Is there a cure to youthful disillusion ？

Social Forums Non-Philosophical Chat
1

Recently after talking with lots of people I know, I found a phenomenon:

People who recently leave schools or colleges and enter the workforce often experience a certain kind of disillusion. The career they are in are not as nice as they previously thought, they usually hate their first formal jobs and sometimes they change jobs very often. And they think this world is basically unjust…

Is this a universal phenomenon?

I experienced this phenomenon too, I once worked in a very large logistic company as a coordinator, and I arrange shipping schedules and check the process for clients who sell things oversees. I constantly feel I 'm a cog in a gigantic machine, in this machine, people work to produce lots of unnecessary items, lots of waste and pollution are made, then the items made are sold around the world through a large logistic network which I 'm part of it, and in this process of shipping, additional wastes and pollution are made.

I feel a company is a temple, in this temple the bottom line or profits is the god. people in this temple have to worship this god with a compulsive religious zeal, meanwhile in this temple, those who didn’t produce enough profits, or put it in another way, people who refuse to worship this god is punished…

When I was in a college, I thought I would choose an ethical career, that I could improve this world in some way, now I realized this is an illusion, because a person is part of this evil machine no matter what he or she choose to do.

Can this cynicism be overcome? What’s the cause of this cynicism?
Arthur Schopenhauer had an explanation for this:

“It would be a great advantage to a young man if his early training could eradicate the idea that the world has a great deal to offer him. But the usual result of education is to strengthen this delusion; and our first ideas of life are generally taken from fiction rather than from fact…”

If so, then where is this delusion that cause the illusion comes from? From education?

2

Humans are the product of millions of years of evolution.

In the past they were hunters and gatherers, toilers and fielders. There natural habitat is either physical labor, hunting, or gaurding. The average female habitat is socializing, teaching, and healing. Men are teachers of tools and trade.

However, a certain level of ADHD was required to live in the wild. Even without ennui, and an active lifestyle, a lifestyle of scarcity and constant foraging, there is ADHD, which is a form of misery. ADHD is a survival mechanism.

The aversion to grinding, toiling, repetition, is ADHD, which is a survival mechanism. Life is a constant struggle.

That is, with the current human DNA> With upgraded DNA such problems will fade into the aether

Humans have a monkey component which is an excessive need for stimulation and curiousity. They never feel satisfied, always looking for novelty and change…this causes them pain

Humans get bored easily and dont appreciate what they have, they always look for the grass is greener on the other side, but never appreciate it

With upgraded DNA this would all change

3

Aging.

4

I don’t whether my feeling of disillusion is because of “entitled” or spoiled or not. I found if I tell a person my thoughts, there are usually two reactions: If that person I 'm talking with is in a situation worse than mine, the reaction is usually that I’m wasting my life on empty self-pity. If I talk to a person who is in a better situation than mine, then there is usually little sympathetic reaction, but an expression of happiness because he or she feels superior than me.

I think when a person look at this world through clear eyes, he or she would very quickly realize how empty the world is, because first of all, people are motivated mainly by a pure “will to live” or the simple instinct of “self-preserving”, and second, all of arts and literature, the advanced technologies and human histories are merely the manifestation of this simple will.

In human society, the basic interaction between people is fierce competition, competition between individuals and nations. When a person run faster than his or her peers, then that person can be considered “successful” for a little while. But what’s the meaning of success after all?

Really, what’s point of living?

5

Yes, your Cynicism can be overcome by rejecting Cynicism, and embracing Cynicism. The Cause of this Cynicism is not seeking after the good life. By accepting this machine, you have accepted a Cynical attitude, and this keeps you from adopting a Cynical outlook. You need to stop being a Cynic, and instead, become a Cynic.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynic_epistles
amazon.com/The-Cynic-Epistle … 0891301518

6

Thank you, but is reading more a solution?

7

Literacy is the Fountainhead of Solutions.

8

above us only sky,

It’s not necessarily an illusion but a partial illusion, partial truth because you can’t really know your future or the truth until you’ve begun to live it. Look to all of the people who have remained faithful to what they aspired to. Many have not but many have. As long as you realize that as a human being, you are part of this so-called evil lol machine, that alone can be the beacon which helps you not to deviate from what you truly want to accomplish. As long as you realize that you are capable of corruption, that all humans can be corruptible, you can be like one of those who have remained faithful.

