/lit/ - Literature

>>20868134
Silenus said it thousands of years ago. No fringe elites were pessimists in every era.

>>20861686
Based apostle of Pessimism, the perennial Truth with capital T.

Pessimism is the Perennial Truth

Wisdom Of Silenus:
>"You, most blessed and happiest among humans, may well consider those blessed and happiest who have departed this life before you, and thus you may consider it unlawful, indeed blasphemous, to speak anything ill or false of them, since they now have been transformed into a better and more refined nature. This thought is indeed so old that the one who first uttered it is no longer known; it has been passed down to us from eternity, and hence doubtless it is true. Moreover, you know what is so often said and passes for a trite expression. What is that, he asked? He answered: It is best not to be born at all; and next to that, it is better to die than to live; and this is confirmed even by divine testimony. Pertinently to this they say that Midas, after hunting, asked his captive Silenus somewhat urgently, what was the most desirable thing among humankind. At first he could offer no response, and was obstinately silent. At length, when Midas would not stop plaguing him, he erupted with these words, though very unwillingly: 'you, seed of an evil genius and precarious offspring of hard fortune, whose life is but for a day, why do you compel me to tell you those things of which it is better you should remain ignorant? For he lives with the least worry who knows not his misfortune; but for humans, the best for them is not to be born at all, not to partake of nature's excellence; not to be is best, for both sexes. This should be our choice, if choice we have; and the next to this is, when we are born, to die as soon as we can.' It is plain therefore, that he declared the condition of the dead to be better than that of the living."

Ecclesiastes 4:1
>Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed-- and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors-- and they have no comforter.

Ecclesiastes 4:2
>And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive.

Ecclesiastes 4:3
>But better than both is the one who has never been born, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.


XI - CONCLUSION, THE DIALOGUE OF PESSIMISM, MESOPOTAMIAN WISDOM

>What then is good? To have my neck and yours broken, Or to be thrown into the river, is that good?

>Who is so tall as to ascend to heaven? Who is so broad as to encompass the entire world?

First Two Noble Truth of Buddhism:
>dukkha (suffering, incapable of satisfying, painful) is an innate characteristic of existence in the realm of samsara;
>samudaya (origin, arising) of this dukkha, which arises or "comes together" with taṇhā ("craving, desire or attachment")

I think the problem with pessimists is that they're way too much in love with life and they take life too seriously. Normal life affirming people just live and don't care about contemplating life because they intuitively know that meaning of life is to live. This is why Pessimists' lucidity often drives them to madness or despair or suicide.

Pessimism is the Perennial Truth

Wisdom Of Silenus:
>"You, most blessed and happiest among humans, may well consider those blessed and happiest who have departed this life before you, and thus you may consider it unlawful, indeed blasphemous, to speak anything ill or false of them, since they now have been transformed into a better and more refined nature. This thought is indeed so old that the one who first uttered it is no longer known; it has been passed down to us from eternity, and hence doubtless it is true. Moreover, you know what is so often said and passes for a trite expression. What is that, he asked? He answered: It is best not to be born at all; and next to that, it is better to die than to live; and this is confirmed even by divine testimony. Pertinently to this they say that Midas, after hunting, asked his captive Silenus somewhat urgently, what was the most desirable thing among humankind. At first he could offer no response, and was obstinately silent. At length, when Midas would not stop plaguing him, he erupted with these words, though very unwillingly: 'you, seed of an evil genius and precarious offspring of hard fortune, whose life is but for a day, why do you compel me to tell you those things of which it is better you should remain ignorant? For he lives with the least worry who knows not his misfortune; but for humans, the best for them is not to be born at all, not to partake of nature's excellence; not to be is best, for both sexes. This should be our choice, if choice we have; and the next to this is, when we are born, to die as soon as we can.' It is plain therefore, that he declared the condition of the dead to be better than that of the living."

Ecclesiastes 4:1
>Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed-- and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors-- and they have no comforter.

