Is life ultimately dissatisfying?

It sounds like you are wallowing in some Type-4 melancholy. :) I know that feeling very well - seeing only pointlessness and banality everywhere you turn. If you're not careful it can turn into deep pessimism and that's harder to budge. I keep a gratitude journal beside my bed and write in it first thing every morning, just to focus my attention on my immediate surroundings and all the things I have to be thankful for. It has really worked for me, so perhaps it will work for you too.

And good luck. Life really is wonderful, once we learn appreciate it in its simplest forms. Maybe that lesson will be your life work, but once you get there it will be worth it.

i know how to enjoy feelings and my imagination, only im afraid of losing my intelligence when i get there, im so vulnerable. Cause the magical thinking is temptating, how casting a mere feeling of magic actually makes everything feel magical and oh, if someone saw me wearing those robes when i succeeded on it at 100%. I looked at my reflection and could feel, see, that magical feeling on not only my face as i simultaneously experienced it everywhere. Intuiting into myself through reflections is fun, lols =P

and then theres that stress if i dont figure whole humanity inside out, i will be abused so many times until i have that map to defend myself by.
 
Your not Phil from Groundhog Day, so technically each day is not the same.
If it is repetitive, sounds like you need to shake up your routine a bit.
Have you got a bucket list? Maybe try to think of things that would make you satisfied.
Look at life with the glass half full, and the ideas are limitless...
It's true you change, and sometimes the things you once found satisfying aren't anymore,
that's why you need to keep going, going.
 
im trying, im trying.. But it always seems to be this same pattern how everything becomes dissatisfying the instance i feel like ive mastered it, then, i get bitter with it and after time lose my mastery and repeating just to keep myself skillful at life seems annoying. I seem to fail to find a point beyond mastery, which is a motivational flaw or inherent motivational flaw?

Its just frustrating how everything good is an illusion, im trying to accept it, if its even possible.
 
im trying, im trying.. But it always seems to be this same pattern how everything becomes dissatisfying the instance i feel like ive mastered it, then, i get bitter with it and after time lose my mastery and repeating just to keep myself skillful at life seems annoying. I seem to fail to find a point beyond mastery, which is a motivational flaw or inherent motivational flaw?

Its just frustrating how everything good is an illusion, im trying to accept it, if its even possible.

Have you ever smoked weed?
 
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The mid-late 20s are much worse.

We are both giving our subjective experience here but mine is based on not just my own experience but from what i've observed around me and the transition from teens to mid twenties seems to be often a time of turmoil possibly due to the reasons i gave before

I think that stage might even be necessary to a certain extent because it is part of the flying the nest process whereby a person becomes dissatisfied and ready to move onto a new stage. We don't have coming of age rituals like some indigenous tribes do, in our industrialised societies, to mark these transitional periods so some might be left wondering why they feel certain things when in fact there are many people going through similar experiences

My late teens early 20s were pretty much a golden age-- gaining experience and discovering new perspectives is actually quite rewarding, especially if you're in university, because there's nothing about that place that is in any way realistic. Not knowing about reality means that it could be anything… and you're willing to believe that all of these theories that have been around since forever can have some sort of real world application, and create a better, brighter world.

You can continue to discover new perspectives right through your life.....we are all evolving our perceptions all the time; if you're not learning you're dead

Concerning theories about making a better world...they are not unrealistic ideas its just that you have to be realistic about how you are going to engage with them

And then you discover the reality, and it completely crushes your idealism.

That's your subjective experience; the reality is that there is a struggle between people motivated by power and people motivated by conscience. The people of power are very strong and this might make people feel that they cannot be opposed but they are opposed all the time and it is because people have opposed them effectively that we are not all working 14 hours a day in the mills with no education, no vote, no democratic representation, or health support like we were in the industrial revolution

This is as much what young people want to rebel against as all of the 'injustice' of the world. Nobody likes to hear that clinging to unrealistic ideals is impractical-- and in reality, practicality rules. It's hard to face reality… I had a hard time with it as well.

We don't live in a 'practical' world we live in an inefficient world that only runs smoothly for the people at the very top and this is because the people at the very top decide how the world is going to be run. They're not motivated by practicality, they're motivated by power

It is not practical to cling to redundant modes of thinking and behaviour and that is why the economy is in the state it is because people have been clinging to redundant modes of thinking and behaving; crashing the economy is not 'practical'

It gets better in your early 30s, when you can embrace practicality and compromise your idealism with reality… it's easier to affect small changes that move everything in the right direction (or the direction you believe in) than to stage violent radical revolutions that are either destructive, incapable of finding support, or just won't work.

