Hedonists vs non-hedonists

[The Transcended Omniverse]

There are two sets of people. Those who have a need for growth and development. They value suffering, depression, and growth of character. They have no need for feelings of happiness and enjoyment. Other things are able to bring joy and meaning to their lives. These are non-hedonists.

Then there are those such as myself who have no need for growth or anything else in life. None of those things matter to me and nothing else makes my life worth living. The only thing I need is my feelings of happiness and enjoyment. Me being happy and enjoying my life and hobbies is the only thing that makes my life and hobbies worth living for. That even includes my composing. People such as myself are the hedonists.

You might call hedonism shallow and selfish, but there is nothing wrong with it as long as you are kind and respectful towards others. All that should be expected of me is that I am a kind and respectful person. Nothing more should be expected of me. I should not be frowned upon because of the fact that my feelings of happiness are the only things that make my life worth living.

Now if I were someone harmful and harmed others for the sake of happiness, then I should be frowned upon. But since I am no such person, then there is nothing wrong with living for myself and my own happiness. That makes it right. That gives me every right and respect from others if I wish to put an end to my life in the event that I live a life of depression (a non-hedonistic life which is a life not worth living to me).

It's my life and my decision. I came here to be happy and to enjoy my life since that is the only thing that makes my life worth living. If I don't get that life, then me deciding to give up on life and to put an end to my life should not be frowned upon. It should be respected since I am a kind and respectful person.

I should not be expected to live for anyone or anything else. I should not be expected to live for other things besides my own happiness. Like I said, all that should be expected of me is that I am a kind and respectful person.

Depression is suffering to me. Since depression is worthless to me, then it makes my life worthless. As long as I don't have my feelings of happiness and enjoyment, then that is a life not worth living at all. If anyone struggles with treatment resistant depression and/or treatment resistant anhedonia that can never recover, then that is a life not worth living and these people should just end their lives. They have every reason to give up and put an end to their lives.

 

[Sunstone]

Two points:

All humans are biologically inclined to seek pleasure and avoid pain. It requires remarkable effort not to.

Suffering is worthless. It guarantees growth in neither compassion, virtue, character, nor wisdom. Instead, suffering is far more likely to make us self-centered and insensitive to others.

 

[The Transcended Omniverse]

Two points:

All humans are biologically inclined to seek pleasure and avoid pain.

Suffering is worthless. It guarantees neither growth in character nor wisdom.

I agree. Depression is suffering to me. Since depression is worthless to me, then it makes my life worthless. As long as I don't have my feelings of happiness and enjoyment, then that is a life not worth living at all. If anyone struggles with treatment resistant depression and/or treatment resistant anhedonia that can never recover, then that is a life not worth living and these people should just end their lives. They have every reason to give up and put an end to their lives.

 

[Sunstone]

I agree. Depression is suffering to me. Since depression is worthless to me, then it makes my life worthless. As long as I don't have my feelings of happiness and enjoyment, then that is a life not worth living at all. If anyone struggles with treatment resistant depression and/or treatment resistant anhedonia that can never recover, then that is a life not worth living and these people should just end their lives. They have every reason to give up and put an end to their lives.

It's your business what you judge is the worth of your own life, but I would suggest you have no grounds for judging the worth of other lives.

 

[The Transcended Omniverse]

It's your business what you judge is the worth of your own life, but I would suggest you have no grounds for judging the worth of other lives.

Alright, I will actually agree with what you said here.

 

[Nietzsche]

You are the most boring hedonist I have ever met. Jesus christ.

 

[The Transcended Omniverse]

You are the most boring hedonist I have ever met. Jesus christ.

How am I boring?

 

[Nietzsche]

How am I boring?

You spend most of your time whining about how life is "pain" and how you can't be happy all the time and how none of it matters and blah blah blah. I once thought hedonism was a sure-fire way to make anyone interesting, but **** me if I weren't wrong. Do something beyond this constant whining. I ***** and moan plenty but I try to make it funny.

I'm a miserable hedonist for a variety of physical reasons, but I make the mental effort to be one. You're not even trying. Either actually be a hedonist and stop *****ing about how you're not always happy, or drop the pretense and just come out and admit you're in love with your self-pity.

