Mirage, you seem to be making a bit of a classic mistake. Regardless about the reality of the world, it's still ultimately your life. Do not confuse reality being an illusion with that meaning you shouldn't do anything with your life. The illusion is all you have. Just use the philosophy to keep your actions in perspective.
Mirage, you seem to be making a bit of a classic mistake. Regardless about the reality of the world, it's still ultimately your life. Do not confuse reality being an illusion with that meaning you shouldn't do anything with your life. The illusion is all you have. Just use the philosophy to keep your actions in perspective.
This makes absolutely no sense. In fact I think it's going to make things worse for me.
This makes absolutely no sense. In fact I think it's going to make things worse for me.
Let me start by saying, do you have an anxiety disorder? What you seem to describe (the sleeplessness) is a preoccupation common among people with anxiety. I've know quite a few people who struggle with anxiety disorders and they all generally have the same crises it sounds like you're going through.
Looking again I phrased that first post poorly. Let me start over and expand, because I misread and was using 'reality is an illusion' to mean 'your perceptions are an illusion".
Here is the issue: you will never 'get it' completely in life. If you want to find clarity, you need to realize that even those that devote themselves to it still learn throughout their entire lives.
What is far, far more important than finding answers is always being open to learning. The best any of us can do is try to live our lives in a way that leaves without regrets. Be open to other points of view. All any of us can really do is try to be good people, and philosophies like Buddhism are ways that we try to guide our actions. But we've only got a subjective lens through which to view the world, so we'll never have a perfect objective view of it.
I'll admit I know next to nothing about Buddhism, so it seems to me you may want to seek out your local Buddhist community and talk to someone about it. What I do know is that Buddhism is a very nice philosophy, but if you're struggling with it talking about it with non-Buddhists probably isn't the best way to find a resolution. There is no harm in it, and from what I do know about Buddhism is that it tries to give people a foundation, not preach answers, which is something I like.
It honestly sounds to me like you're going through a normal, post-college existential crisis most of us go through when confronted with the rest of our lives free of coddling of our parents and society. The best answer I can give you about reality is just to find what makes you content in life and stick with it. I know that's not a 'real' answer, but no one can tell you what will make you content.
So, to sum it up more succinctly:
- Don't seek clarity itself so much as a good foundation from which to grow as a person. You will gain and lose clarity naturally throughout your life. Finding a local Buddhist group might be a good first step for you.
- Figure out what you value in life and what will make you content, and pursue those goals.
I hope this helps more than my first post did If you're still having trouble, it may be helpful to tell us exactly what kind of guidance you're looking for, because right now it seems like general existential problems.
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
This makes absolutely no sense. In fact I think it's going to make things worse for me.
Let me start by saying, do you have an anxiety disorder? What you seem to describe (the sleeplessness) is a preoccupation common among people with anxiety. I've know quite a few people who struggle with anxiety disorders and they all generally have the same crises it sounds like you're going through.
Looking again I phrased that first post poorly. Let me start over and expand, because I misread and was using 'reality is an illusion' to mean 'your perceptions are an illusion".
Here is the issue: you will never 'get it' completely in life. If you want to find clarity, you need to realize that even those that devote themselves to it still learn throughout their entire lives.
What is far, far more important than finding answers is always being open to learning. The best any of us can do is try to live our lives in a way that leaves without regrets. Be open to other points of view. All any of us can really do is try to be good people, and philosophies like Buddhism are ways that we try to guide our actions. But we've only got a subjective lens through which to view the world, so we'll never have a perfect objective view of it.
I'll admit I know next to nothing about Buddhism, so it seems to me you may want to seek out your local Buddhist community and talk to someone about it. What I do know is that Buddhism is a very nice philosophy, but if you're struggling with it talking about it with non-Buddhists probably isn't the best way to find a resolution. There is no harm in it, and from what I do know about Buddhism is that it tries to give people a foundation, not preach answers, which is something I like.
It honestly sounds to me like you're going through a normal, post-college existential crisis most of us go through when confronted with the rest of our lives free of coddling of our parents and society. The best answer I can give you about reality is just to find what makes you content in life and stick with it. I know that's not a 'real' answer, but no one can tell you what will make you content.
So, to sum it up more succinctly:
- Don't seek clarity itself so much as a good foundation from which to grow as a person. You will gain and lose clarity naturally throughout your life. Finding a local Buddhist group might be a good first step for you.
- Figure out what you value in life and what will make you content, and pursue those goals.
I hope this helps more than my first post did If you're still having trouble, it may be helpful to tell us exactly what kind of guidance you're looking for, because right now it seems like general existential problems.
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath