4 ms·

Hold up. Is the specter of existential angst, rising to outright horror if left unchecked, not just, like, a normal part of life that rises to conscious thought

Hold up. Is the specter of existential angst, rising to outright horror if left unchecked, not just, like, a normal part of life that rises to conscious thought as soon as you’re not distracted, for the entire non-religious population?

shoes_for_thee 6y ago
It depends on whether or not you engage with your hobbies.
UnFleshedOne 6y ago
Nah, we just ignore this stuff for the most part. People are really good at compartmentalizing things, and pretty much feel they are immortal. A lot of us suffer from stockholm syndrome and think death is somehow good -- just look at a common reaction to many transhumanist notions. Those who do take it seriously but are not strong enough to bear, end up joining cults.
Delk 6y ago
I don't think it is. I've had times in my life when I certainly didn't constantly distract myself, and being of a contemplative type, sometimes also delved into existential thoughts. But I didn't automatically (or generally) feel angst about it. I'm not religious and haven't been since I was 15 or so. (I don't deny possibly having something of a mildly spiritual side, but I consider that different as it doesn't require belief in anything other than various kinds of feelings and experiences being part of the human experience. It also doesn't provide an externally assigned meaning.) In times when my mental health and wellbeing have generally been worse, existential questions have also become much more distressing. So yeah, maybe for some or even many people, existential questions may amount to angst, but in my experience it has depended a lot more on my other emotional and psychological state.
maevyn11 6y ago
No man, that's just one line of thinking. I'm not religious in the least, and I love spending time alone and unoccupied. I know about existential angst and have indulged in it in the past, but my mind just wanders to other more pleasurable things when it's undistracted.

shoes_for_thee 6y ago

It depends on whether or not you engage with your hobbies.

UnFleshedOne 6y ago

Nah, we just ignore this stuff for the most part. People are really good at compartmentalizing things, and pretty much feel they are immortal. A lot of us suffer from stockholm syndrome and think death is somehow good -- just look at a common reaction to many transhumanist notions. Those who do take it seriously but are not strong enough to bear, end up joining cults.

Delk 6y ago

I don't think it is. I've had times in my life when I certainly didn't constantly distract myself, and being of a contemplative type, sometimes also delved into existential thoughts. But I didn't automatically (or generally) feel angst about it. I'm not religious and haven't been since I was 15 or so. (I don't deny possibly having something of a mildly spiritual side, but I consider that different as it doesn't require belief in anything other than various kinds of feelings and experiences being part of the human experience. It also doesn't provide an externally assigned meaning.) In times when my mental health and wellbeing have generally been worse, existential questions have also become much more distressing. So yeah, maybe for some or even many people, existential questions may amount to angst, but in my experience it has depended a lot more on my other emotional and psychological state.

maevyn11 6y ago

No man, that's just one line of thinking. I'm not religious in the least, and I love spending time alone and unoccupied. I know about existential angst and have indulged in it in the past, but my mind just wanders to other more pleasurable things when it's undistracted.