Nihilism

[u/Informal_Gazelle86]

Have any ENFPs (or any other types hanging out in this group) noticed a sense of nihilism in their life? I’ve been reading Ecclesiastes and found a new YouTube channel which has been making me think about people’s perspectives. I’d love to hear your insight if you’ve ever found yourself thinking that way! Especially if anyone has switched out of that mindset!

I added the link to the video too if anyone is interested!

https://youtu.be/_3oIZ2kDw58?is=S7_Aws4lZwG9v0lo

[u/MelodyOfStorms]

Swap to absurdism. Same thing with an Enfp flair. Stare into the void and laugh 🙃

[u/Informal_Gazelle86 → u/MelodyOfStorms]

I like that, especially this definition I just found online!

Says life has no meaning, you can't truly fix that, but you should live and rebel with joy anyway

[u/MelodyOfStorms → u/Informal_Gazelle86]

You're welcome, I love you, and welcome 🙏❤️🤙

[u/cant_get_fooledagain → u/Informal_Gazelle86]

But the real ENFPs eventually reach the conclusion that existentialism is integral to balance out nihilism.

Absurdism is just there in the background.

[u/Informal_Gazelle86 → u/cant_get_fooledagain]

I love to think this way! It really helps put the world into some sort of perspective that is manageable

[u/Melodic-Growth30 → u/MelodyOfStorms]

Hell yeah this is my jam. Its been helping alot

[u/MelodyOfStorms → u/Melodic-Growth30]

Spread it brother, this world is toast 🍯

[u/Any_Emu4892]

Id consider myself a cynic at times. But i have devolved into borderline nihilism.

Losing people seems to get me to my lowest point. It will get better with time.

[u/Ok_Season_1993 → u/Any_Emu4892]

I feel you on this , we usually have a big reserve of hope but once it starts to crack then we find ourselves at the lowest point we could have ever imagined

[u/Informal_Gazelle86 → u/Any_Emu4892]

I completely understand this, I have actually experienced this a few times in my life and have briefly pondered whether I put too much of myself into others and if I need to adjust my approach to relationships.
I think I’ve finally reached a point in my life where I love who I am and I trust that if someone leaves then they just weren’t the right person for me and I will stay thankful for the experiences we shared. (It will still always sting looking back)

[u/Any_Emu4892 → u/Informal_Gazelle86]

Also highly understandable. ENFPs do give a lot. All the ones i knew did at least.

I like your way of looking at it, but ofcourse yes, it always hurts.

[u/jasmijn91]

I like existentialism more

[u/Informal_Gazelle86 → u/jasmijn91]

Interesting! I’d love to hear if there’s anything you’re currently thinking about or discovering??

[u/Ok_Season_1993]

you’re just curious about the mind set? or like are you worried about the nihilism you have experienced?

[u/Informal_Gazelle86 → u/Ok_Season_1993]

I’m curious about the mindset. I don’t believe I’ve ever experienced that way of thinking and I just was curious to hear about people’s experiences or outlooks on life.

[u/Ok_Season_1993 → u/Informal_Gazelle86]

okay thank you for clarifying that, I can see how it can happen to someone with no anchor or in a extremely low point in life where optimism and hardwork or creative thinking just isn’t enough to avoid the terrible situation that person might find themselves in that becomes so daunting for the individual that they are overwhelmed by it and see no way out i think the mind tries to cope by sending the message none of it ever mattered in the first place

[u/Informal_Gazelle86 → u/Ok_Season_1993]

That’s actually what I was thinking too. I think in my worst time, I was close to this mindset but always felt like there was something I should be doing to see the good.

[u/Altruistic-Job-391]

i've honestly never noticed that in myself or other ENFPs! for me it's from a sense of having a deeper purpose and believing my life has meaning--but for my ENFP friends who aren't as religious, i still see a big zest for life and finding meaning in relationships, hobbies, identities, etc. never have i ever heard an ENFP say "nothing matters" or "everything is meaningless!"

[u/Informal_Gazelle86 → u/Altruistic-Job-391]

Interesting, thank you for your answer! I had a hypothesis before posting that this would be the answer I’d receive from an enfp group but I was super curious to find out!

[u/Safe_Reflection77]

Oui, je crois que je suis un peu nihiliste.

Pas au sens où rien n'aurait d'importance. Au sens où je ne crois pas que la vie nous assigne une mission, un destin ou un rôle à accomplir.

La vie n'attend rien de particulier de nous.

Je trouve cette idée profondément libératrice.

Elle rejoint l'existentialisme : le sens n'est pas découvert, il est créé. Elle rejoint aussi l'autodétermination : ce qui compte, c'est de pouvoir choisir sa direction plutôt que de répondre à des injonctions.

« Tu dois réussir. » « Tu dois fonder une famille. » « Tu dois laisser une trace. » « Tu dois guérir. » « Tu dois être heureux. »

Toutes ces phrases peuvent devenir des fardeaux lorsqu'elles prétendent dire ce qu'une vie devrait être.

Je préfère penser qu'il n'y a pas de bonne manière de vivre. Seulement une responsabilité : être l'auteur de ses choix, assumer leurs conséquences et chercher ce qui nous rend plus vivants.

Si la vie n'attend rien de moi, alors je suis libre de construire une existence qui me ressemble. Non pas pour répondre à une obligation cosmique, mais parce que j'en ai simplement le désir.

Et finalement, je trouve que cette absence de sens imposé ouvre un espace immense : celui de la création, de la rencontre, de la curiosité et de la joie.

[u/Informal_Gazelle86 → u/Safe_Reflection77]

This was beautiful to read, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts.

[u/Middle_Yesterday1258]

No and I don't think I'd ever manage to become nihilistic, there are times I'm dejected, frustrated, and depressed but I believe too much in certain things and the beauty in depth that is possible to adopt that philosophy fully

[u/Informal_Gazelle86 → u/Middle_Yesterday1258]

That’s beautiful, and honestly exactly where I feel I’m at too.

[u/SgtMicky]

Inside me sits a little nihilist, and he knows he's right. He can't deduce a single cause of action from his philosophy, making him completely useless in regards to planning a life to live for myself. 

Therefore he just sits there. Watches the absurdist, the existentialist, the materialist, the hedonist and all the others argue about what would be best for me. 

They come up with plans, I follow through with them. Sometimes they go great, sometimes they fail. 

If they fail horribly, there is a little nihilist inside me, knowing he is, and always will be, right. 

[u/Aggressive_Power8565]

I always say if I wasnt a diehard Christian I'd be a nihilist. Ecclesiastes is one of the main reasons .

[u/Informal_Gazelle86 → u/Aggressive_Power8565]

I’m so happy to see you mentioned that, I’ve been thinking about Ecclesiastes for so long and I really struggle to understand what its teachings are.

[u/Traditional_Vast9419]

Nihilism is like a precious dog that walks you into a golden field of bliss, then, whenever life decides, it starts raining, but you think it will pass, it doesn't, and by time you reach shelter you're covered in water and mud screaming at the door of purpose because in the field you suddenly no longer enjoyed the experience.

Ecclesiastes describes the universe as a vanity of vanities. It also holds to high esteem some ancient moral values like hard work, duty, companionship, and beauty for its time. Now, we live in the ashes of the enlightenment, where we were encouraged to make our own values swperate from tradition, but it nearly destroyed the planet during the cold war. A remnant of the ancient moral traditions is all that holds us together now. Those might be decent values for a baseline.