this post was submitted on 10 Oct 2025
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How do you not despair? (lemmygrad.ml)
submitted 2 months ago by znsh@lemmygrad.ml to c/asklemmygrad@lemmygrad.ml
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Of all the things going on in world and also locally, from housing crises, economic instability, climate crisis etc.

How does one not fall into nihilism and just general despair? Are texts out there that teach and talk about how to hold grit and optimism in times like these?

TL;DR Help I don't want to be a doomer :(

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[–] z3rOR0ne@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 months ago

Spite and defiance. I refuse to give up, and encourage others to find any reason to keep going. Despair is going to happen, just a fact of life.

I gave up on being happy a long time ago, and have even given up on being content. Now I truly do live to spite the world that doesn't give a fuck about me. I live just to spit in the eyes of death and say "I'm still here asshole."

And yeah, one day it'll all come crashing down and I'll despair again, and I most certainly will die one day, but I'll be damned if I let despair take all my remaining waking moments on this Earth. I've wasted enough time doing that.

Spite may not be a better way to spend your life than love or joy, but it's still better than despair. And if I can't find love or joy, then I'll gladly take spite as a consolation prize. It's good enough.