What gives you the strength to go on?

Hello, I am a regular contribuitor to the wiki but I am currently using a Sock Puppet due to the sensitive (and whiny) issue I am about to discuss.

Over the years I have become utterly disillusioned about the state of humanity, mostly due to the handling of the current economical crisis. It seems as if the current state of economical affairs will continue for years, leaving an entire generation of which I am part utterly devastated and facing a bitter future. While I do believe that there is room for improvement for the broken systems in certain places (mostly the US, in which I don't live) what truly frightens me is that I do not see any SENSIBLE alternative to the way things have been run. And I feel many think the same way: one thing that truly infuriates me is how in reponse to austerity measures pretty much everyone says "This isn't the way", "Alternatives must be taken" etc, NO ONE seems to suggest ANY alternatives. And those who do suggest utterly impractical things like the end of capitalism (not the end of unregulated capitalism but capitalism itself) or weird utopic nonsense like the Zeitgeist Project. Not to mention everything being said about climate change which from the data being thrown about means this is humanity's last century. I weep for the current generation of children since my vision of their future is an image of their bloodied corpses amid the ruins of civilization.

As a result of this coupled with the fact that I don't have that many friends have reduced me to a state in which I feel as if I only live due to sheer inercia. Let me reassure everyone here since I know what you are all thinking: I could NEVER kill myself as I believe that would crush my family and few friends I have left. Yet, whereas certain people would find inner strength and fight the "hopeless battle" I instead find myself paralysed and wishing that there was some way of giving up a game that I am being forced to play every though I have already lost. So I would like everyone here, seeing as you all come from such different walks of life: what gives you the strength to keep going? And if you don't mind, do you have any suggestions so I can find it as well?

Inertia and dreams of fame.

It's not a battle and it's not hopeless. The majority of people out there are honest, hardworking people who are friendly enough. Despite how bad things seem now, history has a tendency to play a balancing act, so this will come to pass and life will continue, more or less the same, even with a few bumps along the way.

Inner strength? Just find something that you enjoy and make that the route of your life. For me, I just tend to find helping people to be reason enough to continue on, there's just something very fulfilling in that.

I'll be blunt and to the point: Jesus. Some others here would agree.

No matter how screwed up we are, and how screwed up I am, He still went to the cross for me. (and you, too.) That gives me hope. On His strength I can go on.

Others may cite Family, Friends, Creed or Some Other Thing which is all well and good to a degree,{Judgementalism and Flame bait removed. Anyway, it only weakened your point. — Madrugada}

edited 18th Nov '11 5:42:43 AM by Madrugada

Shit, son, strength to go on? My life isn't some kind of Edgar Allan Poe's walk through the woods. I don't go on. I just am, and if the world has a problem with this, then the world can kindly fuck off.

I don't need a reason beyond the fact that I am here, so I might as well make the best of it.

{Don't take the bait. — Madrugada}

edited 18th Nov '11 5:43:15 AM by Madrugada

Love

I live for Jesus, my family, and my friends. My friends in particular inspire me to push myself in my studies so that I might someday improve lives through medical treatment.

As you too have few friends, I'm aware of how precious they must be to you.

edited 17th Nov '11 10:25:10 AM by Firebert

― Stephen Colbert

It may sound silly, but this quote had a profound effect on me when I first read it - I realised there's no point in doom and gloom. Faith manages.

edited 17th Nov '11 10:26:10 AM by pagad

I don't need strength to go on. There's always something to look forward to. I can hug my dog, eat a flower, read, or watch something on tv. Maybe write. The big stuff doesn't get in the way of me enjoying the small stuff and there's a lot of small stuff to enjoy. I almost got in a wreck the other day watching a rainbow on the way to work. That totally made my day! Whatever else happened, I had that pretty morning rainbow.

