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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 17 of 17. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by linkadge on June 22, 2010, at 16:10:08
I mean seriously. Why so much effort in life? WFT is the point?
Linkadge
Posted by Phillipa on June 22, 2010, at 16:10:08
In reply to What is it all for?, posted by linkadge on June 21, 2010, at 17:22:01
Don't know good question. Guess feeling like I did 15 years ago. Felt great then. Phillipa
Posted by SLS on June 22, 2010, at 16:10:08
In reply to What is it all for?, posted by linkadge on June 21, 2010, at 17:22:01
> I mean seriously. Why so much effort in life? WFT is the point?
Effort. That is what I feel, too. Constant effort. It is wearing me out. I do remember what it was like to be without depression. Things were so much easier. I don't know if I will ever see that again. Probably not. Too many drug exposures.
- Scott
Posted by Phillipa on June 22, 2010, at 16:10:09
In reply to Re: What is it all for?, posted by SLS on June 21, 2010, at 18:10:43
Scott what do you mean too many drug exposures? Phillipa
Posted by jade k on June 22, 2010, at 16:10:09
In reply to What is it all for?, posted by linkadge on June 21, 2010, at 17:22:01
> I mean seriously. Why so much effort in life? WFT is the point?
>
> LinkadgeIts better than the alternative.
~Jade
Posted by Dan_MI on June 22, 2010, at 16:10:09
In reply to What is it all for?, posted by linkadge on June 21, 2010, at 17:22:01
i stay alive because I want to see what happens in the news, politics and especially astronomy.
i hope you feel better.
> I mean seriously. Why so much effort in life? WFT is the point?
>
> Linkadge
Posted by Bob on June 22, 2010, at 16:10:09
In reply to Re: What is it all for? » linkadge, posted by jade k on June 21, 2010, at 21:10:34
> > I mean seriously. Why so much effort in life? WFT is the point?
> >
> > Linkadge
>
> Its better than the alternative.
>
> ~Jade
Really?
Posted by europerep on June 22, 2010, at 16:10:09
In reply to Re: What is it all for? » jade k, posted by Bob on June 22, 2010, at 2:11:10
> > > I mean seriously. Why so much effort in life? WFT is the point?
> > >
> > > Linkadge
> >
> > Its better than the alternative.
> >
> > ~Jade
>
>
> Really?
>
>right on..
Posted by sigismund on June 22, 2010, at 23:21:07
In reply to Re: What is it all for?, posted by europerep on June 22, 2010, at 16:10:09
I was reading some Buddhist text last night about how we can approach everything with the expectation of enjoyment and it came to something that went like this
>Dying soon? Excellent. With correct doctrine understood and diligent practice performed, no more dredging Samsara.
Posted by Dinah on June 23, 2010, at 8:44:40
In reply to What is it all for?, posted by linkadge on June 22, 2010, at 16:10:08
My kneejerk response to your post was to think of a fragment of a quote I didn't even realize I knew, but apparently heard lately. I googled it and discovered it was a quote by John Wesley.
"Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can."My thoughts are that if you judge whether life is worthwhile based on feeling good or being happy, life's worth will always be based on the ephemeral feelings of the moment. If you feel bad and have felt bad for a while and don't see many prospects for feeling better, then life must not be worthwhile.
While it's true that memory and expectations tend to be state specific, so that when you're feeling depressed you tend to remember all the times when you were depressed before and believe that you will feel depressed as far into the future as you can see. While when you're feeling well, the depressed times can seem like a bad dream that you hope will never come again. Keeping that in mind might make life's worth seem a bit more consistent.
But if you change the yardstick for measuring life's worth a bit, looking out rather than in, existential crises seem to fade into the background. Am I doing what I can to make the world a bit better place than if I weren't here? If not, what can I do to make my life mean something to those around me?
It doesn't have to be anything big. When I think of the people who have made a difference in my life, I might think of Abraham Lincoln. But I'm more likely to think of the old high school friend who called me when she heard I had a baby. She remembered that in high school, I had mentioned having a history of depression and anxiety. She wanted to ask me how I was doing, and to share her stories of postnatal depression once she heard in my voice that I wasn't really doing well. She changed my life for the better. She died a few years later from a chronic illness, and the world lost a special person. But *my* world is better because she lived. For herself, she might not have always said so.
I know it all sounds hokey. Like "It's a Wonderful Life". But maybe that movie has such eternal appeal because it has a kernel of truth at the center.
We don't have to wait for life to have meaning. We can make a choice to make our lives meaningful.
