Bobby, I am kind of in the same boat as you sir. I am overly pessimistic about everything and I can't seem to see the good things in anything. To me, with everything in life, there is a sinister outcome. Nothing is what it seems. With every decision one makes there is always a negative outcome. Some call it a lack of confidence or fearfulness. This is the struggle I deal with daily.

In other words, I perceive everything as being a mirage or a smoke screen. My inquisitive nature is what is holding me back I think? I constantly need to dig beneath the surface on everything and I never accept anything for face values' sake. Questions are followed by questions with seemingly no answers ever to reach fruition. I'm skeptical of everyone and almost everything: my family, friends, politics, government, religion, and many more items of society.

Even when things where going good; I have always thought of it as a deception and finite in its' duration. This is the enormous weight I have to carry on my shoulders and I am sure many of you have your own. But from lifting weight one gains strength. So what we deem as a curse may actually be a blessing in disguise because it gives us the ability to strengthen ourselves when dealing with it.

Things are the way they are and we can't change them even in our own lives. There are restrictions some internal, some external, some imposed, and some self-imposed. Some learn how to weave through the restrictions and prosper while others stagnate and accept them as restrictions. There is a definite order to how things are run in this world and in the instance you figure that out and remove the veil from over your eyes that is when you expire.

All I can see is that everyone is given a deck of cards at birth some a full deck, others a half a deck, and some a few individual cards it is up to us how we play them. In closing, is life a scam? I think it is only a scam when you are the fraud and you deprive yourself from some of the good things life has to offer.








[edit on 6-7-2009 by Jakes51]

because you buy into society, you become a slave to it. just because you fall for this does not make life phoney.

live simple and enjoy your surroundings and you will understand life better. dont get wrapped up into things you dont deserve.

Your post is very nice -- when the spirit turns the mind inward you have life. Where you have dissipation and outwardness you have waste of life. The world is always a mix of the two. We have to express ourselves outwardly even after we arrive at the point to go within. We can't spend the whole day going within. At the point where that would be a free choice, it's just as well time to withdraw and leave. Maturity of spiritual effort is, to me, the goal. To see the lies of the world, the body and the mind as they are presented to me continuously and to prefer the spiritual current at all times.

You know, what you have posted is the biggest pile of BS ever.

Life is what you make it.

You make it/believe it is a scam, then it is.

You make it/believe it is a once in an eternity experience, then it is.

At least as far as we all know.

My point? Since YOU absolutely do not know the meaning of life (for everyone), why would you want to inflict such a negative ideology on people?

These people did not lead meaningful life's? You think THEY care what you think of them?

I am sure they were happier than ever, and if not, that is their choice.

Two types of people in the world. Negative and positive.

edit - One more thing to add. If life is such a scam and waste of time, why don't you just end your own life? I am not speaking literally, but why haven't you?

You actually like living in a lie!?

All it seems to get fame here on ATS is to scream that the world is run by a few corrupt people, say everything you ever known doesn't matter, and you are a useless piece of trash.

Is it that hard to live in a positive light while also trying to do good?

Talk is cheap. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

[edit on 6-7-2009 by FritosBBQTwist]

I was drawn to this thread by it's title, though I would have replaced the word Scam with Fraud. However, when I began to read the "stories", I thought, what a joke. There are some serious flaws in logic here and the stories are written from someone who's undergone serious mind control "therapy" aka mass media hypnosis.

First of all, during the Great Depression, the majority of people were jobless and therefore its doubtful that Jimmy's parents would be holding down a 9-5 job, while living in a run down apartment and having friends with "nice" houses and bicycles. Really? Jimmy lives in a run down apartment and has friends who live in nice houses? Anyone know of this scenario happening in life? Get real.

Furthermore, "By the time he was ready for college, his parents couldn't afford it" ... are you kidding me. People living during the Depression in run down apartments didn't spend their time dreaming about college. Go back and read your history. Can someone make any sense of this next statement "he knew that he had to live in poverty because after all that's what his parents always told him. They said, "Jimmy don't dream big because we are stuck as citizens of the Middle Class". Hey bobbylove321 are your serious, first you say that they're living in poverty and then you state that this is the Middle Class. Man you're either stupid or naive. Poverty and the middle class aren't the same. Let me guess, you're probably another fine example of the United States' educational system... are you in high school or grade school? Aww, Jimmy couldn't get laid because he's pumping gas, wtf??? Pumping gas during the Great Depression, anyone see a problem with this? He's a "drunkard" and has no friends... I thought all of his friends had nice houses and bicycles??? "Little did Jimmy know somewhere not too far away... " Really, England is not too far away from Los Angeles. That's right, I ride my bike there every weekend from LA. It's only a couple hours away.

"Well there's a lot of beggars and useless animals out there that don't want us to live this way"... this is bullsh*t, useless beggars couldn't give a sh*t about Rockefeller because most probably wouldn't even know who he is. "They want to take our lifestyles away because they are very greedy." Right, beggars and useless eaters are greedy... I don't think that Rockefeller is intimidated by beggars let alone would reason this way with Chucky. You obviously don't understand the dynamic at play here.

