Life Is Too Short?

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stuff4096

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I have always tried to figure out why it is that so many people say that life is too short. To me, that is only something that happy people say. I openly admit that my point of view is biased by the darkness within me. Having said that, it actually seems to me like life is too long. For someone who is alone and consumed by darkness, what would be the point of living a long life of that nature? It simply prolongs the pain and suffering. It makes me wish I were living back in the 1930's where life expectancy was significantly shorter

On a related topic, I am also trying to figure out why it is that so many people say that life is so great. Again, to me, that is only something that happy people say. If you really think about it, you spend a majority of your life doing things you have to or do not want to (e.g. going to school, going to work). The few bright moments are so few and far between that it makes me wonder what is the point of anything

I am at a point in my life where I no longer know what to do. I have pretty much given up on the dream I have been chasing since the first day of 6th grade (of course at the time I did not realize it). All these years later, I am no closer to my dream than I was back then. Last year I finally decided to let my dream go (my dark side won) and now with nothing to aim for, I feel lost. It is a very strange feeling. Even in my darkest hour I still had my dream to shoot for, even if I did not feel like I would ever get there. Now I find myself not caring about most things. I can feel myself changing, but not for the better. People always say things will get better but they have not. They have not ever since that fateful first day of 6th grade
 
All I can say is I know just how you feel. :(

May I ask, what was your dream?
 
I feel very much the opposite...life is not long enough. 80ish years and up, not enough time. It took me a long time to find myself because I never took the time to do it when I was younger because I believed that I just couldn't do anything greater than be normal. Now I'm nearly 30 and have so much catching up to do, in terms of skills and experiences.

What was your dream since 6th grade? My dreams are to create a sci fi franchise and write an original guitar album with a band of some sort. Also I'd just like to make more memories in my life.
 
You're right, these 'sayings' are mostly repeated by happy people, it's a positive way to look at things. Nobody knows for sure what life is and why we go through it or even if there's anything on the other side, but whatever the case it seems to me that it's a waste if you dwell on these things. For me I'm one of those people who just get on with it no matter what happens, in the grand scheme of things it surely is short, not everyone's life is great and i suppose is only a reflection on how that particular person is feeling.

You seem to be 'stuck' in your life, I'd try not to worry about time and try to focus on doing something.
 
The idea that "life is too short" comes from the wide variety of interests people have. It's nothing to do with being happy or not. I am not happy with my life, I'm striving to achieve my goals. I also think life is way too short because there is simply not enough time to achieve everything I'd like to achieve. As a result, I'm having to prioritise. I may not even achieve what I'm prioritising, but it still remains that there's plenty to do in our world. Perhaps you should be asking yourself why there is so little you want to do in life that you're finding it too long?

A friend of mine who's been suffering from anorexia is having a tough time. He's suffering because he feels he has no control over his life and his latest complaint was that he has nothing to do. Having talked about it, I suggested... take the time to think hard about what you'd like to do. Research things and look for ideas. He liked this suggestion and laughed at the way it's so simple. He's got the time on his hands to actually care about doing things that he'd enjoy. A previous complaint when he was a kid was that he was at school and doing homework most of the time, so he never had chance to think about what he'd like to do with his life.

Based upon what you've written, I'd say you have a flair for the melodramatic and an ease in expressing your emotions in writing. Perhaps literature/poetry would be worth exploring? I'm sure you'll find something. Best of luck!
 
If I knew what the point of life actually is, I could determine if its too short or not. I mean, how do I know that dying now isn't long enough?
 
You can always shorten your life if you think it's too long; no need to wish you lived in another age. I have so much I want to learn, so much to read, that I could never fit it all into a single lifetime. Life is too short for me to passionately explore what I'd like to.

"I am also trying to figure out why it is that so many people say that life is so great."

If you have love and friendship and family life can be great. If you have a profitable career that is also a passionate career, then holy wow life is great. If you're miserable, then yah, life isn't so great.

"I feel lost."

In my view, without passion there is nothing. If I can't grab onto a passionate exploit, I am pretty much dead.

"People always say things will get better but they have not."

Does anything actually get better? I find I have to make it better or else it gets worse. Ho-hum. *eor face*
 
I tend to agree with the OP. And I find that it is those with the requisite support system--a good family early in life, a job that doesn't have you living paycheck to paycheck, a decent education--who find that passion that makes their lives so fulfilled. Those of us without such advantages, &/or without decent physical health to pursue our dreams, cannot agree. For us, life is indeed too long. I will add that in evolutionary terms, there's no reason for most humans to live longer than 40 to 45 years. If a couple have bonded & had offspring during their late teens or early twenties, as was usually the case until the Neolithic revolution, by the time they reach their 40's their children have grown up & can fend for themselves. After that, the parents are without any function & so are a net drain on the tribe they belong to.
 
