Adut was taken from his mother, ordered to walk to Ethiopia, and forced into the army at the age of six. Discipline was murderous. Children were executed by firing squad, and their friends were made to watch them die. The army provided them with almost no rations, and Adut contracted "all kinds of diseases that a child can get". He spent time in a primitive hospital in Ethiopia. He had two nephews and two cousins in the army, and one cousin slept beside him in the ward.
"We slept on the ground," says Adut. "The bedsheets were corn sacks. We were little, so we could actually get in them and pull them up like a blanket. He died next to me." Dozens of others died in the hospital. "The hospital would be cleared every day. Cleared of dead people. Dead kids."
After his talk, an audience member asked him how he coped with the stress and traumatic memories. He said that he felt he owed a debt to all the people that had helped him, many of whom had died. — Wayfarer
I mean in a sense I am really asking why even live at all? — intrapersona
We can seek existential shelter by dint of our imagination and ingenuity, which we almost invariably succeed in doing. — Bitter Crank
Your "imagination and ingenuity" are ready, at your service. So... make an answer to your question, 'why even live at all' and make it 'good' — Bitter Crank
Are you speaking of pleasure? — intrapersona
The same imagination, intellect, ingenuity, persistence, and so on that led you to "Why even live at all" is capable of far more. — Bitter Crank
Not primarily. Though, getting out of a cold, raw wind is a real pleasure. No, more like love, warmth, good routines, giving, receiving, comfort, nurture... Being taken care of when you are sick isn't a "pleasure", it's a comfort. Getting rid of a bad headache isn't a pleasure, it's a relief. Giving kind attention to an unhappy child isn't a pleasure, it's nurture. — Bitter Crank
I think it needs not imagination, intellect, ingenuity, persistence to reach being fed up with the world, it just takes uncongenial conditions and repetition, — intrapersona
One way to put a more positive spin on this would be to say, would you rather that someone or something decided what your purpose is, or would you rather be in a position where no such determination has been made and you therefore can feel free to decide for yourself what you want it to be. — sender
The World is loaded with uncongenial conditions and repetitions of bad experiences that definitely lead us to being fed up at times. That's a given. I don't at all deny that. — Bitter Crank
Hypothetically, if all the suffering were to vanish tomorrow... what would be the purpose then? — intrapersona
Trust me, suffering isn't going to vanish.
"alleviate suffering in the world" is a worthy purpose. There are additional worthy purposes. Creating joy. Giving and receiving love (which one is more difficult? That's a long discussion.) Growing roses (figuratively, if not literally). Learning. Creating new knowledge. Making art. Making the world a better place for yourself and others. Giving assistance. All sorts of things. It's a very long list.
So, if you were to decide to "make art" for instance, would that solve all your problems? Of course not. — Bitter Crank
I meant not frustrated or having one's patience tested but rather a repetitive series of events that keep causing one to question what the purpose of doing anything actually is. — intrapersona
Whenever you raise the question, "What's the point of doing this, anyway?" you can always come up with a negative answer. (Not you personally, people in general, I mean.) — Bitter Crank
If you believe there is no purpose in life, and that everything we do is ultimately (or even immediately) a stupid waste of time, then that is how you will see it. I'm not saying you do believe that. It's just that we have to be careful how we talk to ourselves. — Bitter Crank
I was trying to show you that if there was no suffering then there still wouldn't be a purpose. You are saying a worthy purpose is to "heal the world" but what will it be once the world is healed? To keep healing it more? And then what? Just to keep healing and healing and healing as long as humans exist?
That just doesn't seem logical. — intrapersona
The problem is that there is not an answer at all let alone a negative one. — intrapersona
An absence of purpose and meaning leaves you free to author your own purpose and meaning. — Bitter Crank
One expects answers from a meaningless universe? — Bitter Crank
It seems that whatever the mind can formulate as a purpose is just an illogical thought-trap as per our previous discussion. — intrapersona
Proof that it is meaningless? What is an answer if the universe has no meaning? Answer necessitates meaning. — intrapersona
Careful, careful: you are undermining your own capacity to create meaning. Your choice to call it an illogical thought-trap is dead end, — Bitter Crank
Which is why you aren't going to get one from the universe. — Bitter Crank
It is as irrational as to say that I am living for my right pinky toe. — intrapersona
I agree, but I haven't concluded that yet. I am in despair over not finding any good reason. Only fools jump to conclusions like that (atheists, christians, etc.) — intrapersona
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