Does anybody else feel like they are caught in an existential blockage?

Question

Lately, I've been feeling like there's some deeper meaning in life, and it keeps me up at night attempting to figure it out. I talked to my friends about it, and the only responses I got were negative (e.g. "You're too young to worry about that" or "Life has no meaning, man" or "Just stop smoking so much pot")..... Any suggestions to further expand my mind and open up the doors of perception? I really want to know; it's bothering me so much that instead of going out with my friends or playing video games or watching television, I sit around and ponder life. It's like a feeling in the pit of my stomach that urges me to question my own existence, and I just can't figure it out..... And please don't tell me to turn to Jesus or God or Mohammed or any of that crap.

Answer 1

That's cool that you're thinking about the meaning of life. A lot of us do. It's certainly time well spent (considering the alternatives are tv or video games?)

Read. Read philosophy books, psychology books, theology, self-help, novels. Just read. Ask questions.

Write. Get your thoughts on paper. Existential angst qualifies you as a philosopher. Philosophers were all really just guessing anyway.

Take a walk in the woods. Get close to nature. Sometimes the answers come to you when you're in the midst of beauty.

Life is about love, learning, beauty, joy, nature & living with passion. Whatever you enjoy, do it. Life is too short not to enjoy it. The basic meaning of life is survival but this doesn't just mean to endure it. Live it to its fullest.

You're never too young or too old to think about your life & make it meaningful.

Love yourself, others & the world. Can't really go wrong there!

& I didn't even mention God or Jesus! D'oh! I guess I just did...sorry!

:)
Cheers!

Answer 2

if you believe in existentialism than you are choosing your blockage... but why would considering a spiritual option be crap? believing in anything bigger than you is humbling and does give u a purpose, heaven. does sitting watching tv or playing video games make you a better person, if your not growing and learning experiencing new activities you would feel like you have no purpose. maybe you should listen to the negative and not be so scared of the truth. don't believe that life has no meaning tho. start reading! many authors write about life and death and what to do with it. i think its awesome that you care about your life instead of dismissing everything. maybe get a job to be a part of a team helping to work towards something bigger than your tv. i know it sounds small but finding something you enjoy will help with you feeling meaningless. you aren't meaningless no matter what. be open to finding a religion too i know you probably want to do the whole rebellion thing but being spiritual will help you feel apart of a community and it will give your life a focus. i have no other advice becuase i believe this is the only way to give life meaning. read more read more read more

Answer 3

I understand completely what you mean. Here's my take on it. Humans are "glorified" primates, meaning we have slightly bigger brains. One of the defects of these great brains is that we are very curious and seek answers. Unfortunately, due to the nature of these brains, we often can invent questions that have no real answer. The truth is that if you want to see what the purpose of life is, watch a troop of monkeys. That's what our life is supposed to be like. These big brains don't mean we have souls, or cosmic purpose. We can obsess over an idea or a loss or a quesstion until we literally lose the will to live. The answer is: Eat, Sleep, Procreate. That's our purpose. I know you've heard it before, but it's the literal truth that a comet could land next year, it could land in 3,000 years and wipe us completely out. Then what will our purpose have been? I read a lot of zen and buddhism and daoism in college and it helped me a lot. The philosophy part, not the religion part. I now see that they are completely correct, but for the wrong reason. They want to create cosmic balance or attain nirvana. The truth is that their way of life is correct (no attachments, no mind, etc...) only b/c life has no meaning whatsoever.

Answer 4

You are questioning why am I here? What is the reason all of us are here? Why do bad things happen? What happens when we are no longer here?
etc etc.

I totally relate. Get past thinking in terms of the fact that there is an absolute truth. There is no absolute truth, no one answer.

There isn't one being in charge of it all.

Life is one great big mystery that we are all apart of in some small way. We each contribute to it all in our own way - sometimes its finding our path in this incarnation that presents the challenge.

I personally believe we reincarnate for different reasons to learn different lessons to contribute in a different way each incarnation.