Posted by europerep on June 23, 2010, at 10:46:33
In reply to Who is it all for? What is it all about?, posted by Dinah on June 23, 2010, at 8:44:40
that are two different things.. when you judge your life, you make reference to a certain standard that you consider relevant.. like a judge judges, depending on the law that he is submitted to apply..
in depression, you do not judge, or at least I don't.. I don't compare my life to certain standards, although I'd obviously fail all those I once had.. I just "feel", and my feeling is so horrible that I know I will just not be able to live like this for another ten or twenty years... and maybe not even five..
Posted by Dinah on June 23, 2010, at 11:08:49
In reply to Re: Who is it all for? What is it all about?, posted by europerep on June 23, 2010, at 10:46:33
You're right. It is two different things.
There's the why we do it.
Then there's the can we do it.
I'm a huge coward. I always figure there's a point where the second question will be answered "no".
But the why still holds.
Posted by Dinah on June 23, 2010, at 11:10:02
In reply to Re: Who is it all for? What is it all about? » europerep, posted by Dinah on June 23, 2010, at 11:08:49
Posted by Deneb on June 24, 2010, at 2:56:43
In reply to What is it all for?, posted by linkadge on June 22, 2010, at 16:10:08
I don't know what it is all for, probably nothing. I don't believe in anything.
However, I want to live as long as I can because I'm simply curious about the future. I want to know what the world will be like 70 years from now.
I'm not depressed at the moment though, so maybe I'd change my mind if I were.
Posted by Jay_Bravest_Face on June 24, 2010, at 12:13:58
In reply to What is it all for?, posted by linkadge on June 22, 2010, at 16:10:08
> I mean seriously. Why so much effort in life? WFT is the point?
>
> LinkadgeLink...yes, seriously, your question is probably THE most asked question, ever. They should do a survey of all of the texts, philosophical, works, every religious book, and your question would even make it to number 1 on Hollywood Squares! :)
(Sorry, I just have to throw something dumb in there..heh) What has fueled me, I think, is a gazillion things. Family; Clinging to Hope; Believing in Love; Getting good hormone treatment..lol. Well, that last one, I gotta say, In the past year...I mean, it just doesn't make you horny all the time...quite different...it seems to even-out the sex drive, for the 'long run'. And it helps improve confidence, body image, mood, all things that antidepressants should do, but they did not do on their own for me. Almost nobody believes I am 40 years old...they always guess mid 20's. And it looks like I am starting a relationship with a 21 year old female. (Yes, robbing the cradle, but she is light-years mature beyond her age. My gawd, I still can't believe this is happening, though...lol)So, do yourself a favour. Try a small dose of Androgel from the doctor. 2.5 mg in 1% base is a nice, small start...and give it about 3 months. Also, with all of the pseudo-estrogens floating around causing havoc on men's bodies, a little "top up" of testosterone is likely a good thing.
Posted by jade k on June 24, 2010, at 12:55:46
In reply to Re: What is it all for?..This...... » linkadge, posted by Jay_Bravest_Face on June 24, 2010, at 12:13:58
Getting good hormone treatment..lol. Well, that last one, I gotta say, In the past year...I mean, it just doesn't make you horny all the time...quite different...it seems to even-out the sex drive, for the 'long run'. And it helps improve confidence, body image, mood, all things that antidepressants should do, but they did not do on their own for me. Almost nobody believes I am 40 years old...they always guess mid 20's. And it looks like I am starting a relationship with a 21 year old female. (Yes, robbing the cradle, but she is light-years mature beyond her age. My gawd, I still can't believe this is happening, though...lol)
>
> So, do yourself a favour. Try a small dose of Androgel from the doctor. 2.5 mg in 1% base is a nice, small start...and give it about 3 months. Also, with all of the pseudo-estrogens floating around causing havoc on men's bodies, a little "top up" of testosterone is likely a good thing.Ahh, Jay,
I could have such fun with that post...but this being a serious thread I'll leave you alone. Just don't email her ten times, haha. Okay, I think I'm done. Wait, do people think you look 25 or act 25? lol
~Jade (don't be mean to me now, I'm jk)
Posted by Continuous Relapser on June 26, 2010, at 23:49:01
In reply to What is it all for?, posted by linkadge on June 22, 2010, at 16:10:08
> I mean seriously. Why so much effort in life? WFT is the point?
>
> LinkadgeThis is the exact same question I keep coming back to. I'll shout it from the roof tops if I ever find the answer. Sometimes I think this world is a huge practical joke on all of us.
I see a new pdoc tomorrow and I just think, have I got the energy to go through all this again. It's just laughable at times. I'll be sitting in his room in 25 hours from now. Suggestions on the meds board are all welcome. Sorry to hijack, I need suggestions quickly.
This is the end of the thread.
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