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With teen mental health deteriorating over five years, there’s a likely culprit

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Re: With teen mental health deteriorating over five years, there’s a likely culprit

#431

Post by lsc »

sotojuan wrote: post #392
joejerryronnie wrote: post #347

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps there's a difference if you meet someone who is already successful or who's past accomplishments you admire versus that idiot in high school who barely passed chemistry by cheating off your answers, exibited the worst of the sexist jock/bro mentality, skated by on his good looks and is now driving a lambo and married to a supermodel.

I can't understand why someone over 25 that has a decent career (assuming you are a programmer since it's HN) would still care about what some chad from high school is doing. Worrying about how "unfair" life is is an energy and time black hole.

This is shocking to me, too. I mean, I don't care what Chad is up to today, but the general trauma of high school is still with me in a way that I don't think is reasonable, considering that my experience wasn't unusual, and that it happened twenty years ago.

See also Dahl's "galloping Foxley" for a literary take on the phenomena.

Re: With teen mental health deteriorating over five years, there’s a likely culprit

#432

Post by orasis »

fabianhjr wrote: post #310
orasis wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nihilism is the scourge of our age. It takes courage to create meaning and love life.

> It takes courage to create meaning and love life. That is existential nihilism. https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Existential_nihilism > According to the theory, each individual is an isolated being born into the universe, barred from knowing "why", yet compelled to invent meaning. > The common thread in the literature of the existentialists is coping with the emotional anguish arising from our confrontation with nothing…

It depends on your level of cognitive development. Construct aware thinkers realize that meaning undeniably exists, even if it is seen to be empty of basis.

Re: With teen mental health deteriorating over five years, there’s a likely culprit

#433

Post by xupybd »

throwaway2801 wrote: post #326
xupybd wrote: post #276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just to add some potential insight. One of the fundamental beliefs of Christianity is that all people are in trouble/broken/sinners/in need of saving. So when you say they feel sorry for you that is actually part of the belief system. Even if you think you're okay they do not. It's not a matter of you being successful or not, but your moral standing before God. So regardless of your point of view they're always going…

Thank you for your definitely insightful answer. Yes, now that you say it, they both tried to save me for these reasons. This makes sense. I guess there is no way such a person and I can really agree on this. Though this is positive for me: they tried to save me because they liked me. I guess. Unfortunately, it seems like I'm doomed. I cannot imagine that God (if exists) made us broken by default, defective by design…

I think you've identified one of the hardest intellectual problems for believers the problem of evil. If a perfect God exist that created everything how is there evil? It's one of the more difficult ideas to wrestle with. Far deeper than most of the arguments most people make against the existence of God. I'm a Christian myself but I've not come up with a satisfactory answer for me.

I think there is some merit in this argument https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvin_Plantinga%27s_free_will_...

But as I say I've not come up with a satisfactory answer for myself.

It is a very interesting problem to think about it. Can a perfect God create a cosmos where evil exists.

Re: With teen mental health deteriorating over five years, there’s a likely culprit

#434

Post by orasis »

mLuby wrote: post #292
orasis wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nihilism is the scourge of our age. It takes courage to create meaning and love life.

That second part sounds pretty nihilist to me. Life has no meaning, so it's up to you to create it (if you want).

I’m a construct-aware thinker. So it means something different to me now than it would to my previous nihilistic stage.

Here is a nice model of human cognitive development beyond the meaninglessness of nihilism:

http://newpossibilitiesassociates.com/uploads/9_levels_of_in...

Also see David Chapman’s writings on Robert Keegan’s models - https://vividness.live/2015/10/12/developing-ethical-social-...

Re: With teen mental health deteriorating over five years, there’s a likely culprit

#435

Post by orasis »

marnett wrote: post #277
orasis wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nihilism is the scourge of our age. It takes courage to create meaning and love life.

I agree. Out of curiousity, how have you found the meaning in your life?

Service to others. Gratitude. Exploration of the edges of discomfort. Surrender to this experience.

Re: With teen mental health deteriorating over five years, there’s a likely culprit

#436

Post by tripletmass »

pixelperfect wrote: post #167
limaoscarjuliet wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For my son (17 y.o.) it is online games and phone use in general. He has - I hope - mild depression, which - I believe - is caused by his online habits. His mom and I thought taking his PC away from him would fix it. But then he falls into school-sleep cycle, that looks like full-blown depression. Yes, his grades are affected and in not a good way. What works for now is to participate in his life with him. As of now…

When I was around that age I also had my PC taken away from me. My recommendation would be to see if you can kickstart some hobby by spending a few hundred dollars on something as a substitute for the PC. Something of his choice than is more constructive than video games. When my PC was taken away and not replaced with anything, I just got bored and didn't know what to do with my time.

