Melancholia, justified (774 views, 61 replies)
master
master
expert
Melancholy needs no justification; it is the only legitimate emotional state. Defund all the happy people! 
@Tangerine🍊🍊🍊 
so true dear, so true! happy people are annoying
hey wait, you live on Fiji and are melancholic? can i assume you know the honey sweet gravity of the islands of the tropics?
@Adrian∞ The tropics? I doubt the existence of something like the tropes (I live in Europe).If they existed, everyone would live there. They were made up by some stinker with an exuberant good temper.
@Adrian∞ Not the happy people that are the problem. Morning persons are the problem. You know, the ones that are full of smiles and energy while your brain is still in a coma
@JudgeDredd Indeed thats true. morning persons are the worst. Anybody who is in a good mood before two big cups of coffee and some Gauloises is per se suspicious.
In fact my lil sister used to say i am not a "Morgenmuffel" but a "Morgenarschloch". still proud of it
@JudgeDredd Or people who glorify an emotion that is responsible for the suicides of countless artists.
Legitimate sadness should be felt, not glorified.
Happiness is not an objective to a life. Hence all the false happy fakes on Social Media.
By turn, false melancholy is equally disgusting.
master
Defund the happy people? EauShyt 👀
^runs away screaming.
Buttwait, I got no funds?
Whew 
...purdy safe then.
Carry on. 
master
We are getting to happy here, too soon.
So here is a another good quote on melancholia:
"Instead of letting myself go into despair, I chose active melancholy, as far as action was within my power, or, in other words, I preferred the melancholy that hopes and strives and seeks to a melancholy that is gloomy and inactive desperate."
Vincent van Gogh
@Adrian∞ Kinda supports my melancholia statement that you gave the sceptical face about. Van Gogh shot himself. It is common for artists to succumb to this with finality. When I have it, as I do now, I write a lot, yes, but... it's not a great space all at the same time. There is an edge, and it's razor sharp.
master
Van Gogh, portrait of Dr. Gachet
If you loook at it long enough, you will have to open a bottle. or two
master
Another good reason for melancholia is that most people just do not understand the beauty of art.
senior master
master
A proper melancholia needs to be fed and stabilized to be properly enjoyed, repectivly suffered.
A masterful piece of literature for this exact purpose is a book by Austrian Psychologist and Philosopher
Paul Watzlawick, published in 1983
"Anleitung zum Unglücklichsein" or
"Guide to Unhappiness"
Its an extrordinary collection of mechanisms, in which humans have their own way of making everyday life unbearable and the trivial enormous. Highly recommended.
Let me start with a quote by Fjodor Michailowitsch Dostojewski, "Notes from Underground" (around 1862)
"What can one expect from a person [...]? Shower him with all earthly goods, drown him in happiness up to his ears, up to his head, so that only bubbles rise to the surface of happiness as to the water level, give him a pecuniary income so that he has nothing else to do there is nothing left but to sleep, eat gingerbread and ensure the continued existence of mankind - then he, this same man, will play a trick on you on the spot out of sheer ingratitude, solely out of abusiveness. He will even jeopardize the gingerbread and wish for perhaps the most pernicious nonsense, the most uneconomical nonsense, just to mix in all this positive reasonableness his own fatal fantastical element. He will want to keep his fantastic ideas, his banal stupidity in particular..."
...
Read more
master
A man claps his hands every ten seconds. When asked about the reason for this behavior, he explains: "To scare away the elephants." To the remark that there are no elephants here, he replies: "See? it works!!"
We are so good in fighting problems that do not exist with great effort. And then still have the hybris to claim we are responsible for the solution.
master
A very practical advice:
Never let a good opportunity to make someone unhappy pass.
Here is a good trick: always make two presents, not one. birthday christmas , doesn`t matter.
Lets say you bought your girlfriend two blouses for birthday. When she wears one first time, you may say in a slightly sad way: " You don`t like the other one, do you?"
Once more, i am sure you understand
master
There's something wrong with whoever loves me. Now that one enjoys great popularity amongst women in particular.
The principle has never been expressed better than in this quote by Groucho Marx:
"“I wouldn't want to belong to a club that would have me as a member”
@DontSpeak i did not write that. I quoted Watzlawick.
And i am actually too autumn to defend it
senior master
Melancholy over a season? Melancholy over the ever-changing status of the world? Not me. Not ever.
The Seasons, every single one, are BEAUTIFUL and remarkable. They are the true representation of consistency in an inconsistent world.
Why would I grieve a Summer and forsake the glory of Autumn with her own self-made theatre showcasing her desire to rest? Why would I cry over Winter and her slumber that ushers in growth?
Global inconsistency and refusal to admit powerlessness is the only consistent mankind can offer. I have no need for melancholic immersion and the resultant stagnant inertia.
@DontSpeak ....the resultant stagnant inertia?
Now that's it. You're out. It's quite obvious that you don't know what you're talking about. Besides, it sounds quite as if you are hostile to pleasure. Melancholy is appreciated by enthusiasts around the world. And the perfect season for it is autumn.
“My melancholy is the most faithful mistress I have known; what wonder, then, that I love her in return.”
-Søren Kierkegaard
@Vantongerloo You obviously don't understand what I'm talking about, and cannot consider the literal definition, not the new one.
Hostile to pleasure? With melancholy?
Melancholy:
"causing or expressing sadness; depressing... a condition characterized by markedly depressed mood, bodily complaints, and sometimes hallucinations and delusions."
Inertia is a direct by-product of spending too much time devoted to nurturing this "emotion".
Yes, many artists love their melancholy; it also becomes their master and they then succumb to all kinds of addictions.
