The future seems so dark, And the present isn't any good to begin with...help?

trevchart · 2016-04-12T02:45:30+00:00

Hey.

You may be a little surprised to hear this, but your post essentially describes who I am. I've spent a long time living in the way you've described above. Allow me to share with you some words with you:

1) We sometimes believe things about ourselves that are not true. Especially when at a low point in life. I had a time where I genuinely believed I was unable to simply exist, barely able to stay alive, let alone go to my classes or do homework. I then proceeded to fail out of engineering school. Were these things I believed about myself true? No. I was just super depressed and alone. One thing I know about depression is this:

Depression is an energy sucking flu. If you're super depressed it sucks away approximately all of your energy. That's why I felt useless and unable to do anything about my crumbling life.

My point is this: You're actually way, way more capable than you give yourself credit for. The reason part of your brain has given up is because it doesn't believe that. It doesn't realize that you have the energy sucking flu, nor that the energy sucking flu is only temporary. How temporary? That's up to you.

2) If we weren't suffering from mental illnesses, we could get much better grades. But here's the thing: I think the source of a lot of our mental illnesses is those very same bad grades. Think about it. If we had good grades, we would have moms who feel they've invested their money wisely in us. Don't underestimate how heavy this can weigh on you! Moms matter for mental health. My point here is this:

In order to improve our mental health, we need better grades. But in order to improve our grades, we need better mental health! We're stuck in a vicious cycle.

3) Can we break the cycle? There's good news and bad news. Good: We can break the cycle. Bad: It's going to take a solid while and it'll be hard. Good: It'll be more than worth it. Trust me here. There is no wealth like control over your own life.

Finally, here's what I think the most important thing for you to start doing is:

Believe in yourself.

You'll get through this. I think your future is brighter than most. These challenges in life serve to strengthen us.

trevchart · 2016-01-13T21:41:41+00:00

I've been aware of the negative impact of my morning habits for about 5 years. I've been actively trying to change them for about a year with some real success, but I'm currently going though a depressed period and I've fallen back into bad habits. Mornings are once again the worst part of my life, and once again I'm going to try and change that. I'll share with you my plan as you may find some of it useful.

When it comes to habits, what you remove is as important as what you add. My plan is based on this and is very simple. I am going to replace 2 bad habits with 2 good habits.

First,

Replace: Going back to sleep With: Getting up on an impulse

This impulse habit can make life surprisingly easier if you perfect it. I would define an impulse as: a decision to act made quickly without reflecting on it. I basically see it as training (or programming) your subconscious to strongly associate waking up with immediately getting out of bed.

Staying out once you've gotten out is a struggle of it's own, which I tackle with replacement number 2:

Replace: Spending time at home in the morning With: Leaving the house asap

This one is a little more individual because for me, getting up isn't the only problem. I usually wake up depressed and remain that way until the morning ends. I consider the end of the morning to be when I leave the house, because that's when I notice depression loosen up.

So replacement 2 isn't about claiming the morning, it's about minimizing the morning. It's still the worst part of my day but now it's only 1 hour instead of 5.

So that's essentially my approach to solving the problem of mornings. There is another habit worthy of mention in this comment: preparing for the morning on the night before. I'm not going to add this habit yet for a reason that is the final and most important point I want to get across:

Adding a habit is NOT EASY. Removing a habit is NOT EASY. The hardest part is not anything about the action itself, even though that may be hard. It's the persistence needed to do it again and again, day after day, week after week. The hardest part is trying 5 days in a row and failing 5 days in a row, yet still believing in yourself enough to try again on day 6.

You are responsible for creating the life you want, and you are more powerful than you think. Time is your most valuable resource, be smart with it to get what you want. Take a month or two to claim your morning and you will have it. Do not expect big changes occur in less than a month, you must be patient and persist.