I enjoyed reading all of the different points of view from the various responders so thank you

"You can always shorten your life if you think it's too long; no need to wish you lived in another age"

I think of this and wish for this every day (and in fact at one point was figuratively right on the edge staring into the abyss) but honestly the only reason it has not happened is because I do not want to hurt my parents that way. If they had not been around when I was on the edge, I literally would not be here now

"In my view, without passion there is nothing. If I can't grab onto a passionate exploit, I am pretty much dead."

Pretty much where I am at now. Dead on the inside, waiting for the outside to catch up

"Does anything actually get better? I find I have to make it better or else it gets worse. Ho-hum. *eor face*"

I will grant you that what you said is true. I almost even agree. Several years ago I did try to make things better, but it did not work. All these years later I finally decided to stop trying. Doing something or doing nothing still leaves me in the same place I was when I started

"You seem to be 'stuck' in your life, I'd try not to worry about time and try to focus on doing something."

Yes, stuck :S The difficulty I am currently having with trying to focus on doing something is that at this point nothing seems particularly appealing and I lack motivation to do anything

"Based upon what you've written, I'd say you have a flair for the melodramatic and an ease in expressing your emotions in writing"

For someone who is admittedly introverted, I think I am pretty good at expression through writing. It is basically my only outlet for doing so. The rare times I have tried to talk to a friend about my darkness let me nowhere. They kept insisting that my dream would not lead me to happiness and maybe they were right, but at the time I could not/did not want to hear that. Admittedly I can be particularly stubborn about certain things

So as to not end on a sad note, I do want to wish the best to all of those responders who have passions, dreams, goals, etc. that they are actively pursuing. I truly hope you all find success!
 
stuff4096 said:
"Based upon what you've written, I'd say you have a flair for the melodramatic and an ease in expressing your emotions in writing"

For someone who is admittedly introverted, I think I am pretty good at expression through writing. It is basically my only outlet for doing so. The rare times I have tried to talk to a friend about my darkness let me nowhere. They kept insisting that my dream would not lead me to happiness and maybe they were right, but at the time I could not/did not want to hear that. Admittedly I can be particularly stubborn about certain things

So as to not end on a sad note, I do want to wish the best to all of those responders who have passions, dreams, goals, etc. that they are actively pursuing. I truly hope you all find success!

Good, now start exploring what you can do with your writing. Darkness is found in many genres. Not to mention poetry. Check this out! Don't talk, write! You control everything in that, you don't have to rely on approval from others. Once you've finished, you can find an audience. Why must it be your friends?

You clearly have talent. Even if you think you owe the world nothing, you owe it to yourself to explore this. Introverted people can be some of the most emotional. I find I'm much better able to connect with my emotions when I do, as Fitz puts it, "lock yourself alone in a dark room, and really think about what's in here!" (Pointing to your heart.) "Only then, is the time to pick up a book."

If you'd like to talk about writing/poetry as an interest, I'm around.
 
Hello stuff4096, I agree with you that it is mainly happy people who feel that life is too short. My mum and dad were happy together and both said many times that they wished they were ten years younger, so that they would have an extra decade of life in front of them. I have heard other people whose lives are fulfilled either through a good marriage and family and/or a career they really enjoy say the same. I am like you, though, and wish that my life was shorter. Every time I read about life expectancy increasing, I feel low. My life is very lonely and although I try hard to make something out of my life, I can't get away from the emptiness which being alone brings. I really hope that I don't have to be here for another 35 years or so. (I am mid fifties now.)
 
MTrip said:
I tend to agree with the OP. And I find that it is those with the requisite support system--a good family early in life, a job that doesn't have you living paycheck to paycheck, a decent education--who find that passion that makes their lives so fulfilled. Those of us without such advantages, &/or without decent physical health to pursue our dreams, cannot agree. For us, life is indeed too long.

^ That.
 
I don't want to fill your thread with platitudes, and I know it's much easier to say this stuff than it is to believe it, but still... I picked up on one thing you said about life being long and the good things being so interspersed. If that's the case, it makes the good things feel so much better. And you never know when one of those good things will be around the corner.

You should definitely write as much as you can. If life really *does* feel like it's so long, you just need to find awesome stuff to fill that time with :)
 
There is a vast majority of things one can do in their life. For example collecting the entire knowledge of the human race is impossible for one human because there is simply too much of it. Art and knowledge is created every second. I think if you choose to believe it to be too long or short of a life, then it most definitely will be. To me it seems short because i feel like I'm wasting time. Like I'll one day find myself saying " I should have used my time better". It is definitely a challenging thing to try to view life from a completely different side.

Whatever your dream was, if it is still accomplishable, i think you should go back to it. Because people believe that life is either success or failure. It is not. It's simply a failure after failure until a success is reached if you want it hard enough. If all dreams were easily reached, they wouldn't be called dreams. To some people a dream is endlessly simple, like having a family or simply owning a house but after that another dream will form. I think you broke off that chain of needs and need to get back on it. Take a dream after a dream and move up. I think that's why you feel lost.
 

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