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i place my bets on existential depression from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_giftedness#Depression http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_gifte

by tokipin 19y ago

i place my bets on existential depression from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_giftedness#Depression http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_giftedness#Depress... "A number of people have noted a higher incidence of existential depression [in the gifted], which is depression due to highly abstract concerns such as the finality of death, the ultimate unimportance of individual people, and the meaning (or lack thereof) of life." they recognize the irrelevance of everything. it's not uncommon for all types of people to have these sorts of thoughts, but the very abstractive abilities of the gifted mean these are more than just thoughts to them. these issues are as clear, concrete, and tangible as a brick wall is to mere normal humans compounding things is the fact that these gifted people hold nature in the highest regard, and see it as the only arbiter of truth. they can't escape the irrelevance of everything, because that's just how nature is it's a painful QED

akkartik 19y ago
Here's my shield against existential depression, arrived at after much pain (with major influences): Notice that you don't bother wondering what it all means when you're having fun. Meaning comes from having fun. (http://www.amazon.com/Just-Fun-Story-Accidental-Revolutionary/dp/0066620724 http://www.amazon.com/Just-Fun-Story-Accidental-Revolutionar...) Having fun usually involves work. (http://scrapbook.akkartik.name/post/24169645 http://scrapbook.akkartik.name/post/24169645 http://scrapbook.akkartik.name/post/21256293 http://scrapbook.akkartik.name/post/21256293) How do you figure out what you love? Do something, see where it leads. Iterate between the doing and the loving as fast as you can. Sketch. (http://scrapbook.akkartik.name/post/24170012 http://scrapbook.akkartik.name/post/24170012 http://scrapbook.akkartik.name/post/24169153 http://scrapbook.akkartik.name/post/24169153 http://scrapbook.akkartik.name/post/1451852 http://scrapbook.akkartik.name/post/1451852) What you love is a moving target, it changes with you. If you neglect it you will lose it.
- michaelneale 19y ago
  I prefer the "dolphin" approach (from Hitchikers guide...). Where the dolphins think they are the most intelligent because all they do is muck about in the water having a good time.
pchivers 19y ago
Here a link to a previous discussion of existential depression on Hacker News: Existential Depression in Gifted Individuals http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=78594 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=78594
chandler 19y ago
> they recognize the irrelevance of everything...they can't escape the irrelevance of everything, because that's just how nature is...QED In science, when a model of the world ceases to be useful, the smart thing to do is to find a better model. Even if there is an objective nature, animals can only hope to experience it subjectively (our brains are remarkable at filtering physical input received from the five senses, and our world view is shaped by a lifetime of filtering and selecting input). Consequently, the gifted "everything is irrelevant" individual will be depressed, not because everything is actually irrelevant, but because the individual believes this to be the case (moreover, whether or not "everything is actually irrelevant" is actually irrelevant is the follow up joke). It's a shame that many gifted depressives are apparently so emotionally attached to this ugly model.
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by tokipin 19y ago

akkartik 19y ago

Here's my shield against existential depression, arrived at after much pain (with major influences): Notice that you don't bother wondering what it all means when you're having fun. Meaning comes from having fun. (http://www.amazon.com/Just-Fun-Story-Accidental-Revolutionary/dp/0066620724 http://www.amazon.com/Just-Fun-Story-Accidental-Revolutionar...) Having fun usually involves work. (http://scrapbook.akkartik.name/post/24169645 http://scrapbook.akkartik.name/post/24169645 http://scrapbook.akkartik.name/post/21256293 http://scrapbook.akkartik.name/post/21256293) How do you figure out what you love? Do something, see where it leads. Iterate between the doing and the loving as fast as you can. Sketch. (http://scrapbook.akkartik.name/post/24170012 http://scrapbook.akkartik.name/post/24170012 http://scrapbook.akkartik.name/post/24169153 http://scrapbook.akkartik.name/post/24169153 http://scrapbook.akkartik.name/post/1451852 http://scrapbook.akkartik.name/post/1451852) What you love is a moving target, it changes with you. If you neglect it you will lose it.

michaelneale 19y ago
I prefer the "dolphin" approach (from Hitchikers guide...). Where the dolphins think they are the most intelligent because all they do is muck about in the water having a good time.

pchivers 19y ago

Here a link to a previous discussion of existential depression on Hacker News: Existential Depression in Gifted Individuals http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=78594 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=78594

chandler 19y ago

> they recognize the irrelevance of everything...they can't escape the irrelevance of everything, because that's just how nature is...QED In science, when a model of the world ceases to be useful, the smart thing to do is to find a better model. Even if there is an objective nature, animals can only hope to experience it subjectively (our brains are remarkable at filtering physical input received from the five senses, and our world view is shaped by a lifetime of filtering and selecting input). Consequently, the gifted "everything is irrelevant" individual will be depressed, not because everything is actually irrelevant, but because the individual believes this to be the case (moreover, whether or not "everything is actually irrelevant" is actually irrelevant is the follow up joke). It's a shame that many gifted depressives are apparently so emotionally attached to this ugly model.

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