/lit/ - Literature

>>13862633
I live like this and it fucking sucks. I want to kill myself ALL the time. I'm working on some of my writing and when i get bored of that i'll definitely fucking die.
I just wish i was a normie with a qt normie gf talking about sports and travelling the world.

>>13862633
Stop being a retard. if you like books read books. if you don't like books don't read books.
Fuck I hate zoomers.

>>13862721
OP here, im not a zoomer. thanks for your completely retarded response. just looking for help man, that's all.

>>13862633
Go to a psychward (if you live in a first world country with decent healthcare). Most have a no/limited phone use policy so you spend most of your day reading, it's a pretty cozy experience aside from the occasional screaming and braindead psychiatrists, went through 4 books in a 2 week period. Fun fact: If you live in the Netherlands you can do a 3 year stay in a psychward with no extra payment with the basic insurance plan.

>>13862729
Dude fuck your "woooow coomfy lifestyle i want to live that imagined up life". Just fucking read, how hard is it? that's literally all there is to it you fucking dumbass imbecile, pick up a fucking book instead of trashing this board with your shitty pointless threads.

>>13862633
There is no /lit/ lifestyle.
The anon in the image clearly doesn't enjoy reading, he enjoys the thought of reading. If that anon enjoyed reading he wouldn't be memeing with the Greeks or 'working through the /lit/ starter kit', he would have a naturally evolved reading list based on his interests, instead that anon has no interests other than "I'm a reader uwu".

>>13862734
just asking for tips on how to be productive and break a cycle, thanks for your spastic response of "just do it man"
contributed heaps to this board with that original response, thanks.

>>13862740
This is a board for the discussion of literature not self help.
>>>/adv/
>>>/r9k/

>>13862739
how tf can you win on this board, everyone memes the greeks as a starting point to death, and the holy trinity of pynchon joyce and dfw...

literally can't win on this board

>>13862740
Hey I can give you a tip.
Close your computer and read a book.

>>13862743
asking about developing a good literary habit, where to start, etc. sounds like it's appropriate to me...maybe i should have posted 12 rules for life in the pic related so it meets your standards

>>13862744
/lit/ culture is satire. Lurk more.

>>13862633
Experiment with days without digital media. No internet, no music, no vidya, no films and television. I did a week offline recently and read more than I had in that week than I did in the rest of the year.

Also try not to drink for at least a month and then drink as much as you want on the 31st day. You will see the contrast in both your physical and mental state and hopefully realise that the former is preferable.

>>13862633
I live a /lit/ life that below even pseud
>work 40 hr four-day work week for local municipality as IT minion
>read short stories, listen to audiobook, or watch Hulu when I'm not updating W10 or Chrome
>sleep in on my days off and listen to an hour of audiobook
>only read '80s urban fantasy and some scifi classics
>gave up on starting with the Greeks years ago despite trying several times
>write genre fiction but hate reading it
>sometimes write humorous but cringe letters to the local newspaper editor
>have ideas of going back to school and getting my Masters so I can lecture in lower-tier CS and Math courses while continuing to shitpost and read during office hours

>>13862739
It takes reading over a long period of time to develop tastes like that. You can still be stuck on the Greeks and /lit/‘s top 100 over a decade after starting, even with regular reading, if you take it seriously enough.

I think he genuinely enjoys reading and living what he perceives to be a healthy lifestyle, even if there are bumps and twists along the way. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that mindset, and it will pay him back dividends when he’s older.

>>13862740
This is how you do it.

1) Ditch the smartphone. Get a dumb phone.
2) Ditch any portable electronic devices with apps, games, or internet connection.
3) Ditch the computer. Find a public space where you can check your emails, and turn it into a “weekly” ritual. You won’t be able to do much there. Bring an egg timer and set it for 5 minutes in case you are compelled to aimlessly browse Reddit or something to cope with the lack of online gratification, like a marijuana addict desperately combing through roaches for one last hit.

If you ditch anything but don’t want to permanently lose it, keep it with a trusted friend or your family member, explain to them what you are doing, and instruct it to not give it back to you for several months no matter how desperate you are.

Now you’re good to go. Let the brain rewiring begin.

>>13862734
this lmao fuck op is either retarded or a woman

>>13862745
this

>>13863263
>it will pay him back dividends
You really don't understand, do you ?

