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[INTJ] How do you cope with infinite unknown?

DocRox27

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Anxiety is not a common emotion for me, but when it takes hold the force of the grip is one of the most debilitating disturbances I've ever felt.

A common source of this problem is the fact that there is so much potential knowledge in this universe and nowhere near enough time to learn even the smallest fraction of it.

It drives me mad... Is there an effective way to cope with such a feeling?
 

Jonny

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Sometimes those feelings are the product of something else in one's life, and dealing with that will facilitate a more positive perspective. That said, it is rather ironic that our senses, those things which provide us with all knowledge that we have, are ultimately our prison. We cannot escape the limitations of the flesh (at least in this life, who knows what lies beyond), and thus cannot even begin to fathom all the possible ways of knowing, let alone all the things we can know, given the limited ways in which we can know something.
 

kyuuei

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Fairly well for the most part.. but I always feel like I am running out of time to do the things I want to do. I have a lot of ambitions that probably don't have time to manifest. Like being a martial arts master and a space fire fighter. :shrug:

Seriously though.. No one will have time to learn everything. But you will have time to learn many things, and most of those things will be things you can use in life, or take satisfaction in knowing. I suppose at some point, you'll have to accept that not knowing everything will just have to be enough. Usually, that's why you have friends.. a collective amount of people know more than one person on their own sometimes.
 

Sparrow

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Just try and accept it since we are only human. We are the ones putting labels on everything, are the things that we label even really what we say they are!
 

guesswho

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Sometimes those feelings are the product of something else in one's life, and dealing with that will facilitate a more positive perspective.

Exactly. All you have to do is find what that "something else" is, and fix it if you can, if not, just accept it I guess.
 

Such Irony

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Anxiety is not a common emotion for me, but when it takes hold the force of the grip is one of the most debilitating disturbances I've ever felt.

A common source of this problem is the fact that there is so much potential knowledge in this universe and nowhere near enough time to learn even the smallest fraction of it.

It drives me mad... Is there an effective way to cope with such a feeling?


Oh, do I ever relate to this!

What I really want to know the most is what life will be like in the distant future. Unless they find away to make us immortal or greatly increase our lifespan in my lifetime, I'll never know. I find that thought deeply unsettling.

How to cope? Asking myself, is knowing this really going to improve the quality of my life? Having my curiosity satisfied is a moment of fleeting happiness. As soon as I find one thing out, I have a need to find something else out. So the curiosity is never really satisfied completely. I think I read somewhere that enneagram 5's have a tendency to develop this sort of information addiction. I sometimes wonder if I had more meaningful relationships in life, I wouldn't depend on this "information addiction" so much. I don't know.

I don't need to know absolutely everything primarily because I'm not interested in everything. But even among the things I do want to know more about, I'll still just barely scratch the surface.

I also find myself preferring to generalize than specialize with a couple of exceptions. I'd feel like my life was somehow empty if all I did was devote myself to some very narrow field. Unless I made some major discovery that made an impact on the world.

I realize that nobody can know it all. So I ask myself, what things hold the most interest for me and focus on those things. I try not to dwell on what I can't change but it isn't always easy.
 

INTP

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I enjoy it.

well generally this.

some certain things that are unknown to me and i would like to know, but cant for some reason might upset me or even cause anxiety. but hey, world would be pretty damn boring place if there weren't always new things to discover :yes:
 

skylights

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I enjoy it.

:yes:

life would be boring if we knew everything!

to docrox... i guess this might be a little too spiritual for some but i put a little trust into the universe in terms of thinking that i will learn everything that i need to know.
 

funkadelik

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I usually enjoy it. It's kinda cool to think there's always something more to learn/discover. I think I'd feel more anxious if it were the other way around.

It kind of sounds like your anxiety comes from feeling insignificant in the face of the infinite unknown, which is a totally legitimate feeling. And one that can be easily come by.

So I guess if you're looking for coping strategies, just focus on the things you DO know. Focus on how you and your perspective and your existence IS significant. I mean, significance is entirely measured subjectively, so use that to your advantage. Mould your definition of how your finite knowledge fits into the infinite unknown in a way that's more positive for you. In a way that reduces those anxious feelings.