Revolution doesn't need to be violent and if you compromise to these people i guarantee you will wake up one day a slave if you aren't already

Anyways, on a related note-- I think that 'carpe diem' and 'seize the day' are bullshit. I don't even know what they mean. HOW does one seize the day, exactly? By cleaning the house? Life is not an exciting vacation where you can do whatever you want and you can always do something awesome every day.

But if someone has figured out how to do something awesome every day, please tell me.

It is more about adopting a certain perspective towards life....that it is an experience and that we should try to enjoy that experience; due to the inequality of the system this is easier for some than others; some are just trying to keep their heads above water

The one thing you won't regret on your death bed, is not having done more work

Should we live to work or should we work to live? If the system doesn't allow us to work to live then its time to change the system
 
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I don't think that life in general is dissatisfying. Yes, I think there's no universal meaning of life. You're born, you die. You eat, drink and have sex inbetween. But you can find your own meaning and make it your reason to live.
Exploring life can be a great pleasure... and also a great pain. But without pain how would you know what's pleasure(?) Life isn't just about joy and entertainment, we all know it so why demand it. We take too much for granted, we stop appreciating beauty around us and the gifts that we already own, be it our complex mind or a pair of legs.
In the matter of your daily schedule life is, of course, repetitive. Doesn't matter how terribly cliche it sounds but you never know what comes tomorrow. You think you know it... just wait for the "kaboom" moment when everything in your life turns upside down from one day to another. Your whole inner world can undergo changes in a split second. The big moment may come or it may not. The "anticipation" of what's next is already interesting.

Moreover, there's always something to learn. Why don't you give a try to anything new?
Enjoy your life while it lasts. Enjoy its multiple layers. Analyzing its every cell doesn't bring much good. There are dissatisfying life stages, there's no question about it. But even then you can just open your eyes and see all the beautiful details.
Never felt overwhelmed with beauty?
 
If you take life and break it into segments:

1: love, partnership, marriage, kids

2: sex, self respect, self image, esteem

3: work, money, desire to compete, not compete.

4: religion, god, spirituality, your beliefs for why you are here. Are we here. Science and all that you can learn from it. Physics. Evolution.

5: humility, concern, general doing good things because you can. Helping others
Give back to the environment, animals.


Then you need to understand expectations. What you believe your reason for being is, what you can reasonable expect from life.

And I think if you learn to give up desire,
if you learn to live in the now and stop chasing things you think are there, cause we all learn those things are never what they seem, and are usually just diversions from being who we really are. Every rich person I know is miserable. Life has a funny way of letting you think you are in control.
Only to find out the harder you hold onto it, the more it gets away from you.
I'll go as far as to say you don't want to be the boss. You don't want attention.
You don't want more money than you need to survive. You don't want to be feared.

Seems like life's greatest meaning or lesson. Seems like so many of us chase these desires, think we want what we see in others, money, running a business, a person of power to hire and fire. To be in movies and a star. All the attention. Everyone just wakes up everyday and envies you.

I find the moments that give my life meaning and reason for going on are when I pull over to help a dog that is hurt. To stay with my cats when they are scared of what's outside and they know they are safe inside. To stop and talk to the challenged person. Everyone dismisses them. Sometimes they just need a friend. For a moment.

Then life can be worth something.
But this race most people seem caught up in isn't worth shit.

Imagine holding a gun and taking someone's life. And you're not even sure why. Be glad for what you have cause there are many dark places you could be.
 
Yh it's a Game, and it's your job to avoid repitition, life doesn't repeat itself, it just that we repeat behaviour.

Challenge yourself. As a daily excersize, try repeating actions, and creating a different response each time. Avoid obstacles like rage, loneliness, fear etc. it's fun.

Personally, I don't buy no nonsense, guess that plays a part in my satisfaction.

Good luck :]
 
Never felt overwhelmed with beauty?

thats my initial reaction when i open myself to my imagination, and its scary. if i get through the emotional blocks, then ill still pretty much fall down, due external interference.
 
Sometimes I feel as if the people on this forum are overly dramatic and overly emotional. Bunch of cynics.
 
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Leave the computer for a few months and see if your perspective changes for the better.
If not, you could always come back and be happy to catch up on all the digital stuff you missed.

I think drugs, electronics and technology dealers have really messed with us.
Some things probably shouldn't be used and indulged as they are.

I'm on the verge of leaving this computer forever.
Feels good to unplug.
I would hope everyone could do the same.

What keeps us tethered to these things?
Answer that one for yourself.

If we are only living to feed this endless self-satisfaction, it's gonna get old.
Ultimate satisfaction is not achieved even when you have all the knowledge, power, money/prestige/respect, etc...

Just dont judge the life itself if you are not satisfied.
Consider changing the things you devote your time and energy to.

People typically are lacking discipline to change without seeing a good reason to do so.