>>13862633
>>13862740
>>13863263
Fucking zoomer sociopaths, I don't think you'll ever be able to see beyond any signifier

>>13863278
If you have to do that to get yourself to read it's more than likely that you just don't enjoy reading.

>>13862745
>>13863776

>>13862712

Basic normies travel the world?

>>13862731

Nice. Has a Magic Mountain vibe to it.

>>13862633

What are you studying for grad school?

>>13862731
How does one get in?

>>13863193
Writing fake letters to the editor is fun. I’ve never gotten any of my characters published but it gives me a giggle

>>13862731
If you’re American don’t fall for the meme. Psych wards all want you to “socialize” with fellow patients. They literally take you out of your room to talk to other asocial/antisocial spergs. Would not recommend.
t. Been twice

>>13864989
Venezuelan drug rehab here
I don't know, anon. It really is as you say, but I often found that putting the book or the pen down to listen to a hick narrate his jail life or listen to a cocaine addicted housewife's melancholic cheating stories to be eye opening in a creative and story building way. I used to offer writting stories about their lives or any other thing they wanted. That said, there's no way in hell I would recommend going there if you don't really need it

>>13862633
Your pic related isn't /lit/. He is reading a translation of Ancient Greek, which is very plebeian. He should spend his time LEARNING Greek first and then reading their works. Translating Greek is impossible to do well; all translations of that language contain a dozen or more linguistic sins for each sentence. Embarrassing!

>>13864962
Attempt "suicide" through a minor overdose a couple times, the key bit is to piss off the psychiatrists by attempting to engage them in philosophical debate (they do not like it when you question established morality/why suicide is bad), this will make them label you as manipulative and gladly toss you in a psychward. Really the most basic requirement is that you are a danger to yourself/others when not supervised 24/7. If you value your freedom and can afford your meals I wouldn't really reccomend it, but if you're barely getting by and don't care for the freedom to go outside as you wish, it's not a bad deal. But as the other anon said, American psychwards are pretty shit, so buyer beware.

>>13864816
I didn’t enjoy eating healthy at first. Then I kept it up, internalized the long-term consequences, learned to cook better, and expanded my palette. Now, I find junk food to be revolting and healthy food to be pleasant. That mindset will pay off dividends for me when I hit old age and retain much of my youthful energy and strength while many of my colleagues fall ill to all sorts of maladies caused by neglect of the body.

You can find a similar analogy for how one spends their free time. Case-in-point, video games vs. reading.

>tfw imageboard-brain
i severely restricted it, at least. i only use /lit/ 95% of the time i'm on 4chan, and there's only so much browsing you can do here. how do i get more disciplined to study and /fit/ as well? i try to study a language every day but end up not doing so most of the time, or only doing 10 minutes of anki. i don't even know WHAT i waste all my time on. other than 4chan the only websites i use are goodreads and book download sites, i stream less than 2 hours of anime a week and maybe read manga 1-2 hours a week. i have brainfog and feel exhausted and lethargic all the time. i have no idea wtf i am doing with all my time. the mental exhaustion after the workday carries into the weekend, i never feel like this when i'm between jobs.

Also feel like i have too many possessions. i live in a very small studio (the kind without a kitchen, 160 sq ft) so even a small amount of crap seems bloated here. and i've been wasting money on junkfood and beverages I don't need. i don't even write much anymore, wageslaving has killed me. 8 hours a day plus 1.5 total for commute, then food, shower, shitposting screw the rest of my time. i sleep like 9 hours a day too. usually don't exercise other than walk-commuting but i feel very out of shape.

i think i'm going to clean my room and go study now. i wonder if it's worth joining a fitness class of some sort, to force me to keep a fitness regiment. i try doing shit on my own and get lazy and stop within a week.
>>13862712
iktf

>>13865924
Learning languages on your own is a cuck move. Either have conversations or don’t bother. Do you have a career or just a wage slave job? Just having a job is going to drain you because you’re spending your energy working and also motivating yourself to work, if you actually like what you’re doing and find it intellectually stimulating you won’t have that brain fog after work. Also, do you drive to work? My commute is about an hour but it’s all public transportation so I get some reading done before and after work. Gym time can be hard to work in but I usually go before lunch and stay at work a little later than most, but I’m salaried and have flexible hours.

