Existence is hell. Human existence is inherently suffering. Before we even experience the harms of the world (such as sickness, natural disasters, other people's conflicting interests and criticisms, pains of all sorts, small and large annoyances alike) we suffer. We all must strive to survive. No matter how much you delude yourself into accepting this strife, you must do all the things needed to keep yourself physiclly alive. This strife of having to survive is inherent in all humans across all societies. The second inherent category of suffering is the boredom we humans face when all our survival activities have been met. We look into the void of existence at this point and we see nothing except boredom. This boredom makes us flee it with arbitrary diversions of entertainment. Entertainment is the third category of inherent suffering; it is any goal we must contrive to "flee" the feeling of boredom (the second category). This entertainment can be seen as the endless real and potential ways that we humans fill our time (other than survival). The various forms usually take place in a cultural context but can have some cultural universals such as: religious expression, art, and philosophy. However some forms of entertainment are restricted to specific cultures (i.e. watching tv, creating new business ventures, going out with friends, etc. are all Westernized forms of entertainment). The entertainment can go on infinitum in various combinations and varieties, and range the whole human gamut of behavior and thought that are not associated directly with survival. Entertainment is the struggle against boredom and the realization that one cannot "just be". According to this reasoning, humans subsist in a constant battle against boredom or a constant pursuit of "finding the best way to kill time". We are never truly satisfied when we get what we want, because boredom ensues, and our restless natures are nevery happy.

The solution to all this inherent suffering is to not have children. You are preventing the inherent suffering of human existence by not procreating. If you have children you will be bestowing upon them the burdens of existence. You will not be depriving your non-existent potential child from the pleasures of existence either because your non-existent potential child will not exist to feel that it is being deprived of the pleasures of existence.

In order to make this idea of anti-proceration a reality, we must make a political party or organization of some sort. It may sound counter-intuitive to abstain from procreation, but it is the right thing to do. I invite anyone to think of a plan of action to get an organization advocating anti-procreation off the ground. Go to <link> for more information on the concept of anti-procreation.

Followers of this movement could take it one step further and kill themselves. In fact, it's the only way to be completely true to their convictions.

Its not about the benefits of continuing to live, but the harms of throwing a new being into the world. The potential child won't feel dissapointed that it won't have he pleasures of existence, since it won't exist to even feel dissapointed. However, you will be placing the burdens of exitence on the potential child if you do put it into existence.

I think Seeker has a point. If existence is such misery, why not off yourself?

I think I will distract myself from my all-consuming ennui this weekend by taking my dogs to the beach, maybe go kayaking, meet up with some friends for a good homecooked meal, see the new Wes Anderson movie with my boyfriend...

Sometimes it's all I can do not to sob into my pillow at night.

I'm not quite sure if you are being facetious or genuine or both. However, I did answer Seeker by saying that, it is two different questions to ask whether to commit suicide once you are already existing and tied up in the world, and whether to bring a completely new existence, from nothing (ex nihilo) into the world. My answer to the latter is that it is not good to bring a new subjective existence the world if you can prevent it.

The reasons suicide may not be a good option for two main reasons. As the <link> website explains:

This movement does not advocate suicide for two reasons. The first is that we are naturally averse to suicide for evolutionary and psychological reasons, and suicide, and thoughts of suicide can add to one's pain and suffering in the lead up to the actual suicide attempt.

The second reason is the idea of "annihilist Utilitarianism". Utilitarianism is an ethical system whereby the the moral worth of an action is determined by whatever brings the greatest pleasure for the greatest amount of people. Annihilist Utilitarianism claims that the greatest good is preventing future potential beings from being born (being "anti-procreation"). The only way to maximize the greatest good (preventing future potential beings from being born) is to spread the "good word" of the Anti-Procreation philosophy so that the greatest amount of people already born will be affected by this philosophy and consequently not procreate.

Also, you make a great point about your all consuming ennui and your need to fill it with diversions that are fleeting and unsatisfactory. Life itself is unsatisfactory because of the nature of survival, boredom, and fleeting amusements. If life itself was something wholly satisfactory, and something that was purely good, existing itself, without pursuit of any activities would be enough, but of course it isn't. Life requires you be kept alive (and this includes surviving on a societal scale as all human survival takes place in a societal context, even hermits whose identity and language comes from society at some point). Life also requires you to flee boredom with diversions to fill the unsatisfactory void. This void can never be truley filled, and is always temporary. For these reasons life is inherently suffering, and as the website says again:

it [suffering] can be prevented in a future generation. By not procreating, one is not bearing the burden of the three categories [survival, boredom, entertainment] of the human condition on a potential next generation and thus preventing suffering in a potential future being.