But at the moment, this present incarnation you need to consider how you are contributing, what you can do to expand your knowledge, what you can do to help your fellow man even more than you've been doing.
Sometimes little acts of kindness, a smile to a lonely person, holding the door open for an old lady, etc, can have a profound effect on that individuals life in a way that you will never know.
Just as sometimes you will run into someone who says something or does something that seems so insignificant to them that has a profound effect on your life, even though you never see that person again. Their small gesture meant something important to you and they never knew it.

Thats the way it is with all of us.

Life is one big, wonderous mystery that we should enjoy and marvel at not worry and stress over.

If you are interested in reading about some of the mysteries of the world, like lost cities, pyramids, etc, feel free to email me and I will send you a link. Can't access it at the work computer right now.

Hope I helped in some way for you.

Answer 5

I have come to the conclusion that NO one "turns to Jesus"... that would be "religion" which by definition is "self-effort" and as one reads the Bible it will become evident that Jehovah God has left us with no alternative to His Grace. Grace by definition being "getting what one does NOT deserve". Once one realizes their total depravity, their total inability to orchestrate their own lives, they are left with the question, "What now?" Which COULD be just where you are.
WE do not seek after God, or Jesus, as you put it...
"There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God."
HE comes after us... that is Mercy,(NOT getting what you deserve) AND Grace combined.
It is a wonderful MIRACLE when this happens... so hold on, or LET GO as some would say... and "let God"...
YOU may be in just the right place in your earthly journey where all your human foundations are about to be crushed, as a potter will do to a flawed piece so that he may once again wet it and knead it and re-form it into something beautiful and useful.
ALL religion will tell you to "seek" or "go after" or "do" "this or that"... Christianity... God's Way... says, "Be still and KNOW that I am God."
Also, until one is converted by God's Mercy and Grace... there is no use TRYING... "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned."

You stand to be truly blessed IF this is what is happening in your life.

Answer 6

i think that it's one of those things that comes to you when you're not looking for it. that's been my experience, anyway. but like anything else, the best way to learn anything is by experience. that could be your "blockage", maybe you just haven't experienced enough in life yet, and that lack of experience is what's keeping you from learning your purpose in life. there's nothing wrong with questioning your existance, it's a human rite of passage. but for the duration of your life's journey, try to make a difference in your own way. something that i do is to accomplish one good deed every day, whether it be letting someone cut in front of me in traffic or cooking dinner for my family, i do something good for somebody every day, and i feel good for having accomplished that, and it has made me have a better idea of what my purpose in life is. i hope this helps you. best of luck on your journey to enlightenment.

Answer 7

yes.

Society as a whole is in a state of denial that there is something more out there.

We form nasa to make people think there is nothing else out there.

We form religion to make people feel the afterlife is good.

My only suggestion is to read. Knowledge is power from which you can draw your own conclusions.

Answer 8

your "soul" is prompting you to begin the "path of initiation". the road *much* less travelled by 90+% of the species. eXoteric ("popular") religions are certainly no help. but, don't discount eSoteric "religions", such as tantric buddhism, alchemical daoism, etc. they offer practices which will lead you to conscious experience of the higher frequencies/energies/vibrations of existence--- meditation, chi kung, etc. these experiences make "life worth living". those who are fortunate enough to clearly receive these promptings, but fail to listen, receive more "urgent" notifications, which can be somewhat problematical. thus, go with your intuition on this now and you will be greatly rewarded. a few helpful links: http://www.crystallotus.com http://www.cosmicharmony.com http://www.sahajayoga.com and the book *the complete idiot's guide to toltec wisdom*. i began "my journey" many years ago when "that little voice" said rather clearly, simply, "take karate". martial arts were/are wonderful--it/they led me to eastern philosophy, meditation and energy practices, etc. which are the basis of my existence, excellent health, happiness and a modest degree of "wisdom". best of luck, don't hesitate! ;-)

Answer 9

John 14:6
...no human being can turn you to anything.

This is going to seem like I'm contradicting myself but IMO we all have testimony called our life. I don't know if you've ever heard this song or if you've heard it a hundred times. This is what I have to share.

Believe - Brooks and Dunn

According to your own testimony your going through the same thing.

Answer 10

By no means should you turn to religion. Meditation might work for you, as well as lucid dreaming. Good luck.