>>13866036
i walk to work, which is both exercise and contemplation time.
>cuck move
you're a cumbrain. i'm learning a lang to read books in it you faggot, and i enjoy studying when i'm feeling properly awake.
>job
it's super entry tier for my field. i hate my field but it's money, and i don't like anything else any better. how does anyone possibly like their job? i don't like being forced to spend 40 hours a week in some uncomfortable office doing what other people tell me to do, and that's the fundamental basis of 99% of jobs. even if i had a job, say, researching something i find interesting, i'd still not enjoy working in it on principle.

>>13866166
just to clarify i did tidy my apt up between posts

>>13866166
you're learning only those parts of the language that can be digitized. you'll fail to capture the nuance of the language which means that you might as well be reading the translation. you could be saving your time spent studying another language (which I'm assuming you're doing alone in your little studio, talking to your computer) reading a book or meeting with people. As far as the job stuff you have a real shitty mentality.

a job doesn't need to be an intellectual job to be mentally stimulating. it seems that you put the bare effort into actually using your brain and you wonder why your brain doesn't work well. go talk to your coworkers, find out the intricacies of your business, relate it to the literature you've read and make yourself into a literary character.

>>13866206
>go talk to your coworkers, find out the intricacies of your business, relate it to the literature you've read and make yourself into a literary character.
you have never held a real job before

>>13864895
OP here, MA in Philosophy

>>13866212
no i live the /lit/ lifestyle (trust fund) so I can only imagine. it's probably just a matter of perspective though, working can't make you that miserable. especially if he hates his field, why not switch?

>>13866224
are you fucking kidding me?
dude what makes you think you're in the least qualified to tell someone else, who has experienced working, what working is like when you've never even held a job?

check your arrogance you stupid kid

>>13866036
>Learning languages on your own is a cuck move. Either have conversations or don’t bother.
Cringe. There are several languages worth learning that you won't be able to find anybody to talk to in (Latin, Ancient Greek, Avestan, Sanskrit, Hittite, etc.) You're just a lazy retard.

>>13866238
sometimes an outside voice is necessary to give us perspective. whenever i experience depersonalization while on acid I find a lot of insights. maybe you feel like you're stuck in your career and can't see the track you're in. that's the power of literature, it gives us a new perspective from which to view our lives and help us find paths we only thought were unavailable. that's the insight my "arrogance" has given me. and while i've never held a job I think my time spent in contemplation has given me maturity beyond my humble age of 33 years on this rock flying through space.

>>13866254
fuck off.
retarded daddy's money kid sitting around doing drugs all day, telling someone else what their life is like, 33 year old layabout bum who thinks he's "enlightened" from sitting in his bedroom all day, and speaks like reddit. put a bullet through your skull.

>>13866252
but how do you know you're using those languages correctly if you only learned them through some primer? in order to learn the language you utilize a translated key, so why not read a book that has already been translated by the key? my point is you will probably arrive at the same translated text if you do the translation or someone else does because you use the same primer. similarly if there is a discrepancy how do you know that your translation is the correct one? i guess i was too harsh and it can be a fun hobby to reinterpret texts in your own way but i see too many people arguing about "correct" translations when they can't justify why the others are "wrong"

>>13863278
really appreciate this response

>>13866273
friend, i suggest you take a deep breath then log off the computer and go for a walk around the neighborhood. notice the trees, the bushes, the uneven cuts in the sidewalk, how the colors of the buildings form a pattern. you have a lot of anger that i think you need to sort out and im only trying to help in my spare time

>>13866291
All your time is spare time you fucking loser. The rest of us have to work to support ourselves and eat. Sit on it and spin.

I'm not even that guy and you're pissing me off.

>>13866291
parasite
you are not and will never be a man. you are a cockroach.

>>13866310
>>13866328
i spend my working time thinking and writing. sundays are days i allow myself to goof off and talk to people on 4chan. i learn a lot about how other people live which i incorporate into my novel. you might not like it, but this really is the /lit/ lifestyle.

>>13862739
Or perhaps he found a new hobby he enjoys and is using foundational texts as a starting point going forward. You have an incredible ego.