Unless you're speaking from an environmentalist point of view, wherein the preservation of Earth's current state supercedes the continued presence of humans upon it, your entire argument is moot. Do you wish that your parents had never conceived you, so that you wouldn't have to whine on an internet forum to fill up your oh-so-boring life? You probably aren't the only one.

Maybe there cannot be happiness without unhappiness, since we then would not be able to differentiate. What about masochists, who enjoy having pain inflicted upon them? Living a rich life includes experiencing the full spectrum of human emotion. Some of us appreciate the pain that life inflicts upon us because we learn and grow from it. If you're so bored, maybe you should get off of your ass and try some of the new things out there. If you aren't satisfied with lying in bed all day and wondering why you feel like you're missing out on something in this universe, perhaps you could donate your organs to someone who desperately wants to continue living and isn't so childish and ungrateful. Sound harsh? Oh boo hoo, life is pain, blah blah, and more teenage gothic emo drivel.

Suicide isn't good from an evolutionary standpoint? If you want the human race to stop breeding, it doesn't matter. Without reproduction there is no evolution, so what's your point?

Suicide may cause pain by thinking about it? Well first of all, if it's one of the forefront points in your philosophy, then the followers must obviously be thinking about it quite often, anyways. Also, if you off yourself now and cause a little extra immediate pain, you'll spare yourself the coming decades of grueling drudgery, not to mention sparing your acquaintances of your grueling presence, thus getting a twofer on pain reduction.

Basically, speak for yourself, not all of us are whiny little babies who can't get over the fact that life isn't an 80 year orgasm.

Your sarcasm has already been predicted and answered by my first blog. <link>

Since I know you won't attempt to read the enlightened pearls of wisdom contained therein (minus my unedited grammatical mistakes), I'll just copy and paste it to save you time. It never ceases to amuse me how supposedly sophisticated erudite people like you portray yourself to be on this forum try to diminish the philosophy of anti-procreation by simply deeming it "gothic teenage drivel". I am actually pretty proud of myself for almost perfectly predicting a year ago what many people would say about this philosophy.

The reader might be thinking (in a hint of facetiousness), "I am an erudite middle-class person, well versed in your brand of thinking. You are just rehashing trivial, existentialist garbage (almost French (sounding [yuk!]). I am past this juvenile stage in my life that you seem to dwell in. This stuff simply sounds like typical 'teen angst' and offers nothing profound. You are describing stuff that has already been written about a million times over. I understand, it sounds similar Albert Camus' book The Myth of Sisyphus which told us to embrace the absurdity of our human attempt to find 'meaning' in a universe that does not 'care' about our longing for 'meaning, etc.. What you are saying has all been said before... go back to your fantasy world you pseudo-intellectual wannabe beatnik and leave the blog world alone!"

But the argument you make is not so open and shut you "oh so mature know-it-all middle-classer who is now beyond all speculation on existential thinking ;-)". The "absurd" that Camus discusses is just that…absurd. His attempt at telling us life is livable as long as we embrace the absurd cannot be maintained for long since we still must contend with survival, boredom, and contrived mini-goals. I don't believe any real seeker into the nature of humanity can read Camus and truly be satisfied with his premise that we can simply find comfort in the absurd. You must have had some moments of genuine ennui in your contented-middle- class-know-it-all- past-the- juvenile- stage-of- asking- existential- questions- life that led you to believe he is sugar coating the human experience with a poetic but false analogy to the Myth of Sisyphus .

so there it is

Um. But survival isn't boring. Having every need and want fulfilled at your momentary whim is boring. Have you never had a "Wow, I'm glad I was alive to see THAT!" moment? Heck, I had three or four of them today! Let's see:

Two cops went by riding Segways. Absurd? Yes. Hysterical, even.

Heard a song on the radio that I probably haven't heard since I was a sophmore in high school. Made me think of the people I knew then, and wondered what they were up to.

Watched the wind ripping through some Japanese maples, blowing fire-colored leaves everywhere.

Saw a tiny garter snake (the first I've seen in years) rippling through the grass.

I wouldn't give up those moments for anything! Is YOUR life really so incredibly devoid of meaning or satisfaction?