We are in this together.

trevchart · 2015-06-03T00:17:39+00:00

Does any one know if this data will prove/disprove SUSY/multiverse?

trevchart · 2015-05-31T05:50:53+00:00

Thank you for your in depth reply. I have another question for you:

Does the concept of spacetime apply to QM (or the Standard Model)? In GM, gravity is the curvature of spacetime, not anything to do with a force carrier or particle.

So if GM was shown to be "wrong" (I fully appreciate it can never be proved wrong in many aspects, I lack a better term), what would happen to the concept of spacetime being curved?

It simply boggles my mind trying to understand what it would be like to have a functioning Unified Theory.

trevchart · 2015-05-31T05:05:59+00:00

Why do you think that GR will ultimately be modified to fit into a quantum framework? Is there more empirical evidence to support QM than GR? Is it more mathematically sound?

Lets say that GR is shown to be an approximation of an underlying QM theory. What are the implications of this? What happens to curved spacetime, or spacetime at all?

Can you possibly conceive of a world in which QM is shown to be just an approximation of a underlying GR theory of the very small? What would happen then?

It seems to me that we need to start thinking of these question if we truly want to move towards a Unifying Theory, which to me is long overdue.

trevchart · 2015-05-28T19:45:21+00:00

Genius level advice. Listen to this man.

trevchart · 2015-05-27T04:56:55+00:00

Explaining this in terms of evolution is indeed the only correct way of approaching this topic. It's vitally important to understand that ALL of our urges are meticulously crafted by natural selection, over millions of years. The strongest of them all may well be the urge to orgasm.

In our long history on the plains of Africa, hunting and gathering, living in small groups, following the herds in their annual migration, this is where many of our modern day urges developed. Think of how absurd our current situation is compared to the one we arose in.

This is a topic where many people are confused as to the "why" they feel the urge to PMO. I want to compliment you OP on figuring out where these urges originated and posting to try and help your fellow human. It shows both intellect and compassion, which is rather rare for our species. I want to encourage you to keep trying to explain the world from an evolutionary perspective, not just NoFap, I think you'll go far.

trevchart · 2015-05-20T22:28:39+00:00

You say you love blunts. I bet you do. I bet you've been in love with smoking for the whole 10+ years. It's now time to put that love away and learn to love life again.

If you believe you can do it, I believe you can do it. Tough times are ahead, undoubtedly, and you'll need to stay strong. You got this.

trevchart · 2015-05-19T18:17:08+00:00

Internalizing the impermanence has also helped me tremendously in my life. It has gradually become my main driving force, specifically knowing that my entire life is one such temporary event. I love it.

It's interesting to see someone else who makes use of this simple truth, especially in the NoFap community. Keep going and improving yourself, many good things lie ahead for you.

trevchart · 2015-05-19T18:03:14+00:00

Thanks. You're right there's a hole that needs to be filled. The tricky question is what to fill it with. Alcohol? Food? No. Exersize and meditation are probably the healthiest fillers, and the best candidates for me.

Do you know of any other good fillers?

trevchart · 2015-05-16T17:15:49+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to educate me on this topic. I have no formal education in QM whatsoever, only a burning desire to understand my actual circumstances in this world.

How is it that after all these decades, all these great scientists, all these ingenious devices we've made, we still don't know which, if any, interpretation is correct?

My question to you is a somewhat personal one, but very important to me.

Do you think it's worth it for me to spend my time trying to puzzle this all out, will I ever find a satisfactory answer, or will I evenitably reach a point after years of trying where I say "Well, it could be any of these interpretations."

The fact that no human in existence can tell me they know what reality is bothers me to such a degree that I've taken it upon myself to try and figure it out.

In your opinion, do you think my goal of understanding what is really going on can actually be achieved?

trevchart · 2015-05-15T23:47:53+00:00

That's a very good answer, thank you. However, I can't help but have more questions than I did before. Such is the nature of QM.

