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People hack themselves to find the quickest release of feel-good chemicals in their brain but most do it at the expense of not realizing that it numbs their ent

People hack themselves to find the quickest release of feel-good chemicals in their brain but most do it at the expense of not realizing that it numbs their entire existence. And now it’s more prevalent than it ever has been. Grabbing a phone is a nice way to stay in the shell that you have built around yourself and pretend like you have control over your life, but no one has control over their lives. The more you build walls of ideas around yourself the easier it becomes to make you discombobulated with the slightest gust of wind. It’s honestly pathetic we live this way and continue pretending it’s normal and that’s how it should be.

disadvantage 3y ago
> The more you build walls of ideas around yourself the easier it becomes to make you discombobulated with the slightest gust of wind. Resilience can be cultivated with practice. The more you enter caves you don't want to enter, the more treasure you find.
- skilled 3y ago
  Exactly. And sometimes you will enter a cave that is so full of terror it might knock you out for a while, but there are two things to this: 1) you actually made it that far. Life doesn’t treat you like shit when you are trying, it simply ups the ante and then you see how far you can go. 2) you now have an opportunity to learn from yourself. How did you end up in this place and how bad was it really? How would you feel about going back and how would you approach the situation this time? And the treasure you find is wisdom that you can then pass onto other people, particularly those close to you. I have been fortunate to meet people who have had a lot of experience with this but I consider myself an absolute apprentice even if I have dared to take a few big leaps.
basisword 3y ago
>> Grabbing a phone is a nice way to stay in the shell that you have built around yourself and pretend like you have control over your life, but no one has control over their lives. Probably a major cause of the increased levels of anxiety younger generations have. Simple things like blocking out the world with headphones, or standing in line engrossed in your phone reduce the likelihood of somebody interacting with you in a way you don't control. Avoidance breeds anxiety.
- skilled 3y ago
  And the problem is that the more closed you become, the more amplified are your experiences which you deem hostile. A member in my family is like this and I try to leave her alone for the most part, but there are opportunities where I try to remind her that no one is out there to get you. Just do nice/good things for yourself and the rest will present itself.
yamazakiwi 3y ago
Many people's lives are not that good, there are many people with bad jobs they hate, or partners they can't stand. It's easy to imagine why humans act this way. What makes you think your life is so much better?
- skilled 3y ago
  Because I happen to come from the gutter like most people. I was manipulated, bullied, I was a drug addict and I did a lot of other dumb shit. I am so extremely experienced in how gullible humans beings are it’s honestly sometimes hard to live in this world. And if you’re wondering why it’s hard, it’s because those experiences define who you are. Do you think I chose them because I thought it would be fun? Nah, those are the things I had to experience and learn from. Most people don’t want to learn from their mistakes because it means you have to give up a lot all at once. How are you going to be a decent human being if you can’t give up the old to let it the new? Your plan is to spend the rest of your life feeling sorry for yourself? That is quite pathetic.
  - yamazakiwi 3y ago
    >Your plan is to spend the rest of your life feeling sorry for yourself? You are the only one feeling sorry for other people in this conversation. Even people with what would be generally considered great lives chase dopamine. Believe whatever narrative you need to, but in general this behavior is not that deep or problematic vs an actual drug addiction or real problems. It seems you have an axe to grind with anything "self-control" related.
    - skilled 3y ago
      [flagged]
      - yamazakiwi 3y ago
        You are implying that my argument isn't from experience when it is. My argument is that you are biased and projecting your own self-control problems on others and treating your solution as a universal truth to be learned. You are also conflating people looking at their phones to your previous drug addiction. >And please don't use what a person has said Ok, I'll remember to not include any topics or details anyone ever brings up in conversation. I don't think any more or less of you based on your past you mentioned. I'm just attributing it to your bias. Criticism is not disrespectful. I should probably stop replying to your messages however, this is going somewhere unhelpful so I apologize for that. All this being said, if your disdain for that behavior keeps you personally away from bad behavior, I could see how promoting that strategy internally and externally is important to you. Disdain can be a useful tool.

disadvantage 3y ago

> The more you build walls of ideas around yourself the easier it becomes to make you discombobulated with the slightest gust of wind. Resilience can be cultivated with practice. The more you enter caves you don't want to enter, the more treasure you find.

skilled 3y ago
Exactly. And sometimes you will enter a cave that is so full of terror it might knock you out for a while, but there are two things to this: 1) you actually made it that far. Life doesn’t treat you like shit when you are trying, it simply ups the ante and then you see how far you can go. 2) you now have an opportunity to learn from yourself. How did you end up in this place and how bad was it really? How would you feel about going back and how would you approach the situation this time? And the treasure you find is wisdom that you can then pass onto other people, particularly those close to you. I have been fortunate to meet people who have had a lot of experience with this but I consider myself an absolute apprentice even if I have dared to take a few big leaps.

basisword 3y ago

>> Grabbing a phone is a nice way to stay in the shell that you have built around yourself and pretend like you have control over your life, but no one has control over their lives. Probably a major cause of the increased levels of anxiety younger generations have. Simple things like blocking out the world with headphones, or standing in line engrossed in your phone reduce the likelihood of somebody interacting with you in a way you don't control. Avoidance breeds anxiety.

skilled 3y ago
And the problem is that the more closed you become, the more amplified are your experiences which you deem hostile. A member in my family is like this and I try to leave her alone for the most part, but there are opportunities where I try to remind her that no one is out there to get you. Just do nice/good things for yourself and the rest will present itself.

yamazakiwi 3y ago

Many people's lives are not that good, there are many people with bad jobs they hate, or partners they can't stand. It's easy to imagine why humans act this way. What makes you think your life is so much better?

skilled 3y ago
Because I happen to come from the gutter like most people. I was manipulated, bullied, I was a drug addict and I did a lot of other dumb shit. I am so extremely experienced in how gullible humans beings are it’s honestly sometimes hard to live in this world. And if you’re wondering why it’s hard, it’s because those experiences define who you are. Do you think I chose them because I thought it would be fun? Nah, those are the things I had to experience and learn from. Most people don’t want to learn from their mistakes because it means you have to give up a lot all at once. How are you going to be a decent human being if you can’t give up the old to let it the new? Your plan is to spend the rest of your life feeling sorry for yourself? That is quite pathetic.
- yamazakiwi 3y ago
  >Your plan is to spend the rest of your life feeling sorry for yourself? You are the only one feeling sorry for other people in this conversation. Even people with what would be generally considered great lives chase dopamine. Believe whatever narrative you need to, but in general this behavior is not that deep or problematic vs an actual drug addiction or real problems. It seems you have an axe to grind with anything "self-control" related.
  - skilled 3y ago
    [flagged]
    - yamazakiwi 3y ago
      You are implying that my argument isn't from experience when it is. My argument is that you are biased and projecting your own self-control problems on others and treating your solution as a universal truth to be learned. You are also conflating people looking at their phones to your previous drug addiction. >And please don't use what a person has said Ok, I'll remember to not include any topics or details anyone ever brings up in conversation. I don't think any more or less of you based on your past you mentioned. I'm just attributing it to your bias. Criticism is not disrespectful. I should probably stop replying to your messages however, this is going somewhere unhelpful so I apologize for that. All this being said, if your disdain for that behavior keeps you personally away from bad behavior, I could see how promoting that strategy internally and externally is important to you. Disdain can be a useful tool.