Apathetic and Skeptical

[ColdTurkey]

I started this semester with resolution, with the aim of taking interest in school and solidifying friendships. The enthusiasm lasted for about a week.

Over Christmas break, I realized that I'm not much of a person. I don't have passions or opinions in life. I have no direction and am in the middle of the road on pretty much everything. Instead of immersing myself in life or really experiencing it, I tend to sit on the outside, observing and not really sure what to make of it.

That's why I decided this semester to worry less about the "why" and just experience life. I decided to bravely pursue things that I might be passionate about and to seek friendships, even if I can't logically justify such things to myself.

But of course, this hasn't worked. The problem is, I just don't care enough. I don't care to have real close friendships. I don't care to have passion and direction in life. I know I should, and sometimes I do, but I'm just too comfortable where I am. I can argue that such pursuits are most basic and necessary in life, but my highly skeptical brain doesn't mind shooting down any appeals to reason in life.

I am far from God. I am walled up, buried miles underground, and will stay there for as long as I can foresee. I cannot leave because I am not motivated to (I don't care) and I skeptically deny all reasons to leave. I am impenetrable .

I guess i'm not really discontent, but I am restless and annoyed from feeling so immobile.

 

[Bellicus]

Sounds like you are describing me here, except from being far from God. And I don't know if I can say that I don't care either, cause if I would feel a interest in anything, then I would probably care too. "don't care" is a word others use about me, cause they don't really understand me at all, or what is going on in my head.

My problem with everything is that I analyze everything instead of just experiencing it like most people do. And when I analyze it I find no reason in anything.

When analyzing everything down to its core, then the meaning vanishes from it.

Everything just seem shallow, and most people just seem to ignore it and create a illusion about their lives instead. They are able to enjoy the illusion, but I see it too clearly that it is a illusion, so I can't get myself to do the same.

Not sure if this has helped you, but maybe it would feel better, if you knew that others have similar problems as you.

 

[ColdTurkey]

Bellicus,

I definitely can sympathize with you. I've always analyzed life instead of embracing it. And when I analyze things, they become meaningless. I often feel disconnected from life, from people, from ideas, from everything.

Do you also find it hard to be passionate about anything? How do you deal with that? Do you have any tips for a similar person who is half-way through college and has no ambitions or passions?

And how do you fit God in? Doesn't he become something to analyze as well? My feeling of disconnect definitely includes him. I also feel apathetic about sin and salvation. It seems so distant all the time that I don't care. Do you feel the same way?

 

[Bellicus]

Yes, I too feel that it is hard to be passionate about anything. And I don't really have any advice for you how to not feel like that. I'm on disability myself, cause of mental illness, and I do nothing. And all I can say is if you are doing school, then at least it is not better to do nothing. Probably don't help you at all though.

I don't feel the same thing about God. God interest me, cause He is different from all other things in life. I can always try to analyze God, but in the end I just have to settle with that I don't understand Him or his ways, so then I can choose to either reject Him or seek Him. And it is my experience that if I seek Him, then I won't get nothing, but that there is lots of things to find in Him that is good.

 

[Criada]

Hi Coldturkey
It sounds to me as though you may be depressed.. have you seen a doctor?
One of the major symptoms is a lack of interest and enthusiasm...
I have been there.. and it is very hard to get out of it.
But.. God understands... and he is there whether you feel close to Him or not.
Praying for you

 

[Bellicus]

Yeah, you are right Criada, I was thinking about it today, that I should write in this thread that it is a symptom that sometimes goes along with depression. How did you get out of it Criada? I've felt like that most my life.

 

[Jake49]

Hey Cold Turkey )

I really know how you are.. because in my own way, I'm in the same place.

All I can do is pray for you... so I did just now... that God somehow brings wisdom and perspective into you life...... That if say you carried on for 20 years like this... and in 20 years you looked back, and by then you realised something... something simple which you needed to do... to understand... and if then you had a thought, 'If only I had just....'.....

I prayed that God will bring that realisation, that revelation into your life now... that he puts his life and truth inside you, that re energises you to dream and start to run with your dreams... doing things which work towards them.

I'm studying a degree... When I look back, there's been times where I've been really busy and motivated and productive... But now... I'm in my flat doing nothing... not handing in coursework... not motivated... I just dont care... I have apathy.

Martin Luther King said, 'Nor does the human spirit move without great dificulty against all the apathy of conformist thought, within ones own bossom and in the surrounding world'....

Can I ask you a question?.... What do you want more than anything?

 

[Jake49]

If people are making guesses as to the problem behind it all....

I'd say part of it is boredom...... that we know we have a greater purpose...

The problem is...... Being born into this world.... as a baby, our physical bodies were nourished with milk from a bottle.... Whats in the bottle? clean milk...

But it wasnt just our bodies which were hungry... Our hearts, spirits and minds needed stimulating and feeding.

"Be transformed by the renewing of your mind"...

If there was a metaphorical milk bottle for the mind... which has been feeding us since we were babies.... Then whats clear... is that it wasn't 'fresh, clean milk' in that bottle.... That actually the way we perceive EVERYTHING today is full of things which are not of Truth.... and so we follow The Light of the world, to lead us into Truth and life. There is just a strong resistance, trying to push us back into blindness... A pressure to conform to the World.

to re quote Martin Luther King, ''Nor does the human spirit move without great dificulty against all the apathy of conformist thought, within ones own bossom and in the surrounding world".....