It’s possible that in fact the way we are educated is part of the problem. We’re sometimes taught to look at life and our futures with rose-colored glasses instead of looking at the future with more realistic lenses. We’re given a lot of hype instead of being given both sides of the coin - we’re educated in a way which tells us that we don’t have to do much to succeed - just graduate and the world will be your oyster.

We need to listen and to separate the truth from the lie, the weeds from the chaff but all of that takes time, growing experience into it.

That would depend on the the individual. Placing too much hope against a more realistic and balanced attitude won’t do it.
The cause of it might be/probably is unrealistic expectations, expectations going unfulfilled. But that’s part of life. Move on.

Arthur Schopenhauer had an explanation for this:

."

…and to a young woman. lol
Well, I don’t necessarily think that Schopenhauer was being too pessimistic here. I find that there is truth to what he says. I would say that the world “might” have a great deal to offer him, but that would greatly depend on circumstancs, dynamics, etc. Sometimes it’s just a question of being in the right place at the right time and being extremely tenacious (unless one is being totally irrational in that extreme).

Magical thinking, fairy tales, too much belief based solely on desire and need.

No cure - just reformed thinking - and living and realizing that the world does not owe us a living - we do that for ourselves.
Carpe Diem…

9

Maybe, but I don’t think anyone on this forum can get his or her DNA modified.

10

Not yet but soon.

11

‘Disillusion’ is a verb. ‘Disillusionment’ is what you mean.

12

Hello, Arcturus Descending, I 'm gald to meet you on this forum. You use the words"evil lol machine", Why do you add “lol” after evil? I know lol means “laugh out loud”, so I guess in you opinion, this world, “the machine” is not evil?

I worked in the field of international trade after college, ( btw, I didn’t choose this field, the job market, the system of capitalism did the choose it for me). In this field, business people, no matter where do they come from, have a mentality of “take the plunge”, a mentality of a wolf. they would do something unethical if they are sure they can escape the apprehension of the court. I feel interacting with selfish business people is wasting my life. They, as Karl Marx said, buy a thing from their emplyees at one price and sell the same thing to a customer at a higher price, and this is the way by which they can make a profit, yet they self-claim themselves as “entropreners”, the pioneers of mankind.

But the strange thing is, when I was asked to negociate a contract with them by my boss, I was also in the mentality of a wolf, the mentality of “take the plunge” ,just like them. The reason is because if I went to the negociation table with a mentality of a leftist, how can I secure a contract favorable for my boss? I think William James is absolutely right, we believe what we want to believe.

I understand this world does not own us a living, but for a man/woman to make a living in this world, that man/woman has to paticipate in this evil system in some way. I realized for lots of people, being “corrupted” is part of the process of "growing up“ and survival and being successful， as Schopenhauer said “money and honor can not be found in the same purse”…

Human life is a constant struggle for no purpose, When in school, we studied hard and we want to be the top, after school we work hard to make lots of money and buy luxuries, in this rat race of life, when we run faster than most of our peers, we are considered successful. The joy of success comes from the feeling of “being superior”, and to secure our sense of being successful, we worked harder, we run faster so we can make sure others will not catch us, and this is the reason a person can be a workholic. I think for most people, the joy of life is simply “I play the game better than you!” For many people, it seems like life means a contest of egos, but little do they notice, that this contest of egos has its toll on their health…

After all what’s the meaning of life?

13

Thank you for your tip, Ornello. I sometimes are amazed by the fact despite so many years study, I 'm still making simple mistakes.

14

Meaning of life is for all these rat racer’s to donate their filthy wealth to my DNA program. Otherwise they will continue to breed like pathetic retards and they will die alone in their meaningless orgy of city insanity.

15

Hello,
So you mean that Schopenhauer is basically right that this world does not have a great deal to offer him?

16

Hello great and wise Trixie,
why would a person donate his or her money to your DNA program?

17

Your job is not your life. Why must there be one meaning to life? Where in this universe is there just one single thing that does not have more than one part? The tiniest particle connects with other particles, seperate but one , creating changing building , destroying. Never one. To search for one meaning is to never see.

18

If they had higher minds, who want to continue evolution, and the pursuit of wisdom rather than degrade it.