Is it wrong to want "nothing"

Maybe if you are really hating the survival mode, your system is getting ready to leave it? I hope so. ((((hugs))))

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Love, joy and peace=inalienable rights, but they come from within you. No one can give them and no one can take them away from you.

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I am still thinking on this one.....I am not sure I understand.... ummm thinking tho that people can rob one of their peace of mind, or their joy....... I do understand and agree that "love" can not be taken from one... Love I can understand as coming from within..... Now I am thinking is love a feeling or an emotion.. or are emotions and feelings the same.. .. geesh me and my questions huh..

((((((((( seeker))))))

Bless your heart.... Your not pathetic...

((((((( AlteredState01 )))))))))

no it is not i want "nothing" all the time. i think that sometimes if i would be better off if NASA would just shoot me out of a rocket into deep space where i can simply exist for the rest of days.

Thank you January... Maybe survival mode could be considered a self protection mode??? hmmmmmmm

No need to be sorry AlteredState... k.... You can express yourself any way you feel comfy with...

smile.... maybe I could join you in your rocket trip into space.. Looking up NASA's phone number .. I will bring a camera and cookies... lol

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To have their expectations and aspirations dashed so many times that they can no longer afford to hope for anything puts one into the numbing depression.

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Good point Sky.. Maybe there could be some "depression" ....

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Being human means we can expect our basic needs to be met, and should want them filled... purpose in life, relationships.

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I agree..

((((((((( sky ))))))))......... guess only "time" will tell....

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underneath the "want nothing" are a lot of real needs that should be fulfilled in anyone's life - for me the question is "How do I overcome my pain and fear of loss to hope for 'something' again?"

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I keep coming back to your post for some reason..... Esp the "How do I overcome my pain and fear of loss to hope for 'something' again... am thinking on this a lot..... maybe that is the key somehow............

quote by sky

"Whomever might be in this situation IS depressed imo. To have their expectations and aspirations dashed so many times that they can no longer afford to hope for anything puts one into the numbing depression"

Sky its not about being depressed its about being realistic and your own self preservation, in my case I got hurt so bad not just in my last relationship but in the ones that preceded my marriage that I said to myself enough is enough, there are only so many times you can pick yourself up, dust yourself down and try again, it has to stop sometime, it is not a hard choice to make, you learn to adapt.

I don't know about wrong but I don't think it's possible. Even wanting nothing (and to be left alone about it) is to want something. It's like wanting to stand still in life and not be bothered; can't happen, time is passing, people/one's self is growing older and people continue to come into and leave out of one's life, etc. Nothing stays static/stationary.

But it actually takes a lot of energy trying to stand still, resisting the flow of life around one. I'd rather make up my mind to spend my energy braving the rapids in a kayak; much more fun and exciting than just tumbling end-over-end in terror, cold and wet, hoping I don't hit my head on a rock.

It's definately not wrong to want nothing... but it is kinda sad. It just shows how hurt the person really is, that life has come to the point of wanting nothing but existence for fear of receiving anything that would symbolize life. I think that someone who wants nothing is at the end of the line, but for some reason still holding on to it... maybe hoping that tomorrow might be better? The absense of dreams and hopes are there because the persons life has been filled with fear and shame IMO.

Good way of putting it Perna. That made so much sense to me! I really never considered how much effort it takes to try and "stay still."

I just love it when someone helps to shift my thinking, especially away from the darker side.

I think I would rather be in the kayak, too! Although, I know I wouldn't necessarily want to be swept away with the current (mainstream society), I would at least have the choice of turning the kayak around to paddle against it when I chose to. Can't do that very well from underwater, now can I?

Great use of a metaphor!

I have not read all the posts leading up to this point. I simply want to answer the original question so please forgive me if this appears out of place where it is.

"Is it wrong to want nothing?"

It believe it is not a matter of what is "wrong or right". I do believe, however, that it is absolutely essential to have dreams and asperations. To wake up each day with a purpose and something to strive for. To believe that what you do today will make tomorrow just a bit better for either you or somebody you care about.

I believe this is the difference between simply surviving and really living.

To realise there are no more goals or dreams in your life...that tomorrow will be no better than today...devastating.

