#Existential Perspectives

[omegaphilosophia]

The Philosophy of Aging

The philosophy of aging explores the nature, significance, and experience of growing older. It encompasses various dimensions including biological, psychological, social, and existential perspectives. Philosophers, ethicists, and scholars examine the meaning of aging, the value of elderly life, and the societal attitudes towards aging and the elderly. Here’s a comprehensive look at the key concepts and ideas in the philosophy of aging:

1. The Nature of Aging

Biological Aging: This involves the physical changes that occur as organisms grow older, such as the gradual decline in physical and cognitive abilities. Philosophical inquiry into biological aging considers questions about the naturalness and inevitability of physical decline.

Psychological Aging: This dimension examines the mental and emotional aspects of aging. It includes the development of wisdom, changes in identity, and the impact of aging on mental health.

2. The Experience of Aging

Subjective Experience: Philosophers explore what it feels like to grow older. This includes the changing perceptions of time, the accumulation of life experiences, and the emotional and psychological adjustments to aging.

Cultural Narratives: Different cultures have varied narratives and attitudes about aging. The philosophy of aging looks at how these narratives shape individuals’ experiences of growing older and how they influence societal treatment of the elderly.

3. The Value of Elderly Life

Wisdom and Knowledge: Aging is often associated with the accumulation of wisdom and knowledge. Philosophical discussions may focus on the unique contributions that older adults can make to society based on their life experiences and understanding.

Respect and Dignity: The ethical treatment of the elderly is a crucial aspect. Philosophers argue for the respect and dignity of older individuals, challenging ageism and advocating for their rights and wellbeing.

4. Ethical and Social Considerations

Intergenerational Justice: This involves the ethical considerations of resource distribution between generations. Philosophical debates may focus on the obligations of society towards the elderly, including healthcare, social support, and opportunities for meaningful engagement.

End-of-Life Issues: The philosophy of aging also addresses ethical issues related to end-of-life care, euthanasia, and the right to die. These discussions consider the autonomy, dignity, and quality of life of elderly individuals.

5. Existential Perspectives

Meaning and Purpose: Aging brings forth questions about the meaning and purpose of life. Philosophers explore how individuals can find fulfillment and meaning in their later years, despite physical and social challenges.

Acceptance of Mortality: Aging is intimately connected with the awareness of mortality. Philosophical inquiry into aging often includes reflections on how individuals come to terms with their mortality and the implications for how they live their lives.

6. Positive Aging

Active Aging: This concept promotes the idea of staying active and engaged throughout the aging process. It encourages physical activity, social involvement, and continuous learning as means to enhance the quality of life in old age.

Successful Aging: Philosophers and gerontologists explore what it means to age successfully. This includes maintaining physical health, mental well-being, and a sense of purpose and satisfaction in life.

The philosophy of aging provides a multifaceted exploration of what it means to grow older. It challenges societal stereotypes about aging, highlights the value of elderly life, and addresses ethical considerations surrounding the treatment of older individuals. By examining the biological, psychological, social, and existential dimensions of aging, this field offers valuable insights into how we can live fulfilling and dignified lives as we age.

[urmomswifesworld]

[unionizedwizard]

honestly i like zenos' ending because it fits with one of the many reasons he is so memorable and uncanny to the player: his awareness that he is a video game character stuck in a video game, and his refusal to interact with the material in good faith & bend to the narrative's rules. in my opinion this is the key reason he immediately resonated (no pun intended) with the WoL, but his main failure is that he always (arrogantly, cruelly) refused to interact with the world in the way the "ideal" player character does: no emotional investment towards anyone (what for? these are all "npcs" to him, you can just kill or torment them for fun to see what they'll do next or what loot they'll drop), no crafting/gathering (lol), no sidequest (lolx2), no concept of actually conquering/stabilizing an empire (he doesn't care about turning ffxiv into crusader kings the way that varis does, for instance). he's the concept of the entitled cutscene skipper who is only there for high-end content and is unable/unwilling to cooperate because he sees himself as essential superior to everyone else due to his (excellent) skills; even his job change/constant skill evolution mirrors the player character's behavior

in the same vein as yotsuyu's survival being open until she goes too far and denies the very tenets of the narrative (succumbing to despair and the belief in an unchangeable, evil nature which can create nothing but cruelty and is therefore justified in causing harm, with no redemption possible), which dooms her irredeemably, zenos willingly missed every sign & opportunity to actually grow... so that in the end, his apathy & desire for personal freedom coupled with his awareness of the narrative (existential horror if there ever was one) anchored him in ultima thule (literal liminal space between reality and fiction) after a last 4th wall breaking speech to the WoL, just because he refused to be the puppet of the writers ever again. we know he could have left. if WE did, that means HE could have left, with sufficient willpower (which we know he has, for things that really matter to him). but he didn't! i think that's a respectable, honorable choice all things considered, that's truly coherent to his character. he WOULD rather stay stuck in limbo (cancelling his sub?) forever than actually interact with the world with respect & patience & humility because he's too proud & unable to even envision doing otherwise. that was an ultimate manifestation of agency on his part and his story would not hit as such otherwise