 

[The Transcended Omniverse]

You spend most of your time whining about how life is "pain" and how you can't be happy all the time and how none of it matters and blah blah blah. I once thought hedonism was a sure-fire way to make anyone interesting, but **** me if I weren't wrong. Do something beyond this constant whining. I ***** and moan plenty but I try to make it funny.

I'm a miserable hedonist for a variety of physical reasons, but I make the mental effort to be one. You're not even trying. Either actually be a hedonist and stop *****ing about how you're not always happy, or drop the pretense and just come out and admit you're in love with your self-pity.

I don't get what I want. I don't get the life I want and need to live in order to make my life worth living. I have depresssion and anhedonia. Life doesn't give me what I want. However, this is actually an illusion since I can, in fact, get what I want. As long as I have to live with depression and anhedonia, then I can put an end to my life anytime I wish. Death is something I can get whenever I want.

So in the end, I win. I am victorious. I no longer have to live a life I don't want to live. It is people like you who expect me to live such a life by saying things such as to stop feeling sorry for myself and do something with my life; people such as this drive me to put an end to my life since I don't wish to listen to them and don't care about what they say.

It is my life and my decision. I can get what I want. Death is something I want and I will have it. At least you can't take that away from me and expect me to live this life I find not worth living. So in the end, I win and am victorious.

 

[Nietzsche]

I don't get what I want. I don't get the life I want and need to live in order to make my life worth living. I have depresssion and anhedonia. Life doesn't give me what I want. However, this is actually an illusion since I can, in fact, get what I want. As long as I have to live with depression and anhedonia, then I can put an end to my life anytime I wish. Death is something I can get whenever I want.

So in the end, I win. I am victorious. I no longer have to live a life I don't want to live. It is people like you who expect me to live such a life by saying things such as to stop feeling sorry for myself and do something with my life; people such as this drive me to put an end to my life since I don't wish to listen to them and don't care about what they say.

It is my life and my decision. I can get what I want. Death is something I want and I will have it. At least you can't take that away from me and expect me to live this life I find not worth living. So in the end, I win and am victorious.

Well, I can at least respect that you doubled down on the "in love with their own self-pity" bit.

 

[The Transcended Omniverse]

Well, I can at least respect that you doubled down on the "in love with their own self-pity" bit.

This was the very message I was trying to get at with all my complaining. You have gotten the wrong message with all my complaining. It's not that I am in love with my self-pity and wish to live for self-pity. It is instead that I don't wish to live such a life and I can have death anytime I wish. I don't have to listen to anyone. I don't have to be a slave to people who tell me that it is wrong and selfish for me to commit suicide. That makes me the winner since I only listen to my own personal choices and worldviews and no one else's. I could care less what anyone else says and their worldviews. So that is all the more power to me and makes me the ultimate victor.

 

[VioletVortex]

There should be a balance between hedonism and non-hedonism. The problem with most so called "hedonist" philosophies is that, in the end, they are destructive to their followers. LaVeyan Satanism would be a good example of this. There is a huge emphasis on pleasures, but knowledge is not emphasized as much, and strict followers of LaVeyan Satanism would have no idea what to do in a survival situation.

People who spend their life being non-hedonists and giving things to everyone around them are just wasting their time.

 

[OceanSoul]

The thing about depression is that it takes away enjoying the life you do have. Even people with seemingly happy, fulfilled lives can be depressed on the inside, look at how many successful and rich individuals have (or have had) personal issues like heroin addictions, have committed suicide, felt loneliness, etc. Whose life is always perfect?

Depression doesn't care about how much you have so you could be a famous actor or a homeless person as it doesn't discriminate. What you make of your life is up to you, how you look at a situation depends on your mind, only you can really find the happiness you need in life. Being unsatisfied with life when the universe throws so much at you can be hard so I'm not going to say you can't feel angry or hurt by that.

What someone sees as their source of happiness could affect others people's lives too, especially if they go overboard with it so I don't consider myself a hedonist. I *do* think people need to enjoy life for sure and have fulfillment yet those things don't always come from having stuff per se, I think it's also something that comes from within. It's fine to want to enjoy life though.

Life comes with pleasure and pain that's just a fact and some people seem to have less suffering too. No, I don't know why life is unfair either. I ask myself questions about struggle and the meaninglessness of it all too.

Be strong and enjoy the short time you have since that is all you can be certain of and just something to keep in mind is that death is an irreversible condition. No one is invincible, but they, you, and me have some power over our lives, IMO.