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there are only so many times you can pick yourself up, dust yourself down and try again, it has to stop sometime, it is not a hard choice to make, you learn to adapt.

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I think this is a very good point.. When one has learned to "adapt" it does not always mean they are depressed. Not all answers to certain questions confirms a person is depressed. Not all pain is depression. As not all forgetting is dissociating.

Sometimes that brave spirit has been devestated to the point where "standing still" is all they can do. Maybe it could be more like a "broken spirit" and there is no energy left to be brave? I do think it would be more exciting as you said to "spend my energy braving the rapids in a kayak; much more fun and exciting than just tumbling end-over-end in terror, cold and wet, hoping I don't hit my head on a rock". But again maybe one can not swim. Or a person's loved one was killed in a kayak accident. It is not always the fear and terror of hitting one's head on a rock that would prevent a person to be brave or to continue exploring life. I do not think it is that simple. IMHO

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The absense of dreams and hopes are there because the persons life has been filled with fear and shame IMO

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Interesting point. umm I just don't agree.

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How do I overcome my pain

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This surprises even me, because here I am again, reading this post and feeling something but not sure what it is. Feels like walking down a street and getting a whiff of cookies baking. There are no bakeries or restaurants on the street, so you try to follow the "aroma" to find out who is baking those cookies, because you want one. But you can't find it and the aroma continues to linger and haunt your taste buds. Yes, I agree, odd. lol Why I am relating cookies to pain beats me. The comment "How do I overcome pain" seems to have my full attention. I do not know the answer.

Radioflyer, I agree with you. It isn't 'wrong' to want nothing at times. When 'nothing' replaces discomfort, unhappiness, fear, and other hurtful things, it is a needed break. Those are the times for reflection and thinking about where to go from that point.

I think everyone has times they want nothing. That can be one person's feeling of contentment and another person's feeling of loss or emptiness:



Interesting question you put out there and quite an interesting array of responses you received.

Thanks for making us think!

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I do not think it is that simple.

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Is it ever? We may all be able to provide very eloquent and simplistic sounding answers and/or advice to others' hardships, but putting them into practice and maintaining them is a whole different matter, for both parties.

AS

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Quote:
Love, joy and peace=inalienable rights, but they come from within you. No one can give them and no one can take them away from you.

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Joy and peace are no different from love. They CAN be taken away from you but only if you allow it. This goes back to my siggy line "Things are only as important as I want them to be."

Occurances can, if you allow them, take away your joy and your peace. A loved one can be taken from you. These things can turn your world upside down, make you go sideways, but if you have these three things well rooted in your soul and spirit, they will grow again.

Depending on others to give you these things is a big mistake. We are all human and given to human failings. Everyone, at one time or another, will disappoint us in one way or another. But that's not to say that we can't or shouldn't receive Love, Joy and Peace from others. We take it and store it in our minds, souls and spirits for when it's absent from our lives.

Again, I'm going to bring up the concept of Contentment. If you are content with whatever life brings your way, then you can truly say "I want [for] nothing."

Taking that phrase as it was originally writen "I want nothing," in my perspective, that person is still in the state of WANTING something; "nothing" is something almost impossible to come by if you are on this earth and in touch with life around you... even if you never leave the four walls of your room. Sooner or later you will make contact with another human being, you will need food, drink, etc. You'd have to be in a catatonic state to truly want nothing. ... Which bring me back to "Contentment." A much better alternative!

. and
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"Contentment." A much better alternative!

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Yes, I like that. When one is content with whatever life brings them they would "want nothing". To reach that in life would be wonderful indeed.

But on the other hand, when one's life has been shattered and/or painful, I doubt they are content. A point you made which is a very good point is " if you have these three things well rooted in your soul and spirit, they will grow again". Then there are those who may not have love, peace, hope or happiness well rooted, and they tend to struggle through out their life trying to find them. Many times one may search in the "wrong" way which in turn could cause more pain than happiness, or joy or happiness.

So an example in a healthy way, when one reaches "contentment" they then could "want nothing". So it is possible to "want nothing" and in certain cases it can also be ok.

(((((((((((September)))))))))