In other words: simplify. If you're zoning in on and are overwhelmed by all these things you're taking in, take a step back and a deep breath and, well, eat a cookie. Or look at a flower for a couple minutes. Watch the clouds. Run out in the cold cold rain and run back in so you can enjoy how much warmer your house suddenly feels and can solidly bitch about your wet clothing. Play a video game with concrete goals and bright colors. Just keep it simple until you can be calm and centered.

edited 17th Nov '11 10:29:11 AM by Bur

Also, economic crises come and go. If you get too worked up about them every time, you'll live a short and stressed life.

To expand on what I said above: improvement of both the world and myself. I aspire to be a better man every day, which I attempt by studying a little, reading a little, exercising a little each and every day. Try to improve yourself in multiple areas. Start reading more books, do some pushups and situps when you wake up and before you go to sleep (or just whenever you have free time and could use an adrenaline rush), spend some time outside just enjoying nature (even though it's getting progressively colder). Just do what makes you happy.

I've always strived to be an idealist, but recent events have tested that. Friends and family are important yes...on the individual level. Let's look at the big picture. If the future of humanity is really going to be as dark as some make it out to be, then there really isn't much point in continuing.

I'd rather die than live in a world where I am unable to live a private life and speak my mind, or a world where the environment has been irreparably damaged, or one where our civilization falls because of a devastating economic crash.

I cannot bring myself to live or leave a legacy in a new dark age, so we'd better get our act together in the near future.

edited 17th Nov '11 10:41:26 AM by SonofOrion

Genetically inherited stubbornness and a fear of death, basically.

Otherwise, I feel the same way you do, that this world is messed up, yet the people in power refuse to do anything about it even though there's answers and solutions that are available and that would fix things.

So, you'd rather ragequit the match than try to turn it around?

Fair 'nuff. Takes all kinds.

edited 17th Nov '11 10:41:18 AM by Korochun

@Sonof Orion: That's not the big picture. The Earth is a speck of dust and our whole solar system is completely irrelevant. (Somehow, that thought makes me feel very pleased.)

edited 17th Nov '11 10:42:54 AM by fanty

It'd take decades to turn such a catastrophe around. A catastrophe that we can easily avoid today. If we can't get over ourselves and do that, then what's the point?

I honestly don't give a damn about the rest of the universe. We're the only sapient species we know of. We're all that matters. We've come so far, and that makes me proud, but to see it all come crumbling down at this point would just shatter my will to live.

edited 17th Nov '11 10:45:43 AM by SonofOrion

Pagad: Nice quote, worth repeating.

When I'm too downhearted to get out of bed in the morning, I've learned that just forcing myself to do things gets me back in the groove. As far as historical trends, this involves doing enough to know that I'm slowing the progress of the Disaster Train a bit. That's as good as anybody who isn't a genius innovator or phenomenal public speaker can do, yes?

edited 17th Nov '11 10:43:46 AM by DomaDoma

To lick snowflakes off the the tips of your gloved fingers. Point enough for me!

I don't need a higher cause or a big picture. Nothing we do will destroy the world. We may ruin it for ourselves and quite a lot of plants and critters, but there'll be something that survives, and new critters and plants will pop up.

Species come and go. That's the way of the world. We'll come and go too, and while I'd rather it not be by our own hands (because some other sapient species down the line will figure it out and laugh at us), well... why sweat the inevitable? Enjoy what you've got, treat people well, have some pumpkin pancakes.

edited 17th Nov '11 10:48:12 AM by Bur

Screw that. :P Nothing in this world matches up to what we've accomplished.

edited 17th Nov '11 10:47:23 AM by SonofOrion

Appearently the mere will to survive is not enough for most people here. I frankly don't see why you're all on whiny mode or "for Jesus" mode; I see the world at face value, no matter how important it is to plan for the future. Unless there was an absolute state of monotony, I simply live without thinking why I want to be alive.

I have plenty of ambitions, but if the grasp of death claims me before they are commited, I won't raise a fuss.

YMMV I think microscopic critters oxygenating our ocean was a pretty big and impressive thing that we haven't matched.

edited 17th Nov '11 10:49:55 AM by Bur

We will, once we are able to start terraforming planets!

edited 17th Nov '11 10:52:27 AM by SonofOrion