[veryintricaterituals]

Something about Good Omens from a Jewish perspective, something about Crowley, about questions, something about how we are not in heaven, about how we get to decide the rules here on Earth, something about discussion, about wrestling with G-d, and something about how G-d is outnumbered and doesn't get a say, something about how "heaven" and "hell" don't really matter, about trying to make things better from the context of our lives, something about leaving the world a better place than you found it, something about drinking and enjoying life right here and now, something about "they tried to kill us and failed, let's eat".

[chaos-interwoven]

when i read aftg for the first time i was fourteen and the ages of the characters felt like distant dreams i wasn’t sure i’d ever reach. now i am nineteen and share that age with neil and jean and that makes my mind spin. it adds a treacherous weight to their pain to know all they had gone through when they were my age. to put that trauma against the feel of my age in my bones hurts. but more than that it is dizzying to think back on how i read about these traumatized characters when i myself was in a dark place and didn’t know if i would survive it, didn’t know if i would live long enough to share an age with them. and now i am nineteen and getting to read jean’s story while i battle away my own dark days. the thought of it all honestly makes me so so emotional

[luvinaeverdene]

The Virgin Suicides (1999) Directed by Sofia Coppola

[lunewolf13]

Dick Grayson blankly stares at the ceiling: Am I a bad person?

The voices in his head that sounds oddly like his best friends: Of course not!

Dick: Oh.

Dick, voice wobbling: Then why do I feel so alone?

The voices don't answer. They're in his head, after all.

Jason throws a pillow at him: That's it! We're going out for ice cream and you are going to stop acting like I shot your dog!

Dick just starts wailing: Don't even suggest that!

Jason: Get your ass off the floor and come on then!

Twenty minutes and a two scoops of double fudge brownie later, Dick is feeling better.

Dick: I guess I just needed some sugar.

Jason: What, you forgot to take your morning sugary cereal that shouldn't ever be considered a breakfast food?

Dick kicks his shin: Thanks Jay.

Jason: For what?

Dick: For caring.

Jason grumbles: Whatever. If you're a bad person, then we're all rotten apples.

Jason: Also if I hear more bullshit about you being alone, I will call the little demon. He'll drag you to the manor and won't leave you alone for a whole week.

Dick smiles. Genuinely smiles.

Sometimes, sugar and good company is enough. Dick lets himself bask in it for a minute, lets the pain settle down just for a moment.

Then, he breaks the soft, caring peace in the air with a joke, pulling walls back up with Jason none the wiser.

Dick: Now I feel bad about eating all the chicken pot pie that was left on the counter yesterday.

Jason:

Jason: I take it back. You're a horrible, sadistic person. Alfred made that specifically for me!!

Dick laughs as he dodges a punch to the gut: And it was delicious.

He's fine.

[gallifreyanwriter]

i don't watch red dwarf

[mourn-and-watch]

the way cole makes varric conflicted is so delicious i think. most of the characters are uncomfortable around him because they're genuinely terrified of demons and the fade and magic in general but varric is a completely different case. the thing is, he doesn't see cole as a demon at all because he doesn't want to.

he acts like he doesn't care about this stuff. that's a little weird kiddo around here and he wants to befriend him. teach him something even. why not. that's a little guy who's a little too good with knives and can't pick up a single social clue at the same time.

but there it is. the "he could have been a person" line if cole is made more spirit. varric is so upset about it because it's not like he saw cole as, well, a spirit who got a little too human. for varric, he was a human first, a weird kid second. the spirit part didn't even come into consideration because. well. it would make him question things. you know where it goes.

every time he starts bitching about anders he brings up justice. justice drove him mad. justice took over him. justice this, justice that. justice is a scapegoat because the thought that someone varric was friends with was actually willing to blow up the chantry and it wasn't just some evil demon's wish is a very unsettling one. varric's friends may be crazy but they're cool and make no irreversible life decisions of that extent, don't they? blondie turned out this way because he let a demon possess him and make him do terrible things. completely out of the blue.

