Who becomes a manager should be based on election by workers. "Management and oversight" is a useful service which helps people perform well, when the purpose is to enhance work, rather than just squeeze out more from fewer people. There are people who have been managers over me who I would happily elect as a manager, and their are other people who should never be in the position of management. — Bitter Crank
Seems pretty contrary to human nature to me — T Clark
Human nature, according to modern Marxist thinkers is constructed. The older view is that it is essential. Of course, it's both -- some parts are learned, some parts are encoded. I'd reveal all the details of the secrets of life right here and now, but I have to go to the dentist first. — Bitter Crank
Do you think the search for meaning and purpose is genetic or learned? Do you think it is possible to ignore such thinking and still achieve peace of mind? — CasKev
I've addressed many emotional issues through therapy, but your comment makes me question whether I still have unresolved issues floating around at the subconscious level. The trouble is in trying to identify what those issues may be, or to pick up on themes that seem to be recurring in my conscious thought processes. — CasKev
It is hard and the moment where you feel the burden or heaviness rather intensely, usually instigated by some present experience, it is important to fight that feeling by mapping out the architecture of why it was felt in the first place and that can be extremely difficult because articulating something unknown but felt is like trying to colour a black canvas. Writing fiction stories or painting and drawing images that are formed during these experiences actually support this articulation as it is a form of communication with yourself as your own personal language. Attaining the skills to deal with the feelings or medicating a silence to the emotions do not actually assist you to confront why they are there in the first place and thus you will never really recover from the depressive feelings. — TimeLine
Existence is taking that responsibility by becoming self-conscious and accepting your separateness rather than relying on external factors. — TimeLine
It is hard and the moment where you feel the burden or heaviness rather intensely, usually instigated by some present experience — TimeLine
I believe I'm at a disadvantage when trying to use this approach. Being on anti-depressant medication seems to really dull the 'unhappy' emotions, making it difficult to identify the indicators in present experiences. Unfortunately, stopping the medication in order to fully feel isn't a very realistic approach in today's world. — CasKev
Not necessarily. Existence, satisfying existence, can also be learning to accept what you have and to give up your illusions. — T Clark
You seem to be a person of will. I have this image of you facing a problem by getting out the wrenches, putting the car up on the lift, and getting your hands covered with oil. That isn't a criticism. You're not an engineer, are you? — T Clark
It is my feminine side that has a liking to care for and help support 'fallen angels' if they so choose to accept, those people I find are suffering unnecessarily and it hurts me to see that. — TimeLine
What do you consider to be a 'fallen angel', and what sort of support do you typically offer? — CasKev
That's my understanding of the futility (in essence) of CBT in trying to make a cake out of shit. — Question
One can't make a delicious cake out of shit. — Question
I said that from individual experience. CBT doesn't cure depression or make it go away, as anyone with depression would hope. It only addresses the final product of a "botched"/depressed mind. — Question
If peace of mind were an achievement, it would have to be the achievement of an unpeaceful, striving mind. But it is not an achievement at all, but simply what happens when one stops trying to make a delicious cake out of shit. — unenlightened
I found what I was left with was a mildly depressed feeling (unpleasant, but not unbearable), seemingly based on thoughts of mortality, pointlessness of life, and lack of meaning. — CasKev
Recently, I came across some writings by Peter Wessel Zapffe, that seemed to ring true with my current core beliefs. What I got from it was that humans are basically animals
with highly evolved intelligence and consciousness, who develop coping mechanisms - mainly rejection of negative thought, anchoring on items or ideas of importance, and distraction - to deal with the absurdity of life.
In the absence or rejection of such coping mechanisms, one can end up over-thinking life, and searching for meaning where no such meaning exists.
My hope is that the same 'over-evolved' brain that finds despair in lack of meaning
... can move past this dilemma in a positive way. Perhaps if I can accept that life has no great purpose
(or none that will be undeniably proven during my lifetime), I can be content with focusing on satisfying what seem to be our basic instinctive needs - food, shelter, family, community, love, freedom from pain, etc.
If peace of mind were an achievement, it would have to be the achievement of an unpeaceful, striving mind. But it is not an achievement at all, but simply what happens when one stops trying to make a delicious cake out of shit. — unenlightened
Then, are you advocating complacency? Because it is quite a burden to live with depression as you must know all too well based off of experience with the ill. I've already posted around here about accepting depression and learning to live with it; but, I feel that is a hard task to do. — Question
So, according to what you're saying, depression is a coping mechanism, and to get rid of depression one has to understand the reason why there is such a coping mechanism in place. Is that right? — Question
If so, then how is it that depression is such a 'bad' coping mechanism that leads to thoughts about suicide? Or are suicide and depression two separate things? And who gets to decide what feeling they want to feel in the first place, as if depression is a defense mechanism, like a faulty thermostat? — Question
I mean, it's a sad state to live in where most people who are depressed don't get better. What do you attribute that fact to? — Question
When you ask who decides, you expose the division between one who feels and cannot cope, and one who copes but cannot feel. to talk about a defence mechanism is to separate oneself from 'it' the mechanism. The end of the depression is the end of the division - I cannot cope and I cannot feel, and yet I feel and cope. There is no other, no illness or syndrome or mechanism or illness or depression, or unconscious trauma,
it is all me. — unenlightened
Do you mind if I ask a personal question? Are you depressed yourself or has that emotion ever 'infected' you — Question
I've also decided to switch my sleep and wake patterns. For some reason, I do better at night when everyone else is asleep and nobody to bother me. My mind picks up around 9 PM until daylight. I figure I can get more done during the day when I'm left alone at night to study or contemplate things in peace. — Question
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