I only see good reason to live this life and share the love all the way through.
Find truth! I recommend knowing what Love truly is, Source and All.

Life presents us with continual discovery/revelation if we will only pay attention.

Satisfaction Is beyond the Self.
 
I keep seeing this thread.
It frustrates me for some reason.
Really. Is life dissatisfying.
Life is what it is. Maybe it's what you make it. It's only as dissatisfying as you make it. Life is lying in a pile of dirt with your mom and dad dead. Life is going hungry. Life is hard. Life is sickness. Life is death. It's your choice to ignore these realities. It's your choice to have a miserable day. It's your choice to complain. It's your choice to lose gratitude. Is life dissatisfying. It's up to you. I'd suggest you have the wrong voices in your head. Take a couple weeks and spend it alone in the woods.

Just my thoughts.
But asking if life is dissatisfying to me sounds like a spoiled kid that wants something. Sorry. Just does. Life is the same for all of us. We are born. And we are hungry. Everything after that is just noise. Weren't promised anything.
 
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I think it depends on what you expect. You can't be disappointed if you don't expect anything, right? Not that that's such a positive outlook, I'll admit, but it's pretty accurate in my opinion. The more grand your hopes, the more crushing and painful your defeats. I'd say the luckiest people are those who can maintain a balanced approach to life, and can take any experience for what it is and nothing more (or less).
 
You're thinking too much.
Someone back there said go outside and enjoy nature.
That person has the answer.

We all have an annoying habit of obsessively assigning value to EVERYTHING as it relates to wants.
Not all things revolve around you.. or any one other person. It's not about life being dissatisying because that's an impossible question. Only you can make the choice to be dissatisfied.

Take a break from thinking and go someplace outdoors and just be.
Don't go sit someplace and brood and think of more questions. Go someplace and soak everything in and forget yourself.
Soak up the sensations and sounds and all sensory data.


I have had the same obsession with the cycles. It's difficult to explain it, and yet I've filled entire notebooks ranting about it.
Stop fighting the universe.
 
Ultimately dissatisfying is rather harsh when describing reality, even though a large portion of life may be discomforting. You said earlier that the only constant in life is repetition which inludes both experience and emotional responses to experiences, even thought. But I am having a difficult time grasping this concept. Sure there is a-lot of repetition in life, but not all life is repetitional. Are new experiences repetitional? Do you just experience one and realize that they are all the same? Riding on a roller-coaster may trigger fear, excitement, and joy which are something that you may have experienced before the ride, but that doesn't mean that there are a variety of levels when it comes to experience and emotion? The overwhelming emotions from one ride may be very different from other rides, so we really can't say that all things are the same.

Depression, for instance, has many layers and then comes a moment when you think that nothing could get worse, but then it does. And since there is such depth in human emotion, I don't think anyone on this planet can say that they have experienced every emotion at it's greatest depth, so then how can you say that life is ultimately dissatisfying when you haven't experienced all that life has to offer you? I don't mean to ask so many questions but this is a serious issue.

To really make clear of what I am saying, I must ask one more question and I really would like you to think about it: While you were alone at some moment in your life, did you ever feel an overwhelming sense of peace and calmness that only lasted for one moment? If you never experienced something like that again, then you cannot say everything is repetitive because some experiences only happens once.
 
I must ask this: what makes satisfaction so personal? Your aspirations: are they all about you? Your emotions: does it only matter how you feel? Of course not.

"He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied." What would impel such satisfaction?

There are not a whole lot of pains and sufferings in this world to compare to the glory of the next.

A four foot long redfish on a 20 pound spinning reel will take away all my pains for the moment. Releasing him gives me great satisfaction, and it is not based on my own self. I am abiding by the laws, I have enjoyed the strength of a great fish, I have seen his beauty up close, and I watch it swim away. Life is full of moments. Watching the wife catch a large red is satisfying. Watching a new friend catch a large fish is fulfilling. Eating boiled shrimp with corn and Polsa Kielbasa when one gets home is great. Having fresh crab cakes the next day is awesome. Fried fish filets several times during the week....I could go on and on.


My dog always near my feet because he loves me....very satisfying. The several dogs I have loved and lost over the years leave a bittersweet taste of love and yearning. Making something with the hands is great; giving it to someone, sublime.

I have lived almost 60 years, cared for those over 80, and been to several funerals I did not care to go to. I have aches and pains, cannot do everything I used to do with the same fervor and elegance, but dare say the pain is certainly not overbearing enough to take my own life. I have decided it better to stay and further experience this life. Of all the things that give me great self-satisfaction, I hold dearly the experience of a beautiful smile from a caring soul. It is like sharing that satisfaction for the moment with someone else.
 
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