings. Many people I know in their 30's-40's have opted not to have kids because this planet seems on the verge of some serious problems and civil collapse. The rise of authoritarianism all over the worlds nd the decline of democracy, and more minorities growing in populations, a lot can see signs of trouble on the horizon. Much of this is by a minority of citizens in societies that feel their power is threatened. Most citizens want stability but they see it in different ways. the majority tend to see democracy and fairness as a way to maintain stability, while the minority tend to see their hold on power as a means to stability. We see this rift at play in the USA right now. The resolution is likely to be ugly.

I'm in my 50's and I'm at the point in life that I have lived pretty well, and now want to live a long life just to watch the drama unfold.

 

[Estro Felino]

I'm not afraid, on the contrary, I have a hope that gets me through the day. I'm just tired.

I understand.

 

[Eyes to See]

When I look at the world today, sometimes I find myself wondering why my parents didn't wear a condom and spare me all this insanity. I'm not suicidal and I'm not blaming my parents for anything. They did the best they knew. But seeing things getting crazier by the day, knowing that it will get much worse before it gets better... it makes me think.
I love life, love this planet and I'm grateful for every thing I am and have, but if I had a choice, I don't know if I would have been born. Do the good things compensate the bad? Maybe for some people, I guess.
I still don't know the answer to my own question. I don't know if I would have wanted to be born into this world, given the chance. Pointless question, I know.

Even in the Bible god fearing people at times didn't want to continue to live and expressed their desire to die, and some like you to have never been born. The example that pops to my mind is Job. After suffering all the calamity that Satan had befall him, and then having to endure the torturous false accusations of three false comforters who did nothing but stick a finger in the wound as it were, and even his own wife turning on him and God he expressed his grief this way:

"Why did I not die at birth?
Why did I not perish when I came from the womb?
Why were there knees to receive me
And breasts to nurse me?
For now I would be lying down undisturbed;
I would be sleeping and at rest."
-Job 3:11-13.

I think everyone going through trials of life can come to a point where they feel that way.

A comforting Psalm to remember:

"Jehovah is close to the brokenhearted;
He saves those who are crushed in spirit."
-Psalm 34:18.

Know that you are dearly loved by our Father in the heaven Jehovah God, and he sees what you are going through and he is there to take care of you.

And he wants us to be happy that we are alive and to rejoice. As the Psalmist exclaims:

"Boast about his holy name. Let the hearts of those seeking Jehovah rejoice."-Psalm 105:3.

And Jehovah had these words inspired for those who are his witnesses:

"Always rejoice in the Lord. Again I will say, Rejoice!"-Philippians 4:4.

What I have come to realize in my trials of life, that while they can bring us down, Jehovah is always there to help. And he is a happy God and he is always there to give us comfort, he is the God of all comfort, so that we may comfort others:

"Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of tender mercies and the God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our trials so that we may be able to comfort others in any sort of trial with the comfort that we receive from God."-2 Corinthians 1:3-4.

Here is an uplifting spiritual music video that encourages you to rejoice! Always! Even when seeing others suffer, and even when you suffer and go through trials and tribulations:

https://www.jw.org/en/library/videos/#en/mediaitems/pub-osg_69_VIDEO

 

[exchemist]

I'm not afraid, on the contrary, I have a hope that gets me through the day. I'm just tired.

You are in Paris (I think?) in January. This is classically the time of year when those of us in the cold of N Europe feel a bit wan and miserable. So there may be a seasonal element to how you feel as well. You may need sunshine. Skiing in the Alps?

 

[Nimos]

When I look at the world today, sometimes I find myself wondering why my parents didn't wear a condom and spare me all this insanity. I'm not suicidal and I'm not blaming my parents for anything. They did the best they knew. But seeing things getting crazier by the day, knowing that it will get much worse before it gets better... it makes me think.
I love life, love this planet and I'm grateful for every thing I am and have, but if I had a choice, I don't know if I would have been born. Do the good things compensate the bad? Maybe for some people, I guess.
I still don't know the answer to my own question. I don't know if I would have wanted to be born into this world, given the chance. Pointless question, I know.

The world have always been fairly crazy to be honest and I guess our time is not any different. The world have always been driven by wrong intentions, its not about human wellbeing or what else everyone would like. Even if you are one of the lucky ones that living in a wealthy country and have access to a lot of benefits and life enhancing things. Most of these things are available at the expend or cost of someone else somewhere in the chain, the system is not designed to secure everyone a decent life or designed to secure the wellbeing of Earth in general.

And I agree with you that things are going to get worse and probably much worse, before it either collapses or things are changed. And I doubt that things will change, because its impossible to do this unless everyone agrees to change it, which will never happen as I see it.

But as I see it we (the next generations) have to pray that science and our ability of engineering can solve these things, because I don't see anything else being able to do it. It will definitely not be a political solution as I see it.

 

[Guitar's Cry]

We are emotional beings in a tumultuous Universe. When I get existential malaise I let it run its course and remember that, to quote The Talking Heads, "it's the same as it ever was." Eventually, what I experience as the "self" will return to the same state it was before I was born, and so by allowing the current of change to carry me where it will, I will arrive at the peace of no longer being a conscious being that feels emotions.

 

[Vee]

You are in Paris (I think?) in January. This is classically the time of year when those of us in the cold of N Europe feel a bit wan and miserable. So there may be a seasonal element to how you feel as well. You may need sunshine. Skiing in the Alps?

I'm in Bordeaux. The wine is better

 

[Vee]

Even in the Bible god fearing people at times didn't want to continue to live and expressed their desire to die, and some like you to have never been born. The example that pops to my mind is Job. After suffering all the calamity that Satan had befall him, and then having to endure the torturous false accusations of three false comforters who did nothing but stick a finger in the wound as it were, and even his own wife turning on him and God he expressed his grief this way:

"Why did I not die at birth?
Why did I not perish when I came from the womb?
Why were there knees to receive me
And breasts to nurse me?
For now I would be lying down undisturbed;
I would be sleeping and at rest."
-Job 3:11-13.

I think everyone going through trials of life can come to a point where they feel that way.

A comforting Psalm to remember:

"Jehovah is close to the brokenhearted;
He saves those who are crushed in spirit."
-Psalm 34:18.

Know that you are dearly loved by our Father in the heaven Jehovah God, and he sees what you are going through and he is there to take care of you.

And he wants us to be happy that we are alive and to rejoice. As the Psalmist exclaims:

"Boast about his holy name. Let the hearts of those seeking Jehovah rejoice."-Psalm 105:3.

And Jehovah had these words inspired for those who are his witnesses:

"Always rejoice in the Lord. Again I will say, Rejoice!"-Philippians 4:4.

What I have come to realize in my trials of life, that while they can bring us down, Jehovah is always there to help. And he is a happy God and he is always there to give us comfort, he is the God of all comfort, so that we may comfort others:

"Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of tender mercies and the God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our trials so that we may be able to comfort others in any sort of trial with the comfort that we receive from God."-2 Corinthians 1:3-4.

Here is an uplifting spiritual music video that encourages you to rejoice! Always! Even when seeing others suffer, and even when you suffer and go through trials and tribulations:

https://www.jw.org/en/library/videos/#en/mediaitems/pub-osg_69_VIDEO

I'm aware, but thanks for the thought.