Little did bobbylove321 know that the drivel (s)he was writing about was pure bullsh*t and had no relevance to what is happening today.

Oooh, the enemies of Allah the Jews, as if... yes that's what Wolf Blitzer says so it must be true. The Jews are the only enemies of Allah??? I wonder bobbylove321 what inspired you to use the name Muhammad... not too original. Boy these wealthy men get around they're not too far from LA, England and I'm guessing somewhere in the middle east.

What's the moral of all three stories?
There isn't one. However, it looks like someone is watching too much television and not engaging their brain. Life is a fraud because the majority of people are self absorbed assholes who don't give a sh*t about anything but their pathetic lives and projecting their values on to others. All three of the idiots portrayed in these "stories" let others do the thinking for them... which can be said for bobbylove321.

Here's more specious reasoning: "... our daily lives have absolutely no meaning whatsoever. We work our entire lives to be able to go to college, get a job, save up for retirement, etc then die."

There's no meaning in that... hey bub turn off the TV, open a book or two and engage your mind. Try it sometime, you might be surprised about what you will discover.

Money doesn't rule everything... stupidity does!!!

Hey dope001, I guess the name says it all, the stories sucked!

i agree completely with the OP but the problem isnt identifying the problem. i have known this since i was about 15. people just dont care. THEY WANT THE LIE. THEY LOVE IT. there just is no waking them up. every now and then ill wake a person up and 2 months down the track bang back they go. they realize the truth that we simply cant effect change on a meaningful level. if its going to happen it has to happen at once and on a global level. in order for that to happen the PTB would have to step aside and just say " sure here the stage go ahead tell it like it is" and they are not going to give their power up without a fight. and if you fight you will be taken out as a terrorist what whatever new buzz word they have invented to make sure the status quo doesn't change.

look im all for change god knows we need it. but without external assistance we are screwed. they control too much of the military and the economy for any one group to stand up to them. they take out heads of state like flies. they destroy countries like ants. they are the ultimate manipulators. this game has been in play for eons. the best the enlightened can hope to do is find a small island and start our own community and pray to god we dont get invaded my America. effect change by example IF THEY LET US.

I completely understand where you're coming from Bobby, however I dont agree with your perspective. I've never bought into the rat race, raised a family, lived off debt, then spend the rest of my life servicing that debt. I live by the quote at the bottom of my page. This doesnt make me right or give my life anymore meaning than the next chap or lass. It has, however, given me experiance enough to know that the meaning of life is to experiance it, regardless of how bad you think it is.
Some people live to be a hundred, some only minutes and there seems no sense or justice as to who gets what but in a couple of hundred years time who really cares? Live it brother, love, hate, experiance all that you can, every joy and pain but learn to let go of all of it and you will find the meaning.

There is no "way back." There is only the inexorable march forward. Yes, the world is being re-shaped and reality is being redrawn day by day. There have always been Agendas that shaped the world, ever since tribal days. From time to time, a shift occurs and the forces behind those Agendas change. That is what is happening now. There is no way back into Eden. The only rule is Die or Adapt. Rock 'n roll, man. Deal with it.

I agree with the OP completely.

We are the product of a molecule, DNA, which is governed by 2 crude forces, consumption & reproduction.

What that really means is life is nothing but a cheese chase and we are the rats, completely at the mercy of a unthinking molecule.

To assign any "meaning" to that, or to imply that's is the way it was "planned", is just ridiculous.

There is no way the sum of a human life is ever going to add up to anything positive, there are too many negative entries. What suffered so you could eat? What died so you could build your house, do your laundry? What suffering did you cause in the world by simply existing?

And what right do you have to bring a life into that environment? Some words in a dodgy 2000 year old book? Gimme a break, man.

Life is a zero sum game.

0 is the best we can ever hope to achieve, IF we were perfect, which everyone will agree we are NOT.


Good job with the thread OP. The only hope I have for anything is that more people begin to think this way, then we can lessen the red ink in the great sum of existence.

But I am not under any illusions, we are talking about the human race here.

That was eloquent and thought-provoking.

I still haven't figured out the point of life itself and doubt I ever will. Mine seems incredibly superfluous. But that doesn't mean I won't keep searching.

It makes me sad that we all have the same problems, one way or the other.

In terms of disease we are just animals and we have to pay for how primitive we are. For instance, cancer is due to cells unable to divide properly forming tumors and metastasis.

If we talk about wealth... we should define what wealth really means. Money, power, happiness, spreading your genes by having progeny, helping other people?

Sometimes I really think about the real meaning of life. As an animal I should have some kids but my brain is trying to make the difference finding hints for some severe kidney disease cure.

On the other hand too many people depend on me. What do I get from all this?


I think about this every single day just to come to the very same conclusion... if you cannot help yourself what least help the others. Maybe they already know what's really important.

If you think about it IGNORANCE IS BLISS



[edit on 02/11/2008 by novrod]

Bobby,

It seems like the life you and I and most people would love to live is all talked about in the Ringing Cedars of Russia series. What you take from them is up to you, but I suggest you start reading them immediately. They will definitely make you feel better and instill hope in you.

[edit on 7/7/2009 by pjslug]