/lit/ - Literature

solid q. I fear not.

according to Schopenhauer no

>>10079832
>>10079826
Then how do we justify self-serving actions?

>>10079867
Don't think of it much. Life just isn't fair, doesn't mean we shouldn't try to get the most out of it.

According to Eckhart Tolle it is possible to live without increasing the suffering of others ( as caused by the ego.)

>>10079711
for me yes, others don't pay me any mind, I walk down the street and everybody else looks through me as if i weren't there
at work i turn in my assignments and then my boss occasionally tells me good job, but mostly i stay in my office by myself
i come home and stop by the grocer's and pick up a bottle of wine, i then do my reading for the night, i try to get two to four hours every day, then i drink my bottle alone with a microwavable dinner and write for the rest of the night until i wake up for work again
i can't believe i hurt anyone ever, if it wasn't for this site, half the time i wouldn't be able to believe others exist at all
but they do, i hear them sometimes, or see them through my windows and it reminds me of the times i when i even wanted to be with them

>>10079711
If by 'others,' you mean human beings, then... maybe? That depends on what you define hurt as. If it's simply causing them physical harm, then it is entirely possible. All you have to do is live in the woods like a hermit, having no opportunity for direct or indirect harm of other human beings.
But if you just mean living organisms in general, then that's a hard no. Simply digesting your food means killing any microbes that might have been on it.

Not any kind of normal life. If you interact with even a small number of people throughout you're lifetime you're bound to "hurt" or at least discomfort someone. The only possible scenario would be to be born in someway that you had no effect on your parents, then live without any human contact for your entire life.
>>10079956
you're parents were most likely hurt by your lifestyle choices. you probably encounter people who don't see you as the husk you believe, and to an extent are, who are hurt by your avoidance of them in your quest to remain in isolation.

>>10079711

Hurting others is all life is. The Cosmic wheel is a breaking wheel. But life is not all there is.

>>10079711
No
Indirectly you hurt others simply by existing, the world is big ocean with interconnected ripples.

>>10079917
More like Toilet, am I right?

>>10080324
Enjoy your suffering.

>>10079711
>try my hardest not to hurt or inconvenience others
>get shat on in return
I really wish I was a cunt.

>>10080336
>tfw you help others because you fear guilt and hostility
>tfw you help others to avoid dealing with your own problems
>tfw nothing you do is genuinely altruistic

>>10079711
You have typed this post on a device that certainly required slaves and child labor at some point, so tell me: do you think we can live without hurting others?

>>10080407
I DIDNT ASK FOR THIS

WHY WAS I BORN AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

>>10080336
I know how you feel all to well, anon. Having a conscience in a society where narcissists and egomaniacs seem to dominate the vast majority of the population is something that i’ve had much trouble resigning myself to.

To exist is a priori immoral because you infringe upon every living creatures personal autonomy by virtue of being alive, and keeping alive.

Man the bell jar hit me deep. I don't think I've ever felt so much emotion from a book.

>>10080405
>tfw every person you help is countless persons you don't help
>tfw every good deed you do is countless good deeds you don't do
>tfw the irreducible particle of the cosmos is suffering

See: >>10080301

mfw this thread

No, but that's one of the reasons I prefer not engaging with society. I want to be a good, kind person, but I put my foot in my mouth. I consistently fail to live up to my standards. I can't live without hurting others, both human and animal, but I work to minimize it. So I do.

>>10079711
That's pretty easy actually, just don't be an asshole. Now, to live in such a way that people would not react to your actions by hurting themselves, on the other hand, is a real challenge. It is not uncommon that people who came to understand this fact did not hold under the pressure of realisation and became recluses.

Certainly, but why would you want to?

>>10080575
I know those feels.

>>10079711
It's a matter of doing more good than harm. Enlightened self interest, perhaps?

>>10080482
Why should I care?

Why

>>10079711

The world is zero-sum in every respect

>>10079867

Short answer is either that we can't or that we don't care.

>>10080649
You shouldn't?
OP simply asked if it was possible 'to live without hurting' others. I think the answer is no.

>>10079711
No. It is impossible to avoid causing a sense of hurt or rejection or being slighted (among many other negative feelings) in other people. People often respond in irrational ways. You cannot control their reactions and feelings. You can avoid deliberately hurting others, but that will never lead to not hurting anyone at all.

>>10080696
deep bro

>>10079711
If you live and die before your 8 then sure

>is it possible to live

No

>>10079711
Of course. Just it's not possible to live in a way that some faggot won't decide to feel hurt at you either way.