Where's my 34" irrevokable longboard smartphone I was promised, I might ask first. Or where are the desktop CPUs with fewer than 5-ring security please, without mentioning Intel Atom.

This is the time period when encouraging people to go out coincided with being aware that meningitis and melinoma must be checked out by someone whose credentials would naturally be beyond all rapportage! Then Zika. And then don't go inside if the people there travel where long-capsid viruses are common; and the TSA would like to weigh in as a completely discredited agency which will be continuing thanks. Oh and no reason, but health premiums are a thing that mean to dominate now and if you work outside you can be fired for asking about health guidance. Primaries in the US; anyone, how's your favorite Third Party holding up? Great, great; now tell me just the good things about jurisprudence and family pride in Latin America; Canada if you like.

Re: With teen mental health deteriorating over five years, there’s a likely culprit

#437

Post by lsc »

zbentley wrote: post #410
lsc wrote: post #356

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The reason is simple - if you make others feel inferior, by being better at anything in any way than them, they hate and envy you. If that were true, the sports stars would not have been popular

I think there's a "social proximity" effect to it. If you see someone you consider immensely superior to yourself on TV, for example, you're likely to consider yourself either disconnected (and not threatened) by them, or entertain a fantasy of "I could be that someday" (see: most Americans). Alternatively, if you see someone you consider even slightly superior to yourself who is situated similarly in social hierarch…

I meant 'sports stars' in the context of high school... people who certainly could and traditionally did take food resources away from more scholarly children.

Re: With teen mental health deteriorating over five years, there’s a likely culprit

#438

Post by lsc »

jlcummings wrote: post #379
lsc wrote: post #356

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The reason is simple - if you make others feel inferior, by being better at anything in any way than them, they hate and envy you. If that were true, the sports stars would not have been popular

Everyone loves a winner, on some level. But are sports stars generally popular with the public or among their peers, or teammates? Michael Jordan, was/is endured to the public for his talent and work ethic, but I don’t believe he was adored quite the same by teammates or opponents.

I have no idea. the kids who were good at sports seemed to be pretty popular in high school, though, which is what I thought we were talking about.

Re: With teen mental health deteriorating over five years, there’s a likely culprit

#439

Post by abusoufiyan »

throwaway2801 wrote: post #378
abusoufiyan wrote: post #341

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Let's not make atheists look like evil people who make children depressed. This is not OK. That's not what he's doing at all. But it is also true that religion is largely the underpinning of morality for most people in the world and early exposure to the idea that morality is relative and malleable and that actually the only real motivator is self-preservation is probably unhealthy for adolescents. >Solving my probl…

Parts of my problems are others problems, that is not mutually exclusive. Actually, one could argue that at the end of the day, any action is egoist at some level, even charity (my experience is that this argument leads to interesting discussions were people try to define things). Also, I know that religion is linked to charity, but I don't see why would one need religion to help other people. I'm doing it pretty oft…

>As an agnostic, linking those things feel absurd (in the mathematical definition of absurd, not in the definition of "stupid").

It's hard for me to reply to this because I just have a hard time understanding what you are talking about. What is the mathematical definition of absurd? What is an "egoist" action.

All I was able to really understand was that you don't see why you need religion to help people. You don't. But every religious person can be reprimainded for not helping people because it is a religious tenet of nearly every major faith to help others as they are your equals under God. Every atheist cannot be taught to help others in this way.

In essence, an atheist can be good if they choose to be. A religious person is specifically being told to be good.

Re: With teen mental health deteriorating over five years, there’s a likely culprit

#440

Post by abusoufiyan »

watwut wrote: post #360
abusoufiyan wrote: post #341

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Let's not make atheists look like evil people who make children depressed. This is not OK. That's not what he's doing at all. But it is also true that religion is largely the underpinning of morality for most people in the world and early exposure to the idea that morality is relative and malleable and that actually the only real motivator is self-preservation is probably unhealthy for adolescents. >Solving my probl…

> the idea that you aren't just doing things for yourself or solving your own problems but solving the problems of others because they are your equals Equality really really does not describe views of hardcore christians I personally know nor the content of sermons I personally heard not christian journals articles I read. Nor does tolerance, no matter how you define tolerance.

I am not a Christian but I grew up around very faithful Christians and my experiences are not the same as yours. Just to put that out there. Many of the devout Christians I knew took actions to rectify the wrongs around them that people would be awed by.
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