As a kid, nothing excited me more than seeing a McDonalds PlayPlace. As an adult, nothing disgusts me more than seeing a McDonalds PlayPlace

This also ties into my fear of the future. What if I'm making all the wrong decisions!

What helped me was realizing that it doesn't really matter what I do, there's no rule book, and everyone else is playing the same guessing game. When you die, you're not going to be scored on how well you did, the world just keeps spinning without you. One of the earliest fears most people experience is the realization of inevitable death and the uncertainty of life. Like any emotional response, it needs to be processed, otherwise it will eat at your core.

For me, processing that fear involved becoming comfortable with how insignificant my life is. That humans are just some animals on a planet in a solar system in a universe much much much bigger than anything we can conceive. We're just some beings experiencing nature. We didn't make this rock. Over time we made up a bunch of languages and social constructs and the internet popped up eventually. We're animals that are driven by thoughts and emotions, wired that way to survive. What if you make the wrong decisions? Who gives a shit. You're going to make bad decisions, that's how you learn. You're also going to make good decisions. Then you die.

People always say "life is short" and that's the truth. It's like sneaking into a theater halfway through the movie. We spend a good chunk of time figuring out what's going on, we laugh at some scenes, cry at others, but then we get kicked out before it's even over.

You'll be okay as long as you try to improve yourself every day and do your best to lessen the suffering of others. If you're struggling and can't find a way out, seek help, any pain you can imagine has been experienced by someone else.

/r/Showerthoughts Thread Parent