>>13866328
and are you really better than me for working a job you hate? who is really the insect when you are dehumanized to the point where thinking and exercises are nearly alien activities? there's a good book I read in my thinking time called The Metamorphosis by one Franz Kafka that you might find enlightening, maybe you can follow up with Herman Hesse's Siddhartha and gain some better perspective

>>13866329
>>13866335

Thinking and writing about what? Your easy and carefree lifestyle that allows you to arrogantly look down your nose at others and call it "literary". Most writers have day jobs before they are published that informs their text with real world experience. I hate daddy's money brats like you who claim to have anything figured out and talk down to anyone who actually has to do something with their time, when in reality you'd have nothing without your privileged upbringing.

>>13866335
truly enlightened post.
>>13866328
the absolute state of wageslaves

>>13866335
He is, he understands his lot and strives to produce. Hate or no hate, he contributes with his toils. You are a parasite, and worse: inauthentic.

>>13866357
Most people work because they have to, not to validate their existence or buy shiny things.

>>13866335
lol Siddahartha and the Metamorphosis, pls tell me you're trolling

>>13866357
> study Nietzche or Aristotle

They would absolutely hate you.

>>13866355
>>13866362
sigh. i come here to share and im only met with people who want to reproduce the oppression they feel on others. if your job really is "productive" then why do you feel so alienated? why do you feel so inessential? the truth is you're just spinning you wheels, wasting your life. the fact that you won't even see it ... : \

>>13862633
Living according to God's laws is the best way to live

Ecclesiastes 12:13 kjv
> Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDEBz25lGdY&t=7s

>>13866380
Wasting it how? In what way? By being something other than a shut-in who bases his entire philosophy on closeted thinking and insincere ruminations?

>>13866376
didn't they both promote an elite of idle aristocrats who had all their basic needs met and could live with total freedom? maybe you'd know that if you took some time off work and brushed up on your studies.

>>13866418
I'm not a shut in, if anything you are closer to the shut in who spends all his time in the office while i am free to move about the world and truly experience what life has to offer.

>>13862633
become a coomer

>>13866380
Your attitude sucks. It'd be fine if you weren't so arrogant about being handed everything you've ever had, but instead you have the gall to suggest that anyone that has to work to live is doing so because they aren't as enlightened as you. It's condescending in the worst way possible, why would I read a word you've written outside this conversation when you are so clearly disconnected from reality?

>>13866418
shut the fuck up marie antoinette
god damn i want to drag you from your trust fund cradle and give you what you deserve, a damn good beating and a lynching

>>13866419
Not really no, Nietzsche especially looked down on the aristocrats of the time as pompous assholes. Aristotle was just a fag in general so w/e

>>13866453
not handed everything, just the money. ive had to make connections, used my wits to avoid trouble while traveling, worked to study literature, hone my body through fitness and martial arts. sorry if im displaying arrogance, i only intended to be helpful through my experience.
>>13866462
assuming this was for me but i think your aggression is making you lash out at targets you didnt intend. i forgive you for getting angry because i understand your lifestyle and environmental factors are what is driving you to such a hateful attitude. if you try meditation you might realize that you have more control over yourself and dont need to resort to animalistic outbursts.
>>13866463
well Freddie was a bit divided because while he saw the aristocrats of his day as soft he recognized that the freedom the nobility of antiquity had was what gave them their "superhuman" vitality and insight. while i don't think i really live up to his ideal I feel like it's not really a possible goal and instead it is the journey of self discovery and exerting your will on the world in what ways you can is what is important. living in the confines of what is acceptable in society (the 9-5 5 day work week and wage slavery) is anathema to what he thought was necessary for the survival of civilization.

>>13865679
cringe

>>13866603
lol if this isn't a troll you absolutely rule man

>>13866446
replace the 5hr energy with amyl nitrate and that me

>>13862633
>Am in Grad School for philosophy
>Go to class, (philosophy)
> browse lit.
>go home
>Work out
>Read more philosophy
>sleep
>repeat.

It isn't a bad lifestyle. Sometimes I read nonphilosophy for leisure. (I read "The happiness Hypothesis" by Jonathan Heidt yesterday).

>>13866453
Pretty much this, it's not that you were born with wealth that's bothering people my dude. Obviously you can't change that. it's how you talk about it.