Taking a quote out of context is not a good idea. Kierkegaard was talking of the opposite which you claim:
“Besides my other numerous circle of acquaintances I have one more intimate confidant – my melancholy. In the midst of my joy, in the midst of my work, she waves to me, calls me to one side, even though physically I stay put. My melancholy is the most faithful mistress I have known, what wonder, then, that I love her in return.” Søren Kierkegaard
...
Read more
@DontSpeak I wonder what you really want. Burst into a wonderful melancholy party and spread bad vibes like you're on a crusade. Melancholy is sadness and PMS is anger. 
Yeah sure.
I have a brief story for you. It's for defiant children. My translation is a little bit bumpy, but you were worth the effort for me.
The way out
Somewhere in the south, just as the day was beginning, a little monkey climbed up a palm tree, swinging a heavy coconut in his hand and screaming at the top of his lungs.
Hearing this, a camel came a little closer, looked up at him and asked, "What's the matter with you today?"
"I'm waiting for the big elephant. I'm going to hit him with a coconut so hard his head will crack and he will lose his hearing and sight!"
But the camel thought: "What does he really want?
At noon a lion came, lay down under the tree and wanted to doze. Then he heard the little monkey and asked, "What's the matter with you today?"
...
Read more
@Vantongerloo How incredibly crass and sexist.
You loose.
It's not worth reading beyond the obvious lack of self control on your behalf.
@DontSpeak „As I have already said, the believe that one´s own view of reality is the only reality – is the most dangerous of all delusions. It becomes still more dangerous if it is coupled with the missionary zeal to enlighten the rest of the world, whether the rest of the world wishes to be enlightened or not. To refuse to embrace wholeheartedly a particulra definition of reality, to dare to see the world differently can become a „think crime“ in a truly Orwellian sense as we get steadily closer to 1984.“
(Talk by Watzlawick)
@Adrian∞ I noticed how weird it is already. Thanks for your aknowledgement of the obvious.
Have fun playing with people who condesend and demean, and then writing "no comment" in reply to something that wasn't written for you just to make it clear where you stand.
It's very interesting to witness. 
@Adrian∞ You are expecting a flood? 
Is it enough if I roll up my pants or do I have to put on my shorts? Can't find my snorkel.
master
Allright, allright. Here is another popular reason to be melancholic: relationships and especially marriage. This is the story of Waldo Shepards try to regain Marsha. incredibly funny and told by one of my all time favourite bands: The Velvet Underground.Legendary.
@DontSpeak : contradiction accepted. So this one is definitely at the expense of the male gender. And i mean A LOT at the expense. Its actually pretty funny. hope you accept the apology.
member
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Death Is Not The End from his album Murder Ballads
newbie
“I go to sleep alone, and wake up alone. I take walks. I work until I'm tired. I watch the wind play with the trash that's been under the snow all winter. Everything seems simple until you think about it. Why is love intensified by abscence?”
― Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler's Wife
newbie
"So you feel melancholic? Look around your desert island! Noone there to f... you up. Is it so bad?"
senior guru
In his diary in an entry headed "Nice 22 January 1892", Munch wrote:
One evening I was walking along a path, the city was on one side and the fjord below. I felt tired and ill. I stopped and looked out over the fjord – the sun was setting, and the clouds turning blood red. I sensed a scream passing through nature; it seemed to me that I heard the scream. I painted this picture, painted the clouds as actual blood. The color shrieked. This became The Scream.
He later described his inspiration for the image:
I was walking along the road with two friends – the sun was setting – suddenly the sky turned blood red – I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence – there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city – my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety – and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature.
...
Read more
senior master
@DontSpeak I love the Cranberries. Such a huge loss to the Irish musician community when she past unexpectedly💔
senior master
master
If you got too happy in the meantime, i can assure you there is no reason for that. On November 12th 2022 the PRC will start to escalate the conflict/reunification with Taiwan. why so exact? Chinese love symbolism. And the 12th of November is the birthday of Sun Yat-sen, first provisional president of the republic of China in 1911/12. And he is virtually the only historical figure equally adored and idolized in Taiwan and the PRC, with his name standing for a united China and being the first republican president after more than 2000 years of emporership.
After the big military manouvres following Nancy Pelosis visit to China Taiwan was watching the Ukraine carefully and is now planning to arm all of its adult citizens. The PRC will not wait till that happens.
I was pointing at the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in the intro of this thread like 2,3 weeks ago. Congress is done and the results are a catastrophy. Xi Jinping fully succeeded.
Maybe you have seen the complete humiliation of Xi`s predecessor Hu Jintao being "escorted" out of the event ? International press and media instantly agreed on that this was a demonstration of power in the direction of more moderate parts of the CCP.
...
Read more
Similar forum topics
- Justified: City Primeval (2 years ago)
- A Gentle Reminder of the "No more politics on this site" post. (4 years ago)
- World’s 5 greatest mysteries (2 years ago)
master
Melancholie: das Parfum des Schicksals, der Nebel der Trauer, die Erotik der Depression.
[Markus Weidmann, Swiss author]
which fairly translates as:
melancholia: the perfume of destiny, the haze of grief, the eroticism of depression.
Summer is over. 10 days ago temperatures here reached over 25 degree for the def. last time this year.
Winter coat and umbrella instead of mini skirt and summer blouse. It was a good summer, first time since pandemic near to normal life, everybody enjoyed it [overshadowed by the war, of course].
If you fear raising energy costs in coming winter, just remember the brave Ukraine pays with thousands of lifes for our values, you only pay at the petrol station and the energy bills. Buy a jumper and turn down the heating.
But something else is making me "autumn".
Maybe some of you love the movie "lucky number Slevin" (2006) and the famous Bruce Willis quote about the Kansas city shuffle: "There is a Kansas city shuffle: they look right...and YOU look left" - and then cuts the guys throat.
...
Read more