Ecclesiastes 4:2
>And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive.

Ecclesiastes 4:3
>But better than both is the one who has never been born, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.


XI - CONCLUSION, THE DIALOGUE OF PESSIMISM, MESOPOTAMIAN WISDOM

>What then is good? To have my neck and yours broken, Or to be thrown into the river, is that good?

>Who is so tall as to ascend to heaven? Who is so broad as to encompass the entire world?

First Two Noble Truth of Buddhism:
>dukkha (suffering, incapable of satisfying, painful) is an innate characteristic of existence in the realm of samsara;
>samudaya (origin, arising) of this dukkha, which arises or "comes together" with taṇhā ("craving, desire or attachment")

Let's make a list OP

The Man who was Tired of Life(Ancient Egyptian Wisdom)
The Wisdom of Silenus(Ancient Greek Wisdom)
The Dialogue of Pessimism(Mesopotemian Wisdom)
Ecclesiastes(Biblical Wisdom)
Dukkha(Buddhist Wisdom)

On the Suffering of the World/The Vanity of Existence by Schopenhauer
Weltschmerz: Pessimism in German Philosophy
The Philosophy of Redemption by Philip Mainländer
Pensées by Blaise Pascal
The Cynic's Breviary by Nicolas Chamfort
A Confession by Tolstoy
Persuasion and Rhetoric by Carlo Michelstaedter
The Last Messiah by Zapffe
Everything by Cioran
The Denial of Death by Becker
The Conspiracy Against the Human Race by Ligotti
Better Never to Have Been by David Benatar
In the Dust of this Planet by Eugene Thacker

My brothers in misery...

The ultimate paradox of Philosophy Pessimism:

The more you push the more you will love. The more beauty you will. The more alive you will become. The more new ways you will invent to look at the world. The more pleasure you will feel. In highs you will become so happy to the point of being euphoric. In the lows you will become a monster, a volcano. But you will be the most alive.
All of this despite knowing that only suffering, pain, disease, boredom and death are real. You will along this burden with you everywhere. Your abyss will deepen to point that normal people can't comprehend. It will become harder for you to depart from. You will be the most alive after fully grasping the darkness.

The paradox.
I am a pessimist.
I love life.
I see beauty everywhere.
I see decay everywhere.
I see death everywhere.
I see mystery everywhere.
I see beauty everywhere.
I really wish I wasn't born.
I love life in the highs.
I hate life in the lows.
I am the most alive.
I am the most alive.

>>20733537
all of them pretty much, /lit/ and /r9k/

Most of the Philosophical Pessimist Philosophers and artists possessed a certain pride or an aristocratic style. They all stood before death and faced darkest corners of Being fearlessly like heroic figures of despair.

I have failed my myself once again. My fear of death has completely paralyzed my Being. I have no pride, no strength to stand fearless in front of death. I am broken and weak. I don't even have pity and honour for myself to commit suicide. My brain and body are acting as the instruments of consistent suffering. I don't want to live and I don't want to die, above all I really fucking wish I wasn't born.

>>20721048
Based beyond belief

>>20672929
>>reactionary - bad
But why though? Before the Big Bang, there was communism in the universe. After Big Bang everything went bad, if the pessimists were present at the creation we would have told God to go back.

Pessimists are the only true Reactionaries.
Pessimists are the only true Communists.

>>20666486
Philosophical Pessimism is a Perennial Truth

>The Man who was Tired of Life(Ancient Egyptian Wisdom)
>The Wisdom of Silenus(Ancient Greek Wisdom)
>The Dialogue of Pessimism(Mesopotemian Wisdom)
>Ecclesiastes(Biblical Wisdom)
>Dukkha(Buddhist Wisdom)

>>20662025
Utterly based

>>20658074
The Philosophical Pessimist canon, the greatest how repellent in the history of human intellect.

>>17905474
Ah, the pessimism canon wins again

>>17265202
Shut up, optimist.