thatdbzguy wrote:
The only people who deserve to be happy are the ones who actually contribute to society and help to improve the lives of others.
Why should someone like me, who does neither and plans on doing neither, have a chance at happiness? If you don't make something out of your life, you're worthless to society, and your happiness does not matter.
That's not how the world works. There's no need to punish yourself. Life is hard enough as it is, and it'll do all the punishing without your help, whether or not you deserve it. With those odds, might as well go all out for happiness.
Yes, society is important. But there is no society without individuals. When its individuals are unhappy, society is unhappy. I'm not sure which comes first, society or the individual, the order probably not being clean cut, but one thing I'm absolutely certain of:
Being unhappy doesn't do you or society any good.
Even if you're happy and society gets nothing from that, at least
someone comes out of it a winner. Better than no one. More likely, though, your happiness will have a positive ripple effect. Aside from the fact that cheeriness is infectious, being happy will enable your involvement with society, and a happy person tends to have the energy and interest to make the world a better place. You say definitively that you have no plans to contribute to society, yet at the same time you obviously feel enough guilt about it to want to punish yourself (meaning,
you care). That sounds like a symptom of depression to me. It sounds like the main thing that's keeping you from contributing to society, whatever that means, is the fact that you're depressed, that
you're not happy.
The hardest part is the breaking the self-sustaining cycle of depression and the lack of motivation. Like Ringworm suggested, doing something that gives you a sense of value is an effective way to break out of it. It's hard to make that leap, because sometimes the motivation comes after the fact, but it's a leap worth taking, a plunge that could change everything. It could be charitable, or educational, or something as simple as joining a club. Or if you need to take baby steps, exercise, eating healthily, and sleeping well are good ways to start (even if at first you can only do 1/3 of those, that can ease the eventual commencement of the other 2/3). Go for walks or, better, runs. Or if there's something that you know you love to do, not merely instant gratification but something engaging, something creative, or competitive, or freeing, involve yourself in that. Once you break out of that vicious cycle, it's much easier.
Actually, this is relevant to a recurring theme in
Dragon Ball. Goku does what he loves to do, which is training in martial arts and fighting competitively. It makes him happy, it's his purpose in life. His brand of happiness may seem frivolous at a glance (heavy lifting rocks then over-sized turtles), but the world and, later on, the universe are better for it. They still exist because Goku likes to be happy. Be happy and it will most likely have a positive effect on the rest of us. You have nothing to lose.
By the way, that philosophy that if you're unable to contribute to society you're worthless and deserve to be unhappy? What nonsense. Does that mean, by some standards, the severely intellectually disabled deserve to be unhappy? Or for that matter, the clinically depressed like you? Or Yamucha? (OK, I'll admit Yamucha doesn't deserve to be happy
) In fact, how does one accurately measure an individual's contribution and value? That philosophy is really a slippery slope to fascism. There's no reason for you to apply it to yourself or anyone.
As to your original question, what's the worth of your
Dragon Ball merchandise? They're worth
nothing compared to your well being. I know it sounds corny, and it's definitely a cliché -- but that's only because it's true. I don't think getting rid of it will help, because there's something deeper going on inside you that has very little to do with
Dragon Ball. That's where a psychologist or group therapy could be helpful. I know, ultimately, this post won't convince you, must less fix the stuff you're dealing with, but I hope it encourages you to take at least one step in the right direction.