"Do not be conformed to the patterns of the world".

SO....
We, I guess, are all in some way seekers of Truth... When Jesus said to his disciples, 'I have much more to show you, more than you can bare. But when He, The Spirit of Truths comes, he will take you by the hand and lead you into all Truth"..... We want to follow him.... "I am the Light of the World, those who chose to follow me, will not stumble in the darkness, but have the light that leads to life'...

I guess the way of the world, is to program people to conform... Like a parrot in a cage... the world says, "There's your toys... there's your mirros... there's your food and water...."...... When the instinct within that beautiful bird, is to fly in the open sky... and not be trapped inside a cage.
My experience of following God... is that I lose interest in the toys placed before me... and I've began to dream that there's greater things... a greater purpose.

Jesus is the one who promises us... he will take us by the hand and lead us out of the cage/slavery/darkness/deception.... lead us into Truth to do what we were born to do......

So you can say, that like the parott after years of being caged, not doing what it was born to do..... it would get depressed...... but you know... I'm going to call it boredom.... For me personally... I think what I've described here is the problem... and the solutions for depression, are not the solutions for this problem.

Anyway... I'm just guessing........ but (speaking to me also) Keep going! and keep seeking, knocking, calling for Yahshua... for the Light of the World... for the Truth... he will take us all by the hand and lead us out of our our situations... into Life.

"He who feels it, knows it"....... One day... after you've come out of the other side of where you're at now.... You will be able to speak 'life' into someone elses life... making what they need to help them, accessable to them.... God will use you, to set someone else free... to give them peace and your words of life will encourage them.

Percevere! Keep going! ... with Faith that God is good, and his plans for you are to prosper you, to give you a hope and a future. (I'm 100% speaking to myself too )

 

[Jake49]

I just watched a film called, 'Click' just now... have you seen it?... lot's of interesting things explored in it ) 'on topic' of course

 

[ALIOSIAS]

One Of The Great Men Of God Of The Sixteenth Century, Francis Xavier, Charged The Apathetic European Students Of His Day To "Give Up Your Small Ambitions And Come And Preach The Gospel Of Christ"

 

[Jake49]

One Of The Great Men Of God Of The Sixteenth Century, Francis Xavier, Charged The Apathetic European Students Of His Day To "Give Up Your Small Ambitions And Come And Preach The Gospel Of Christ"

Mattew 22:37-40 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

1 Corrinthians 13:1 Though I speak with all the tongues - Which are upon earth, and with the eloquence of an angel. And have not love - The love of God, and of all mankind for his sake, I am no better before God than the sounding instruments of brass, used in the worship of some of the heathen gods. Or a tinkling cymbal

Without the kind of love that is spoken of here... what is called, 'Preaching the gospel of Christ' actually pushes people further away from God.

So anyway... I'm not assuming that is what ALIOSIAS was suggesting... I'm just pointing that out... as that pattern of religiousity is all over what people call "Christianity" today. Which actually causes the kind of apathy and skepticism that this thread is about in the first place.

 

[ALIOSIAS]

Jake 49:

Mattew 22:37-40 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

1 Corrinthians 13:1 Though I speak with all the tongues - Which are upon earth, and with the eloquence of an angel. And have not love - The love of God, and of all mankind for his sake, I am no better before God than the sounding instruments of brass, used in the worship of some of the heathen gods. Or a tinkling cymbal

Without the kind of love that is spoken of here... what is called, 'Preaching the gospel of Christ' actually pushes people further away from God.

So anyway... I'm not assuming that is what ALIOSIAS was suggesting... I'm just pointing that out... as that pattern of religiousity is all over what people call "Christianity" today. Which actually causes the kind of apathy and skepticism that this thread is about in the first place.

Reply to Jake 49:

I doubt seriously that Francis Xavier was suggesting that the students preempt their love walk to preach the Gospel. What he was doing was trying to re-focus their minds off of the trivial and worldly things they were involved in.
This is something the Church seriously needs to attain to today. Somehow preaching has seeped in that makes one believe that believers have to get good first before graduating from being a baby christian. Well that happy day is never going to come if all they are doing is sitting at home, reading the bible-- trying to please God by improving their attitudes and behaviors, and thereby living unto themselves.

The best way to cultivate a love walk is through personal ministry to others (helping others with their spiritual life). That requires action, time, and involvement which automatically disqualifies most of the church.

At the root of this problem is poor preaching ie. preaching that does not exort the congregation into the path of discipleship--promoting the idea that they are inadequate or not ready for some reason. This has got to change.

Churches, that are not encouraging and equipping its members to disciple
other believers, should be turned away from.

Now is the day of salvation!
Now is the day of the equipping of the saints!
Now is the day of Jesus Christ!

 

[Jake49]

Jake 49:
Reply to Jake 49:

I doubt seriously that Francis Xavier was suggesting that the students preempt their love walk to preach the Gospel.

Yes, I doubt he was suggesting that. If you read my post again, you'll see I wasn't even hinting that he was suggesting that.