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Susan Linehan's avatar

I've managed to navigate 80 years of life with what I think of as "cheerful cynicism." Lots of meanings tear at us, and there comes a point where you just have to laugh at the way a collection of disasters is engulfing you. I don't have to care whether life as a whole has "meaning." I've always been with the existentialists that we make our own meanings, which means being skeptical of the effect a current meaning has on our OWN lives as a whole. Embrace it or reject it--just do it with a sense of humor and a belief that you will muddle through.

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Jonathan St-Yves's avatar

Reading this, I can't help but think about a close relative which lives with bipolar disorder. With medication and by having a balanced lifestyle, they can stay stable for a while. But that stable life needs to be fulfilling and meaningful. Otherwise it is very temping to spice things up, taste the excess, lose control. That road often leads to a lot of pain for everyone, but it is really worse than the alternative?

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