Jean-Jacques Rousseau - "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains"
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We've degraded sex from a necessary procreational tool to a recreational activity, and aside from money, hold it as the second highest priority in life.
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I've always thought that it was weird to view sex only from a mechanistic standpoint. Sex is a part of life, and why can't we view it in a positive light as something that can be enjoyed for reasons other than its ends. I agree that some people have reduced themselves to sex, but why focus on sex only for its procreational ends?
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My primary argument is that our lives are terribly over-complicated, and while it's possible to find a bit of happiness (perhaps in a better job, or a hobby), the system as a whole seems so excessively trite.
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But you see how radical it is to pull entirely out of the system also. And, in doing that, you don't fix the problem, you just run from it. I don't know if opting out is a Good Faith solution, though it may ease your mind.
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The passion in my life is the arts: music, poetry, literature, and visual arts. And while they provide me with some serenity, it doesn't quite offset my perceptions of everything else. When everything as a whole seems meaningless, no one thing will change that.
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Is life in this system inherently have less meaning than anything else, or does it just highlight the absurdity of existence more clearly? I understand with perfect clarity what you're saying, because I used to ideolize the simple life withdrawn from society. My dream was more of being a shepherd in New Zealand and being totally self-succient. I would suggest reading
Waldon by Thoreau again.
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My one drive in this world was to find true love. I believed that was our purpose in life, and if I were to achieve that, I could deal with everything else. But after ending up heartbroken after thinking I'd found it, I became pretty disillusioned. Part of me still likes to believe that, but the most positive outlook I can have towards it is that right now is just not my time to find it.
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Love can't make up for not having an intrinsic motivator in life. Love becomes a crutch and a big tax on everyone if you're over-reliant on it. Not to say that when you're in love you shouldn't rely on your partner for things, but you need something that is entirely yours. If you have a passion for the arts, then go with that. Where creativity is lacking, and the mechanized, impersonal post-modern totality of existence feels crushing, overcome that by resisting it cognitively. Create in the face of it all.
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I guess I'm just the square peg to the world's proverbial round hole, and I'm trying so desperately to find my place, but I keep ending up lost, which makes me bitter and pessimistic.
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We have to make our own holes.