>>13866603
Weak, lame, gay

>>13866603
Handed money is everything you soft little daddies boy

>>13862633
the /lit/ life style ended when they outlawed laudanum

>>13862633
>I drink too much, am in grad school, and really should be reading much, much more than I currently am.
then drink less and read more why does everyone over complicate things

>>13866357
wage slaves can live the same life without neets, neets cannot live the same life without wage slaves, neets are still slaves lad

>>13866940
>>13866941
>>13866947
nice ad hominem

>>13862633
Start with the Greeks

>>13862633
Oh fuck this is the life. Doubtful I'll ever get to live it :'(

>>13867442
>Doubtful I'll ever get to live it
why?

>>13866922
OP here, im in grad school too and this sounds comfy. I think i need to make a conscious effort to limit my time in digital spaces.

I really want to do the "wake up early, read with coffee" thing. I think I'll give it a go and report back after a week maybe.

>>13862731
Hahahaha, what kind of fucking advice is this?
>lock yourself in a psychward and read books in there for three years

VROOOMMM BOROMMMMMM BIKE BIKE COG COG

>>13862740
There are no fucking tips and tricks you fucking spastic

>>13867947
i didn't ask for a fucking youtube clickbait tips and tricks rundown you fucking waste of time thanks though

Bruh same. You have to get used to denying yourself. Not everything has to be fun or pleasureable all the time. I've gotten used to just eating for nourishment. To me, eating is just another chore like washing your dick, I get through it in a very mechanical manner no frills. So now I save money and eat healthy because the connection food=pleasure just isn't there for me 97% of the time. And overriding your impulses in one area just strengthens your willpower. I think there's something to the idea that giving kids meat will spoil them.

>>13869669
That’s retarded. You can enjoy food without being a glutton, in fact you seem like a boring person if everything is so mechanical. You’ll never live the /lit/ life if you’re a hermetically sealed in dipshit

>>13869727
There's more to life than food. Post body, fatty.

>>13865897
>video games bad, books good!
no matter the medium or genre it's all just entertainment so why is everyone on /lit/ so pretentious about it? just because you prefer reading muh intellectual books during your free time instead of playing super smash bros. doesn't automatically make you smarter or better.
what matters is how you use that knowledge and from what i can see most people here just use it to brag and pretend like they have a personality by purposefully fitting into easy to categorize stereotypes AKA "the /lit/ lifestyle"

>>13869900
Some of us are genuinely interested in living more wholesome lives, anon.

>>13869900
Good fiction is infinitely more edifying than vidya, and with non-fiction you'll actually learn something. The fact that you can't see this tells me you don't deserve to be here.

>>13869907
and who are you to decide what is wholesome and what isn't?
>>13869924
that's just your opinion, anon. there are no bad mediums and in the current day and age there's literally hundreds of games that can be just as thought-provoking or fun as any other book, not to mention the social aspects of both hobbies which already go beyond the contents of the book or game or movie or any other form of entertainment. haven't you ever heard about how judging a book by its cover is a bad idea?

>>13870008
>that's just your opinion, anon. there are no bad mediums and in the current day and age there's literally hundreds of games that can be just as thought-provoking or fun as any other book, not to mention the social aspects of both hobbies which already go beyond the contents of the book or game or movie or any other form of entertainment. haven't you ever heard about how judging a book by its cover is a bad idea?
You don't deserve a real response because you are a plebeian who should not be on this board. Go have your bread and circuses and don't come back here.

>>13870008
>there's literally hundreds of games that can be just as thought-provoking or fun as any other book
I rather doubt this but I know fuck all about video games. Can you present a game that has the depth/artistry of the Divine Comedy or Hamlet

>>13870028
okay nerd, have fun limiting yourself to books that /lit/ tells you are smart and see how much fun you'll have

>>13862633
its an alternate form of the 5 pages a day copypasta

>>13862633
not in grad school but anyone who works 40+ hours knows that if you want some quality time for yourself you'll only find it in the early morning. waking up at 4-5 AM before going to work at 9 is the only way to get in intellectual hobbies before the workday turns your brain to mush.

all the productivity gurus say you're only maximally productive for 3-4 hours a day, and those 3-4 hours generally occur an hour or so after waking up. thats when your brain is at its best. keep your best hours for yourself and give the remainder to your boss :p

>>13862740
Dude there are no "tips". If you want to start reading more, you just have to read more. That's it.