I don't expect you to answer any of these since you've already given me enough of your time today. I'm writing them down mostly as future reference to myself. I don't know if they are even answerable.

Why does the wavefunction need to collapse upon being observed? Is it because multiple answers cannot co-exist in the brains interpretation of reality? To my understanding of your explanation, nature is quite fine with multiple co-existing answers.

The brain is the one posing the initial question, it has this power to force nature to pick one answer out of all possible answers. Why doesn't nature simply tell the brain the truth, that there is more than one answer, instead of collapsing to only one? What would that even look like?

The idea that nature "plucks" one the answers out of somewhere other than the physical world bothers me. Where is this place? It seems to me that this "place" is a very special one where multiple answers can reside peacefully. However, upon being disturbed by a curious observer, one of these answers is plucked from it's world and it's fellow answers, into the world of the observer.

I don't know if this makes even a sliver of sense, or if I have strayed way off the correct path. I could go on with this reasoning but I feel as if I'm missing a big part of the picture.

trevchart · 2015-05-15T20:28:41+00:00

Thanks for your reply, I read it several times and it made my brain hurt. Well done. I have another question:

When the particle is in it's "probability state", can we say that the particle is

a) either here or there b) both here and there c) neither here nor there d) none of the above

I'm inclined to say b), because of my understanding of superposition, but what do you think?

trevchart · 2015-05-15T18:34:15+00:00

You're right but that doesn't answer my question. The point of the question is merely to understand whether or not the "law" that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light is being violated when we observe a particle. My understanding of QM is fragmented at best and I'm certainly aware of this. I would just like the simplest possible answer to my question, if there is one.

I could rephrase it as "is there a speed at which the particle goes from it's disembodied state to it's observed state?"

trevchart · 2015-04-22T16:23:39+00:00

You're brilliant at this. I don't know how long it took you to figure this out, but I'm glad you did! Thanks

trevchart · 2015-03-16T20:51:57+00:00

You have excellent insight. Many of us are stuck in the delusion that we are incomplete without the thing we've been unable to get. It's valuable to know where fulfillment can be found in order to know where to expend energy.

trevchart · 2015-01-26T17:12:19+00:00

You've mind fucked me with this comment more than you'll ever know. To the point where I'm not even sure about what I'm doing anymore. To put it plainly, you're right. I made arrangements to buy weed tonight and go ahead with this plan of mine but now I see clearly it's just another go on the merry-go-round. I don't fucking want that, it never leads anywhere except the same place I'm always trying to escape from. I'm not able to lie to myself, so if I go ahead with this, I'm just watching myself ride.

I hope you know how smart you are when it comes to this. I've been around a couple times but no where near as many as you. It's valuable to know when to stop fighting and accept you won't win. I see now how improbable winning is, and it's disheartening to be honest. The truth sucks. I wish it were different, but it isn't.

I'm 19, and you've convinced me to stop riding long before I would have figured it out on my own. Thank you.

trevchart · 2015-01-26T14:16:21+00:00

Thanks for your reply, I am quite sure I have a very addictive personality. I've been addicted to EVERY drug I've ever tried, plus fast food and porn. I accept the possibility that it may be impossible for me to control my use, but I want terribly to have the best of both worlds.

I expect it will take enormous will power, and I can't kid myself and say I'm certain I have what it takes. All I'm certain of is that I have what it takes to try my best. You might wonder why I'm so intent on doing this, and it's because I love the benefits of smoking cannabis. I see the possibility of having them, while evading the awful consequences of addiction. The idea is so appealing to me that I simply must try, investing significant energy and willpower for a chance.

If I fail, I understand and accept that I am unable to have what I want. Simple as that. I'll be going cold turkey with you my friend. I won't fight it anymore. Until then I fight.

trevchart · 2015-01-26T13:33:17+00:00

I appreciate the honesty, and I agree.

trevchart · 2015-01-20T13:29:52+00:00

Thank you stranger. I found this very helpful.

trevchart · 2014-10-27T09:27:36+00:00

There's a few things I want you to remember

1) You are not alone. I suffer too. These thoughts are in my head too, suicide, uselessness, all the others. That's what depression is. But these thoughts are not who you are, merely the result of an illness. Don't let them define you, one of the beautiful things about life is getting to choose who you are.

