Woody Allen already covered this in a scene in Take The Money And Run.
Existential Depression in Gifted Children
161–170 of 185 posts
Re: Existential Depression in Gifted Children
#162Earlier quoted context omitted.
There's a good point, the cultural one. No, I really mind how excited children can get about everything - it's the first time for them! Their highs are incredibly high, and their lows are incredibly low, partly because they have no experience to know that after the high will come a low, and after the low will come a high. But when my point was that the author seems to think only gifted children are intense, why do yo…
But when my point was that the author seems to think only gifted children are intense, why do you immediately assume I'm telling you you're not? No, I had thought you were implying that adults are emotionally less intense than children, which made me feel alone because that's very much contrary to my experience. The big thing that freaked me out about growing up was realizing it feels much the same as being a child,…
Interesting. I've noticed a lot of differences between the subjective experiences of childhood and adulthood. Part of it could be thought of as less intensity, but I think it has more to do with gaining the ability to accept things as they are. I also seem to have gained greater capacity for empathy. Frighteningly, I've also developed more discomfort with the unfamiliar.
Re: Existential Depression in Gifted Children
#163I think this is a really pathetic reason to be depressed. And these "gifted" people have it all wrong. No, the laws of physics don't directly dictate that all governments be democratic, or that people drive on the right side of the road. But if they thought about the world on a deeper level, they would realize that there is structure, and that it's breathtakingly-beautiful (albeit subtle and not always easy to pick u…
I fail to see why some gifted children can't appreciate the world and their existence enough to at least have a good time and explore it a bit.
Then why are you commenting?
Re: Existential Depression in Gifted Children
#164I remember thinking these 'existential' thoughts that cause depression my first day of pre-school. I am not as intelligent as a lot of people, but I know that I'm not unintelligent. I began failing my classes in school when I was 9, and my depression was beginning to really develop. I would walk around the playground, by myself, thinking. By 15, I had renounced my belief in God and refused to be brainwashed by anyone…
Thank you so much for sharing that, and I second your suggestion. I was born again at age 24, after swearing it off for years due to the evil and hypocrisy I saw growing up in it. But I had just hit another near suicidal rock bottom - even though my life was very monetarily successful - and I finally stopped fighting God's call and being so stuck on myself. I went to church and was blessed to meet my kind, flexible,…
Fantastic to hear... I'm interested to know what you meant by "being so stuck on myself"? I like to hear stories of how God has changed people!
Re: Existential Depression in Gifted Children
#165Earlier quoted context omitted.
I loved this comment and went through a serious critical study of those domains as well. I have a clarifying question: Isn't human consciousness and troublesome curiosity -- things you seem to be minimalizing and attempting to tone down -- just as real as everything else? Could your view that questioning your place in the universe as futile not be seen as escapist/defeatist? Why do you trust the biological system for…
Yes, it is a very troublesome and magnificent curiosity, but realizing the futility of thinking that "I NEED to know my purpose in this universe" takes out the troublesome part of that curiosity. The thing is, even if I waste my whole life in search for an answer, and still discover nothing, then also, I'd have played out my part as a useless prick in the universe (Read up stuff about free will, there is a paradox or…
Thanks for sharing kapv89
Re: Existential Depression in Gifted Children
#166While I've read a fair bit of existentialist works I've never seen this term, but I think I know what it means. I also think the article would be improved by just titling itself "Existential Depression". The narrow focus is odd, even if true, and might serve better as a footnote. There's the strangest feeling I come across from time to time, and I think "come across" is the only good way to describe it. Everyone has…
I, too, share this sentiment.
"The tendency for entropy to increase in isolated systems is expressed in the second law of thermodynamics — perhaps the most pessimistic and amoral formulation in all human thought."
— Gregory Hill and Kerry Thornley, Principia Discordia [1]
As I understand, over the centuries, the usual coping mechanism for existential dread has been belief. Religion is often cynically thought to be a means to control the masses, but I think its central purpose is serving as a mental safety valve. I've chosen to believe in the power of technological progress.
"Yes, we did it, we killed the dragon today. But damn, why did we start so late? This could have been done five, maybe ten years ago! Millions of people wouldn't have had to die."
— Nick Bostrom, The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant [2]
I believe it's our duty to conquer death and bring heaven to earth, by fixing aging and developing machine intelligence. [3] [4] Once this is done, there will be time to think about reversing entropy, or breaking out of the universe.
"THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER."
— Isaac Asimov, The Last Question [5]
[1] http://principiadiscordia.com/
Re: Existential Depression in Gifted Children
#167The fact there's something rather than nothing. 'Nothing' - like absolute zero - is only a referential concept. Beware of introspective traps. Light, breezy and not trying too hard.
Re: Existential Depression in Gifted Children
#168While I've read a fair bit of existentialist works I've never seen this term, but I think I know what it means. I also think the article would be improved by just titling itself "Existential Depression". The narrow focus is odd, even if true, and might serve better as a footnote. There's the strangest feeling I come across from time to time, and I think "come across" is the only good way to describe it. Everyone has…
I, too, share this sentiment. "The tendency for entropy to increase in isolated systems is expressed in the second law of thermodynamics — perhaps the most pessimistic and amoral formulation in all human thought." — Gregory Hill and Kerry Thornley, Principia Discordia [1] As I understand, over the centuries, the usual coping mechanism for existential dread has been belief. Religion is often cynically thought to be a…
Wonderful comment.
I believe it's our duty to conquer death and bring
heaven to earth, by fixing aging and developing machine
intelligence. [3] [4] Once this is done, there will be
time to think about reversing entropy, or breaking out
of the universe.
Re: Existential Depression in Gifted Children
#169While I've read a fair bit of existentialist works I've never seen this term, but I think I know what it means. I also think the article would be improved by just titling itself "Existential Depression". The narrow focus is odd, even if true, and might serve better as a footnote. There's the strangest feeling I come across from time to time, and I think "come across" is the only good way to describe it. Everyone has…
I so know this feeling! I still remember exactly how I first felt it; I was six, pondering the universe and mentally zooming into a tear in a wallpaper, down to the subatomic particles level, then I zoomed out, but for the first time didn't stop until my mind has encompassed the entire spacetime, the entire, timeless universe, with me but a infinitesimal speck in it. Interestingly though, I quite liked that feeling, in a bit perverse way perhaps; I learned to invoke it almost on demand and did it quite often, especially when I was upset with the world around me. It brought serenity uncomparable to anything else I've experienced, and, at times, welcome detachment. I have recognised it as sad, but it was serene sadness.
Years later I've found out that I'm clinically depressed and perhaps that's why I don't feel the sadness so deeply - it's not much lower than my mood set point. BTW, comparing this feeling to the sadness of a close being passing away is like apples and oranges - they both have a completely different flavor to me.
I still invoke it from time to time; for the serenity, sometimes for the detachment, and oddly, sometimes get sad to get angry and gain some motivation to change the world. I've found that attaining the state is now harder than it was when I was a child.
BTW, interesting tip about the poetry; I've been wondering why it's not as alluring as it used to be, and perhaps I don't spacetime out that often anymore.
Re: Existential Depression in Gifted Children
#170It has been my experience that gifted and talented persons are more likely to experience a type of depression referred to as existential depression.
is there any evidence (beyond the author's "experience") that this is true?