As the title states, I struggle with the fact that I do not view life worth living. However, this is not from a mental illness, but rather stems from my philosophical views. I believe that life is meaningless and ultimately, that it is a negative experience. I have read multiple philosophical texts looking for answers, but almost always I find the answers supplied by those texts to be unsatisfactory. That is to say, the answers given do not seem logically sound, or reasonable enough to me (such as Camus' Absurdism, or Sartre's personalised existentialism.) It also does not help when reading works of pessimistic philosophers, such as Schopenhauer or Cioran, I find myself agreeing with their viewpoints that I cannot refrain myself from finding realistic.

Furthermore, the result of having such views lead to quite a lonely, unsuccessful life. Unsuccessful in such a way that I procrastinate and waste opportunities (for example, I have several outstanding assignments that I have yet to complete and may not ever complete.) To further expand on my previous mention of loneliness, whenever I find myself expressing my nihilistic views, I am more often than not met with impertinence and disdain. It is almost like others see my philosophy as a threat to their way of life, and push me away (this is evident through the fact that my friendships have suffered greatly from the expression of my views.) Consequently, I also have developed a more negative view of my parents, for the reason being that they thoughtlessly brought me into this meaningless existence (an existence that I would rather not have to endure.)

However, my main problem originates in the fact that I cannot rationalise to continue living. That is to say, due to my nihilistic views on life, it occurs to me that it is illogical for myself to continue living. Almost hypocritical, in fact.

Hi SimpleStuff,

We're sorry to hear that you're feeling lonely and that talking about what you're interested in has led to your friendships suffering. We understand that this must be really difficult. Please know that this is a safe and non-judgemental space. It's concerning that you don't view life as worth living. We are getting in touch with you privately to offer you some support.

We would recommend getting in touch with Headspace. Headspace is an organisation specifically for young people aged 12-25 and they offer a wide range of services including group programs which are a great opportunity to meet people. They also have a group chat on their webpage. Feeling lonely is really tough, and we would encourage you to try and find some people that you connect with.

Additionally, if you feel it may be helpful, you are always welcome to get in touch with Kids Help Line. They are a confidential and anonymous, telephone and online counselling service specifically for young people aged 25 and under.

Please feel free to reach out here anytime and let us know how you're going.

Hi SimpleStuff

You offer an interesting viewpoint from a philosophical or reasonable perspective. I believe others consider this (what's the point in living) from other viewpoints, some being emotional. I suppose other ways to phrase this can be

• What is the point/purpose of life?
• What is my purpose in life?
• What's the point in me being here? or
• Why am I here?

I don't believe it helps that we're brought into this world typically without being directed how to come to life or how to find purpose. It can be kind of like we're plodding along trying to work it all out for ourselves, which can get depressing at times, especially when we're not getting constructive answers.

Being analytical myself and having a natural love of wondering, I have been led to wonder whether one of the possibilities for our existence is simply to discover our potential. An example of this can be found in the fascinating study of epigenetics which embraces the idea that we hold the potential to alter our own DNA, something once believed impossible. A couple of the questions in this field amongst many are

• Do we hold the potential to consciously lengthen our telomeres through our behaviours (mental and physical), extending our life?
• Do we hold the potential to naturally switch off cancer cells?

So, you could say there are philosophers or theorists within the world of epigenetics. While there can be certain philosophers who think one way, we can have philosophers who wonder in other ways. At the end of the day, it's like we're a puzzle seeking to be solved (with many evolving theories on how to go about it).

Being interested in philosophy, I imagine you to be someone who wonders a bit. A bit far fetched perhaps but still possible: Wondering whether you are someone whose purpose it is to see what it takes to extend telomeres could leave you believing there's more to life than what you once imagined. Imagine a reality where you become the breakthrough. You finally come to understand your purpose.

We all hold massive potential in a variety of interesting ways. Throughout history, some have discovered their potential in great positive ways and some in sinister ways. Much depends on the nature of a person, the guidance they receive and the path they take.

:)