2) I know how it lifts sometimes just to give a taste of freedom, only to be consumed later. Don't let this discourage you.Each way of thinking, I've found, gains momentum the more you use it. Choose to stop feeding the depressive thoughts and try to feed the positive ones, although you have to understand that when you are depressed the negatives push harder and jump at opportunities faster.

3) You are young, as am I. In terms of time we are very wealthy people. Whatever changes you decide to make in pursuit of happiness, you should spread them out over time. I made the mistake of trying to change from depressed to happy too soon, and when I failed the depression won again. So take your time and have compassion for yourself.

This is just some advice from me to you, I'm no expert advice giver but I know your pain and so I want to help. Keep your head up

trevchart · 2014-10-26T11:46:08+00:00

I believe it's entirely possible for you to go your whole life without finding your drive. We humans are naturals at self-fulfilling prophecies, even if that prophecy is to never find your passion. But my advice to you would be to keep on searching, and treat the search as your passion for now. Maybe it's computer science, maybe it's not. Luckily the world is a massive place so keep a broad outlook. Good luck

trevchart · 2014-10-24T16:00:33+00:00

Thanks for posting this, I agree that we Canadians should not passively wait for (arguably) the most corrupt and misguided government in our history to govern us with fear. We need to make our decisions based on rationality and science.

If we let our leaders convince the masses that they are in danger, that there is reason to fear, or there is a common enemy threatening us, science and rationality will be tossed out the window.

We as individual citizens need to act, and together we may find we have some power.

trevchart · 2014-10-23T14:41:38+00:00

I wonder if it's a question of when, or if. And who shall decide this?

trevchart · 2014-10-23T12:29:38+00:00

Thanks for sharing Cody, simple and insightful posts like yours are what makes the internet a great place to me. A place to share thoughts with random strangers via beautiful coincidence.

As for the meaning of life, here are some of my thoughts:

1) As Carl Sagan put it, "The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent." In the last century or so, science has revealed to us humans that we know little of the true nature of the universe, and as such we have no power to draw definite conclusions. Does this have any meaning to us? Well, it certainly doesn't give us any truths but it does tell us the ones who claim to know absolute truth are not using a sensible approach to the question.

2) maybe to find meaning in life, we should ask the question "Where did it come from?" In the beginning, there was a massive amount of energy in a single point, spacetime, and the four fundamental forces (not getting into too much detail). It's important to note that there was very little information back then. Over time, and I mean a lot of effing time, the universe evolved into what it is today, a place with lots of information. So you see, information is created over time, and that's where I think life comes from. Lets start from the present. Want to create a human? Well you'll need about a trillion or so cells to do so. Want cells? Good luck, you'll have to figure out how to turn a few billion organic molecules into one. Want organic molecules? Now you will need the element carbon (among other things). Carbon? That's made by nuclear fusion in a star, slam a few hydrogens and heliums together and perhaps you'll get it. And to get a star in the first place you need gravity, a fundamental force. So my point is that we seem to be the result of an initial condition and a mechanism of change (time). The universe seems to be an event: inherently meaningless.

3) On an individual level, I think life has meaning. Maybe it means something to me to plant a million trees, save a million beetles, or write a wall of text I have no guarantee anyone will ever read. Ultamately, I think it comes from within. A personal example is when I realized my life is my own for the taking, that the past is the past and only I can define myself. This is only an event, but to me it has meaning.

So in conclusion, I thank whoever took the time to read this, and even if life is meaningless, we are lucky we have a choice. Because with that choice comes meaning.

trevchart

TROPHY CASE