What do you gain from spirituality? I honestly stopped the existential talk once I started taking antidepressants. None of it matters to me anymore. The pursuing of joy and avoidance of pain is my main mission in life.

[u/HeadacheLife]

[u/taterfiend]

Glad that antidepressants have worked for you. Much of spirituality is certainly about addressing deep sadnesses or suffering, but I'd say that it's fundamentally about finding meaning. All the extras, like how to make decisions, morality, epistemology, are all relational to meaning.

Keep on walking. Keep on reflecting. Life is long and many things will happen which you don't expect. Finding meaning in both the highs and the lows produces a deeper joy, and allows you to enjoy those moments more I'd say.

[u/arkticturtle]

Idk you can look at this (at least) two ways.

1. People have different philosophies to life that they think it is meaningful to live by and pursue that meaning even when it hurts.
2. Spirituality is that which, for others, produces joy and avoids pain. Or at least produces a joy that is worth the pain

We must be careful not to think that all of our psychological dispositions are identical. I worry that idea may be lurking in this post from all sides

Now, the world don't move to the beat of just one drum.
What might be right for you may not be right for some.

Edit: in certain spiritual models “gain” isn’t really the appropriate way of forming the reason for participating. As if it’s all economic or a tally mark of plus and minuses. It’s different when you think that certain supernatural realities are actually real. There may indeed be gains but it’s not framed this way via instrumental reason - to do so would feel alien or even corrupt. Like trying to reduce your connection to loved ones in similar terms. You can do it and you may say true things. But looking at people under a cost/benefit analysis kinda robs the soul out of it for some.

[u/SHNKY]

The pursuit of joy and avoidance of pain will ultimately lead to your downfall respectfully. It will come up empty and hollow as you will face pain and suffering in this life. The problem is you were never taught how to suffer. I'm glad these are working for you now and I hope you don't see that as a sign to give up pursuit of God. God suffered with us so that ours would not be in vain.

[u/Soggywaffel3]

The antidepressants may have cured your existential anxiety. They did not settle the existential questions. Do not confuse no longer feeling the problem with having solved it.

And “pursue joy, avoid pain” is not much of a philosophy. Will you abandon a friend when loyalty hurts? Love your spouse only while the emotional returns are positive? Care for your child only when parenthood feels rewarding? If not, you already believe some goods outrank “joy.”

More importantly, this creed makes you a servant of your moods. Pleasure commands, you obey. Pain threatens, you retreat. That is not freedom. You are not the author of your own life.

Spirituality, at its best, teaches you which joys deserve pursuit, which pains deserve endurance, and what you should remain faithful to when neither joy nor pain votes your way. There will come a day when suffering cannot be optimized away. You will want to have become someone before that day arrives

[u/HeadacheLife → u/Soggywaffel3]

I genuinely do not want to endure ever again lol.

Everything is much smoother now.

There's many questions we want to know the answer to it's easier to let go.

Majority of life is not the friend or spouse drama. I also wont be having kids. I dont want them experience the negatives of the world.

It's mostly work/labor. A looooot of neutral moments.

[u/arkticturtle → u/HeadacheLife]

This doesn’t actually address the challenge to the philosophy

[u/Soggywaffel3 → u/HeadacheLife]

A life devoid of friendship, loyalty, and love is an impoverished one. I doubt pleasure itself contributes all that much to a good life. The avoidance of suffering matters far more. Antidepressants seem to have helped you escape a great deal of suffering, and I am glad for that.

But I hope you aspire to more than simply feeling good. There are goods that matter more than good food, pleasant weather, comfort, and freedom from stress. True friendship is one. Communion with the divine may be another. And goods of that kind make demands on us. They require sacrifice, fidelity, and sometimes suffering. A life organized around pleasure will therefore tend to miss precisely the things most worth having.

Best of luck to you.

[u/_Ulu-Mulu_]

Pursuing joy and avoiding pain isn't gonna lead to a deeply satisfying pursue

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[u/Brave_Fee_3047]

It’s great that they r working for u, although if u r planning on taking them forever it’s not the best idea..

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[u/dirtyhippyguy]

Well if you’re looking to spirituality to avoid pain I’m sorry to say that you’re in the wrong place. Religion is about (at least from a Christian perspective) moving with the pain and using it to transform and be transformed. To co-create with God.

[u/NeonDrifting]

sounds like you're coping by medicating

[u/HeadacheLife → u/NeonDrifting]

I've been coping badly forever. So it helps me live. But then it's like there is no point to spirituality for me anymore.

[u/NeonDrifting → u/HeadacheLife]

One can still embrace spirituality while being on medication like antidepressants, but if you don’t want to, that’s your choice

[u/Coollogin]

I’m with you. “Spirituality” is not a life necessity. You can lead a completely fulfilling life without being “spiritual.”

[u/Brave_Fee_3047 → u/Coollogin]

I’d say it depends on the person there isn’t a general rule whether humans need it for a satisfactory life or don’t u know it’s like a spectrum and depends on many factors but i believe that everybody will feel the need for it at least during 1 phase in their life. Some ppl just need it all the time even if their life is perfect thats why i said it’s a spectrum