Nothing exists outside of my mind?

Solipsism isn't a way of life or a means to live by. Doing so is a contradiction and negates the concept of solipsism itself.

Solipsism is interesting because it reveals to us how little we actually know as human beings. There is a dense saturation of religion, philosophy, and science defined on tenets we've come to assume are true, mostly because we can see and touch these things.

A good example of this is the human concept of "reality", which we perceive with our senses and comprehend with our minds. Just because we can see this "reality" and even relate to it with others (whether they be real or not) doesn't make it so, since we are unable to define this "reality" outside of our own perceptions. Since we can't completely define "reality" without referencing our perceptions, then we cannot be sure that things actually are the way we perceive them to be, or that they even exist at all.

If you can't know the way things really are outside of your own mind, then the only thing you can alter with certainty is your perception. Things, however real or unreal they may be, are the way we perceive them to be. Your mind is the birthplace of the universe (your perceptions), rather than the universe being the birthplace of your mind.

It's easy to say, "Well, if I can't confirm this 'reality' I live in to be true and finite, then nothing I do really matters, because as far as I know, my mind is all there is, and the universe exists solely in my mind." However, just as you can't prove "reality" exists, you can't prove that "reality" doesn't exist, and that actions you take have an effect on the greater system of things.

The point is, you know nothing. Even your own mind. The first step to freeing yourself from your illusion of "reality" is admitting this. Don't wear yourself out searching for "the truth" out there. Even if there were a singular and ultimate "truth" out there, you could only perceive it with your mind and therefore couldn't comprehend it holistically.

"Reality" how you perceive it to be. If you wish to live by a truth, search within.

PS - Language is a tool invented by humans designed to communicate abstract concepts that are inherently inexplicable and non-affirmative. So wtf am i saying, lol?

I do the same thing. What if nothing really exists and it's just a pigment of my mind? In my imagination, I created the universe, controversy, people, who I am, what I look like.. EVERYTHING. It blows my mind because I can see how it could be true.

oh and in addition, Don't think that thinking this way is thinking too much about things. Nobody ever complains about excessive wealth or excessive good looks or sexual experiences. People tend to undervalue things which have intellectual value, and not just sensual value.

I love philosophy, metaphysics, anthropology, and epistemology, all of which combine to explain what man is, isn't, how one can attain knowledge and if one can attain knowledge. I love the stuff, but it's not meant to be an end, simply a means (there's some
For you). Proper perspective. Thinking, in it's proper context, is God-given. But our independent minds will never bring us the peace and comfort we crave. Some things can't be figured out.

I have driven myself crazy about this since I was a child. "Why am I me?" "why am I in here looking out at the world? The only reality is my reality? It's crazy. I really don't know if anybody else ever thinks about this. I think you're biggest problem is thinking too much. Thanks for submitting your story. I don't think I'm important at all but I just wonder. I guess one day we'll understand everything.

Well, nothing I say would matter anyway, since I'm a creation of your mind :P

I do consider solipsistic ideas now and then, but no, I do not feel the same way. Of course everything is in our mind. There isn't really any solid truth that we can experience - just interpretations. I feel too utterly insignificant to believe in solipsism, as I feel that there must be more that the mind. Humans are just nothings really. I don't know...if I went all solipstic, I would in all likeliness end up in a padded cell. No joke. How do you manage??

So, you CAN say that everything you experience comes from your mind, but it's not very practical to go down that road. If someone punches you for example, it's not so easy to wish away.

Nevermind. You're normal alright. Lot of people think about these things and some take it up as a belief system of sorts as you do. Just don't kill anyone please.

Look at it this way - you have nothing to lose by living your life even if it may be in your head. But if you give up on life because you think it is likely to be in your head, and you're incorrect, you lose. It's a modification of Pascal's Wager.

This is all something I can relate to. I have thought this way long before I understood what thinking was. There is something I would like to point out and disagree with, however. You mentioned that you weren't here to experience the world before you were born...that isn't true. You were here, just in a different form. Think about it, what made the person you are? One sperm, one egg. What created those? Chemicals, nutrients, matter, energy... you are all those things. You were here long before you existed and you will be here long after you're gone. The only thing making "you" "who you are" "right now" is consciousness -- awareness of Being.

hey , first of all i think exactly the same things u think budy , i feel like iv written this post .. i wont say much cuz these thoughts isolate me n make me doubt alot .. n when i think what if im thinkin crap and wasting my time ???? , instead of living .. lastly, what makes this post so weird is are we connecting to each other of just ourselves ...hahaha
cheers !!

couldnt even be bothered to read your story, the title was whack enough

For as long as I can remember I have felt that something about the world was wrong I just can't seem to put a finger on what it is. I just can't get ride of this nagging feeling that the perceived universe is a lie. I wish I could get closure on this and prove or disprove this theory and act accordingly but as it is I'm stuck in limbo never going any where and instead always questioning.

I always thought this way as a kid, so I never picked it up from anyone. At about 9 years of age I used to ponder whether or not it is possible to actually think outside of myself, and I reasoned this based on the truth that I could only access my thoughts as clearly as accessing thoughts could possibly be. Yes, I do think that people think about the fact that we each have one brain, and that brain handles all of the information which we process, than the actuality of anything is most probably the actuality which one is best able to construct using the information they were given to interpret and store as memories.

But than again, knowing that every individual has their own brain, and it seems very convincing to deduce that they think using very similar methods as myself and yourself, it would mean that the only thing that really exists is the individual as a whole of one perception of everything.

Check out some of Jiddu Krishnamurti's videos on youtube and some of his books. He basically believed everything that you do, but he was very humble and clear with his message, not relying on religion or other bullshit nodules of reasoning.

Remember that Socrates stated knowledge is found only when we realize we know nothing

I also think that people who think they know all the answers never ask themselves any questions or are afraid to.
I don't think our finite, concrete brains have any concept of what reality and existence is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3RMIInluN8

I know that wasn't linear by any means, but hopefully I was somewhat coherent.

If you seriously and consistently believe this, then I'm just a figment of your imagination, and there isn't any point in discussing further, since there is nothing that I can possibly offer other than what is already in your mind.

But, I don't think you believe this--you've just read it in a philosophy book. And, you're grappling with the idea, and all the problems and contradictions it seems to lead to.

If you assume that reality really does exist, and that you--including your mind--are just part of that reality, then things will make much more sense. You can't "prove" that reality exists; the very concept of proof depends on it's existence. Every proof requires axioms. So, you have to treat the existence of reality--in your own mind--as an axiom.

Moreover, you have eyes to see with, ears to hear with, skin to touch with; you have to assume that what you are seeing, hearing, and touching, is some aspect of reality. The connection may be complicated, there may be confusion at times, but it is real.