I am not in a great place right now in terms of productivity and flourishing in my personal and professional life, and every time I waste a day, every time I do something that I enjoy at the moment but which is not productive, I feel ashamed.
I live in a country, where students sometimes end their own lives for not being able to get into their dream college or for not passing the exam that would have allowed them a job in the government bureaucracy, I have always thought that they were not ending their lives because they didn’t pass the exams, but they are ending it because they have indulged in activities which are not conducive to their goal of passing the exam so many times that they have given up on themselves and every time they spend a lot of time doing stuff which they might like to do in the moment but would regret right after they do it, their respect for self decreases a little more and when they get the sad news that could not progress towards their goals, they have not only failed as an aspirant for an exam, they have also failed as a person (for now at least)
i.e., As Dostoevsky states in C&P, “Your worst sin is that you’ve destroyed and betrayed yourself for nothing”, even though I might indulge in activities that are pleasurable for me now, they add up to nothing and if I do this enough times, I will just give up and sometimes some people will give up on all not just their goals because they hate themselves so much!
I don’t want to end up like them (even though I feel pity for them, too bad there isn’t an afterlife for them where they can be happy) , so I thought I would whip myself into a frenzy by reading a complication of suicide notes, this is for me an interesting task, but it also serves a purpose of warning me into things that I should not do! And to be completely honest, if I can derive some utility/meaning out of suicide notes, I mean the exact things that advertise the meaninglessness and the ugly side of life, that’s pretty inspirational to me, I mean, it’s like a metaphor for life, trying to life despite all the ugly stuff. So, to come back to the question,
Has there ever been a compilation of suicide notes, if so, where can one get it? And is it a good idea to get it?
PS: Sorry if this comes out the wrong way, if you haven’t noticed, I am not that articulate. Also, I am alright right now, I am good, but I don’t want to end up in a real bad situation, so I am looking for what I should I avoid.
edit 2: I like this community, but I don’t have enough time to respond to everyone, but know that I am grateful and know that I have heard you! :)
Productivity is completely unrelated to success imo. The only thing that matters is that you’re happy with yourself and your life, maybe productivity is not what brings you joy?
Those activities are just as valid as a productive activity, especially if they make you happier. Being productive is great, but I feel productive activities should never take precedence over non-productive ones simply because they’re productive. Do what you have to do, but never sacrifice your own happiness at the altar of forward progress.
I am sorry, but I feel like we’re getting stuck on words here. You know what I mean by success, don’t you?
At least for me it does, I have not achieved certain things I wanted because of lack of self-discipline and then lack of productivity. So it’s real to me. But if one accepts the puddle they are in (not judging), maybe then productivity won’t matter. i.e., You have to become a Jain or something (again, not judging, they probably will stay happier than me). edit: Your second point explains more, but productivity will make me happy, I know it. So, this discussion is rendered moot for me.
This is embarrassing, I hate it when people don’t capitalize their ‘i’s :’)
Well I hope the goals you’re working towards are achieved and end up being fulfilling to you. Not religious personally but I think Jainism is a pretty apt comparison to how I feel about this, seriously, good luck!
i don’t! (although ‘dont’ does peeve me sometimes)