/lit/ - Literature

I feel like everyone knows intellectually that Nihilism is bad, that you are 'supposed' to give your life meaning with your own goals, and for most this advice works and no further mental exploration is required. But many less people actually know how to escape it.
I want something written by someone who has truly grappled with the despair, meaningless and hopelessness of life and overcome it without resorting to religion, hedonism or obvious lifestyle copes.
Perhaps despair would be a better word for what I'm describing.
Fiction/non-fiction recs appreciated.

>>17610813
He only reads on the occult because of his curiosity and need to understand insanity. It is the same reason why he has a cross in his room. As Christianity alludes him and he has one to remind him of something which is an eternal mystery to him.

do androids dream of electric sheep or ubik
both were written back to back I think, they are very good introductions to his later style everyone likes and feature the dick tropes that always reappear

>>11295500
I mean, me too dude. I never overdosed but I did drink a ton in college and I noticed a decline in my ability to quickly grab words from my vocabulary in conversation and that, despite knowing the idea I wanted to communicate, I always struggled to actually present it. On some level I think that's just becoming an adult. Or maybe we both burned ourselves out with booze and drugs. I don't actually think either of us are brain damaged though anon.

>>11087773
>girlfriend knows me like no one else and understands that writing is what I need to do and is willing to support me no matter what
>I am intelligent and generally a shut in introvert
>I am not lonely because I'm not retarded and can manage a solid friend group
Life is perfect except that I'm poor and you can't eat books. You can't just have one aspect of your life be exceptional and assume the rest is good too, in fact I'd say you usually only get to pick a few things to have perfect in your life while the rest is on a thread between 'ok' and 'dog shit'

>>11079797
I am legend
>>11079883
Do androids dream of electric sheep

I just came to the realization last night of how easy and free you can write and speak if you prase it like a poem or sing to a beat.
Why are we not taught this in school, is there something they don't want us to know? It seems too easy.
I deduced this formula, if you'd like to call it that, from not only reading the psalms and other poems but singing also by singing "Irish drinking songs" and just switching the words out quickly, trying to find a way to tie it all up, like a black velvet band.
All anxiety I once had about not being able to convey precisely how I feel has kept me from so much in life. This newfound freedom is like secret or magik power that has been passed down from time immemorial, only to be lost to a double-think mentality.
I've written "proses" to three lost friends of mine who I thought I had driven away never to be found again. Each of these people, two girls too, responded so genuinely they seemed to know exactly what I meant.

>>11014301
There is no better feeling in the world than when you are out in public, reading a book you enjoy, and being able to casually look up and take small breaks between long stretches. It may not be the best way to appreciate the content of the book but gives reading a whole new level of comfy.
Soon it was prayer time, so the games stop for 5 minutes and we all sit on the side to listen to Carol read the prayer "Grandma's Hands" sent via e-mail by the ex-cop Dennis. Last week he printed out 10 full-color pictures of flowers to coincide with the prayer that we could flip through at our leisure. These were of great comfort last week while I sat there in mild pain waiting for grandma to finish her last few matches.
As we prayed, or, listened to the prayer rather, Purple Pete, the 82-year-old Iroquois Native folded his hands and bent forward far into his lap. One line of prayer read "Many times have I shook these hands in anger." and Pete let out a small "Huff" orally accompanied by the shake of his head. Short, Sharp, Shock. 82 years and 2 weeks old, his regret that he felt he should express out loud, what that of the anger that he put into his hands. He took a break after prayer and came to sit next to me.