>>13870188
What says I need to be productive to have quality time?

>>13870583
It's not necessarily productive. Reading fiction is hardly a productive activity, but it's preferable gaming in terms of the value you get out of it. Maybe that's a spook.
another way to put it is that you're at your best when you first wake up. those should be your most valuable hours. why give them up for $15-20/hr? take them back for yourself. even if you just sit on the porch and smoke in the morning.

>>13863193
>humorous but cringe letters
samples please

>>13870697
I already get up at 06.15, dunno how much further I can push that back. Though you're right in principle, some things I prefer to do in the evening.

>>13862633
You can also ascend to doing 9 - 5.

>>13869881
Notice I didnt say that at all. You should learn to read before posting here. You can live without feet, you can live without hands. Cutting off either with dry ice doesn’t make you a better person

>>13870008
You’re right. I redid the math, and it turns out that playing videogames until you’re fat and incapable of rigorous thinking is far more wholesome than reading the classics. You got me. I got BTFO’d. You win.

stupid relativist faggot arguing in bad faith, you didn’t deserve even this (You)

ignore all the faggots ITT, all you have to do is set small goals like waking a bit earlier everyday, not touching your phone right after waking up and before going to bed, start exercising, etc. basically slowly work your way up by removing bad habits one step at a time. the internet has fucked our brains, but its neuroplasticity can save us

>>13862744
the only winning move is to not play

>>13863278
how are you posting this

>>13864895
>Basic normies travel the world?
yes, "travelling" is as basic as harry potter and gin

>>13871274
>everyone who plays video games is a fat idiot
ok grandpa, whatever helps you sleep at night

>>13872214
>what is opportunity cost

>>13868797
OP here. It seems like others are interested cause i didn't post this response lol.

plumb your depths to get to the height

it's a lifestyle for the insane, if i dont read my mind turns hostile & to mush it's more a place of necessity rather than "interest" my spirit demands of me words

>>13862633
if transitioning from screen-neet to /lit/ is hard for reasons including, youve never done it, or you cant afford books, or etc, you can use library genesis to pirate books, google it, you just need a basic web proxy.

the other day I couldnt sleep so I read a 200pg book (it wasnt a very good one) from start to finish on my laptop in bed. it's really unhealthy and aesthetically bad, but it's better than just browsing facebook/vidya/watching meaningless tv etc etc.

>>13872540
>the other day I couldnt sleep so I read a 200pg book (it wasnt a very good one) from start to finish on my laptop in bed. it's really unhealthy and aesthetically bad, but it's better than just browsing facebook/vidya/watching meaningless tv etc etc.
Audiobooks put me to sleep within a few hours no doubt.

>>13866603
>>13866380
>>13866357
>>13866335
>>13866329

Absolutely, unequivocally based. Wageslaves forever mad.

One day, I hope no one is forced by circumstance to wageslave.

>>13872540
thanks for the serious response!
i have plenty of books and always find money for more. it's the transition from screen-lyf to bookish life that im struggling with atm

>enjoys reading as entertainment
Highest patrician

>>13871071
Post body, tubby.

/lit/ lifestyle is just LARPing as an intellectual, reading books isn't some big achievement.

A literary lifestyle is synonymous to being an artist. Write books, compose music, paint, draw, engage in photography - find meaning in one or more of those activities. However, this something you can just become overnight, it will take a few years for you to develop the necessary skills to even pretend to be an artist. You should probably start this by your early twenties at the latest, find what your life was supposed to be, your destiny. Be warned though: if you're mediocre you shall be miserable forever, the prospect of being a failure will drive you to death. But, perhaps, you will be reborn as something more afterwards?

>>13862729
you are looking for help? you fucking piece of shit. You dont look for help, you want us to convince you in a way that is more like rewiring your fucking shitty brain so you stop being a pleb in the blink of an eye.
Live life now being the absolute best pleb version of you, that's all you can do if we dont take into consideration suicide.

super-ego threads are the worst

>>13875147
>>13875155
nice double post faggot.
thanks for the contribution.

>>13875180
Half the posts in this thread were by me, idiot.

>>13875180
i wonder if you were born this way