Just accept that this is the way it is. Then maybe your feelings can let you move on to making the most of what you can know. If you get stuck at this mental/emotional hurdle for too long, then it's just going to make you more and more anxious. It'll be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
 

DocRox27

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Sometimes those feelings are the product of something else in one's life, and dealing with that will facilitate a more positive perspective. That said, it is rather ironic that our senses, those things which provide us with all knowledge that we have, are ultimately our prison. We cannot escape the limitations of the flesh (at least in this life, who knows what lies beyond), and thus cannot even begin to fathom all the possible ways of knowing, let alone all the things we can know, given the limited ways in which we can know something.

I don't think it's something else. I really just wish there was more time. I do understand that we do have a physical prison, and thinking of that helps me cope with the fact that I will barely scratch the surface of what there is to know. I find myself hoping for a better understang with "what lies beyond."

Fairly well for the most part.. but I always feel like I am running out of time to do the things I want to do. I have a lot of ambitions that probably don't have time to manifest. Like being a martial arts master and a space fire fighter. :shrug:

Seriously though.. No one will have time to learn everything. But you will have time to learn many things, and most of those things will be things you can use in life, or take satisfaction in knowing. I suppose at some point, you'll have to accept that not knowing everything will just have to be enough. Usually, that's why you have friends.. a collective amount of people know more than one person on their own sometimes.

Ambitions is also a major factor in the anxiety. I am an aspiring neurosurgeon, which takes up a copious amount of my time, but I love playing guitar, riding BMX, studying psychology among other fields I consider a "hobby," and I never feel like I have learned enough. Also, the amount of time I spend with my ambitions leaves me with little time to socialize... The fact that my signifigant other is an ESFP (little desire for the expansion of theoretical knowledge) does not help haha.

Oh, do I ever relate to this!

I don't need to know absolutely everything primarily because I'm not interested in everything. But even among the things I do want to know more about, I'll still just barely scratch the surface.

I also find myself preferring to generalize than specialize with a couple of exceptions. I'd feel like my life was somehow empty if all I did was devote myself to some very narrow field. Unless I made some major discovery that made an impact on the world.

I realize that nobody can know it all. So I ask myself, what things hold the most interest for me and focus on those things. I try not to dwell on what I can't change but it isn't always easy.

You sound a lot like myself. There is a part of me that wishes for ultimate knowledge, yet there are things that I am generally not too curious of. Though I understand that I will only know so much about the things that I am interested in and that can bother me sometimes. Being so fucused on my study can frustrate me from time to time as I do feel that my field is too narrow. Having such an understanding of "the big picture" can be a cursed blessing sometimes, am I right?

:yes:

life would be boring if we knew everything!

to docrox... i guess this might be a little too spiritual for some but i put a little trust into the universe in terms of thinking that i will learn everything that i need to know.

I don't dismiss spiritual advice without thought. I am an agnostic, but I still believe that there is a possibility of an entity too great for us to know that may have a plan. Thank you for the advice.

I usually enjoy it. It's kinda cool to think there's always something more to learn/discover. I think I'd feel more anxious if it were the other way around.

It kind of sounds like your anxiety comes from feeling insignificant in the face of the infinite unknown, which is a totally legitimate feeling. And one that can be easily come by.

So I guess if you're looking for coping strategies, just focus on the things you DO know. Focus on how you and your perspective and your existence IS significant. I mean, significance is entirely measured subjectively, so use that to your advantage. Mould your definition of how your finite knowledge fits into the infinite unknown in a way that's more positive for you. In a way that reduces those anxious feelings.

Just accept that this is the way it is. Then maybe your feelings can let you move on to making the most of what you can know. If you get stuck at this mental/emotional hurdle for too long, then it's just going to make you more and more anxious. It'll be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

This is good advice as it strikes true to the source of the problem. When this anxiety rushes over me, a feeling of insignifigance follows but I never paid it much heed until I read this. Accepting the way it is would be difficult for me, but focusing on the things I do know could help alleviate the problem.

You guys are great, I like this forum. =]
 
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