it's either varric's ex-friend has never been driven crazy by some inherently evil entity and there was a whole other person around him all along and that anger he used to mock was coming from the same place as compassion's urge to become a killer or that little weird but kind kid he started to care about has never been and will never be a real kid. he can't have both. a bitter pill to swallow for someone who has never picked a side in his life

[3eanuts]

September 26, 1956 — see The Complete Peanuts 1955-1958

[smile-files]

just out of curiosity: for friends and followers with schizophrenia, psychosis, or any other mental disorder causing delusions/hallucinations, how do you feel about suitcase ii being a representation of that?

ii doesn't have the best track record for mental disorder representation as it is (cough cough paper cough cough bomb cough cough cabby), so i have reason to be skeptical about suitcase... from my perspective, as someone without any such disorder, the handling of her mental disorder is unnuanced but well-intentioned at best, and a tacky, cliched attempt to create drama at worst. but i'd like to hear what other people think! thank you!

[chestersbraincell]

Sacrifice!Princess AU where, to both make the concept of change actually KILLABLE and to hopefully make her understand the "harm" she's causing there was actually a real person, a real human being, sacrificed and made a vessel for the concept of change. Explores the horrors in becoming said abstract, god-like concept of multitudes from a human perspective and, ironically enough, makes it even HARDER to kill her because she's easier to sympathise with.

[golvio]

Tried the Damsel route today.

This shot and the sequence leading up to it is probably one of the most disturbing things in the whole game. It's to existential horror what the Prisoner sawing her own head off was to physical horror. If anything, the Prisoner's autodecapatation is now less horrifying, in retrospect, because at least she got to keep her personality and free will throughout the process.

But, also...even in the routes where we don't mean to hurt her, where we do everything in our power to avoid physically hurting her...we still hurt her.

Even if we came in here with the very best of intentions and tried to "do the right thing," we still hurt her by our thoughts and desires hollowing her out until she was reduced to...this.

Going through the "happy" version of the ending didn't feel so triumphant, after that. Not just because the ending wasn't quite as satisfying from a narrative standpoint without any sort of conflict to struggle against, but because the whole time it felt like she was following a script. Apart from the vague impulse to leave that all Princesses possessed, she'd been hollowed out of everything that had made her...well, her, before Chapter II. She didn't panic when the door shut, she didn't stop smiling when we suggested she might end the world or have to cut off her arm a second time. The only thing we noticed about her in Chapter I was her lack of response to pain and her sweet smiles, and our fantasies hollowed her out until she became nothing but that.

Can we say she was "happy" if she lacked the capacity to be anything but "happy" with our choices for her? Can you call that love? Or is it something that's even lonelier than outright being alone?

Honestly, it was a relief when the Shifting Mound took her. Seeing her made so shallow felt incredibly cruel, given who she was before she was flattened, and what she would've been capable of if we had done literally anything else. At that point, "You molded her to love you" and "She has served her purpose" felt like both an observation and an accusation.

But, given that my time with the Damsel was paired with Shifty's third vessel dialogue...it got me thinking about what She wants.

She says She doesn't want anything, that She's governed by the whims of whatever force is shaping Her at the moment, but...is She really happy, having who She is be subject to the whims of who's perceiving Her? Is She okay with not being able to hold a shape She's discovered she likes as soon as someone else perceives Her to be something different? Would She ever want to take a break from...all that? After all, She's drawn to us. The Long Quiet. The god of eternity and order. On a certain level, She craves stability.

Is her "gift" to us what She's secretly wanted all along? The power to choose Her own fate, Her own identity, and the power to change it if She doesn't like the path She's on? And what does that say about our gifts? Do we yearn for the completion we offer her through the vessels, given that we keep shattering to pieces every time we go back into the breach and start the loop again? Is this some kind of wacky flipped-upside-down Gift of the Magi situation where each of us gives the other what they yearn for but lack due to our being permanently separated into two beings against our will?

[a-typical]

Ultimately, there only ever was information. This story of our beginning, our evolution, our ambitions to know, our presence here, will be strewn in an unreadable form no longer registering time, our history effectively erased.

In the end, there is no surviving black holes.

— Black Hole Survival Guide, Janna Levin

[luvinaeverdene]

Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962) Directed by Agnès Varda

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Walking Practice

weird scifi horror novella

follows an alien who crash-landed on earth years ago, and spends their days hooking up with people to then eat them & gain enough strength to make it through the day

explores existing outside of the binary norm and being seen as other, deep loneliness, and desire for connection

meandering narration, interesting formatting, illustrations