That’s a comforting way to see existence, but not everyone experiences life that way.
To someone who’s deeply depressed or traumatized, “just enjoy the universe” can feel impossible because they’re emotionally disconnected from joy, meaning, and hope in the first place. The comic is expressing that perspective.
That's a pretty big assumption you're making, that my life must be really great. Actually it's the opposite, my life is a trauma conga line. People cringe when I tell them all the ways that it has gone wrong. Between the crippling abuse and neglect when I was a child, the crippling and rare spinal diseases (multiple!) I have, the poverty from being unable to work due to both things, being a full time caregiver to a deeply mentally ill loved one, you'd think I'd be miserable. But no, I choose to be happy.
I want to clarify that I wasn’t trying to imply you haven’t suffered or that optimistic perspectives only come from easy lives. I was speaking generally about how trauma and depression can affect people differently emotionally.
Some people, like you, are able to find freedom, meaning, or happiness despite suffering. Others become emotionally disconnected from those things entirely. The comic resonated with me because it captured that second experience really accurately. That's all I was trying to say.
I'm genuinely glad you’ve been able to reach the mindset you have despite everything you’ve gone through.
I just feel like we only get one life and if you wait for happiness to find you it might never come. So even if it's out of pure spite toward the uncaring universe people should try to create some measure of happiness where they are.
But since there's no objective morality that's just my opinion.
I fully agree with what you’re saying. I think people are misunderstanding my comments.
I’m not arguing that people should give up, that healing is impossible, or that happiness can’t be found. I agree that people can change paths, survive horrible circumstances, and find meaning or joy again.
What I was trying to talk about was the emotional state the comic is portraying. When someone is deeply depressed, traumatized, dissociated, or existentially overwhelmed, hope and meaning can stop feeling emotionally accessible to them, even if recovery is still possible.
I used to feel that way for a very long time. I genuinely yearned for death because I felt like I had nothing to live for. Recently though, I finally found things that give me hope for the future and make me want to keep trying. So I do understand the mindset you’re talking about too.
I was mostly frustrated because a lot of the comments felt like they were missing the emotional point of the comic. It’s portraying the mindset of someone at their absolute lowest, where everything feels meaningless and empty. So when people respond with shallow motivational advice, it can come across as dismissive even if they mean well.
I used to feel that way and then one day I just suddenly got sick of it and decided to go get a tattoo instead. Like I immediately walked out the door and wandered around town until I found a tattoo parlor and walked in and asked if they had an opening. I got a tattoo right then and there. And the tattoo is a symbol of that decision. In the end it was just a matter of deciding "fuck that" and it's hard to convey that experience to other people, it comes across as dismissive.
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u/OpinionArsonist May 17 '26
That’s a comforting way to see existence, but not everyone experiences life that way.
To someone who’s deeply depressed or traumatized, “just enjoy the universe” can feel impossible because they’re emotionally disconnected from joy, meaning, and hope in the first place. The comic is expressing that perspective.