Is there such a thing as a wasted life?

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All i can help but feel is if i get out of my house and start 'doing stuff' all that'll really be happening is me spending my time else where. I feel like even if i do start going out and meeting people its all going to be the same regardless. Im going to die one way or another and the things that bring me to that death are all interchangeable.

The real question should be 'why do i care that my life is going to end?'

I think its about that time i go out and look at the moon again. Its calming to see how infinitely small everything is.

I dont even know why im posting on this f*****g board.

i like standing out on the street in front of my tin can, and look up in the night sky and see what stars i can amidst the smoky country air in the middle of all the smogberry trees. i like to imagine myself travelling among the stars and seeing other civilizations. i find that as long as i do that, all this little world's little problems fade into the background noise of existence.
anyways, my idea of a wasted life is one in which only the self was exalted above all else, without helping or touching at least one other human being.

<--- Complete waste of life.

I think if there is anything about being here that a person has enjoyed then it wasn't a wasted life. No matter how small.

I can relate to that type of frustration. It's like you need purpose and not just direction.

i used to be terrible worried that i was wasting my life before i realised what it is that i like.
i spent why whole twenties at home alone just watching tv or staring at the wall stimming, basicly avoiding all human contact.
but a few years ago after watching endless amounts a nature docs i discoverd that there is also
nature and animals on my doorstep. i bought my self a camera and now spend most of my free time
hicking through the country side or cities trying to find the animals that live with us. its very healthy too!
i find it very rewarding, especialy when i can tell people about the natural world that is right under thier noses that they never knew existed.
life is actualy pretty long. i though i had wasted my whole life but with a bit of simple maths i concluded that ive only wasted about a quarter of my life so far and that there is a helloff a lot of life left to enjoy. i still avoid human contact though.
head up, it can only get better

Technically there is no such thing as a wasted life. Life promises nothing and can promise nothing because; life is both an opportunity and a challenge to try to make something out of nothing. Life begins with you having nothing but the skin on your back. Your status in your society is the luck of the draw. Your medical and other life challenges are an equally random roll of the cosmic dice. Since life is a never ending realm of possibilites then life is in the final analysis what you make of it nothing more, nothing less.

The definition of waste is another key element that must be analyzed fully before this question can be answered. Every person responds to life's challenges according to the natural and learned gifts they can access at any given moment. Waste can only be determined after one has aksed has the person used their respective gifts and abilities to benefit themselves and humanity in the most effective way possible. If the answer to the previous question is yes then their life has not been wasted. If they have not used their unique gifts to better themselves and the human condition to the best of their ability then their life has been to some degree wasted.

In simple terms a life whose promise has not been fulfilled is wasted. I think we can all do something to make this world a better place for ourselves and others. Even the most ret*d person ever to live anywhere teaches others compassion and how to love unconditionally because; they offer the opportunity to learn how. You can choose to waste your life but even the drug addict, the homeless man, the criminal, the ex convict teaches us compassion.

A wasted life is one lived so selfishly it shuts out all others. I believe we exist to teach each other how to be better than if we were to be selfish living only for ourselves as such I can't really suggest I think there can ever be a wasted life. Many lives fail to reach their true protential but I believe all life has a part to play in the grand scheme of human existance. Conclusion: I don't think there is such a thing as a wasted life.

Werewolves of my ilk are long winded.

The only wasted life is the unexamined life.

i believe that a life where you get to feel like it's something special when you look at the moon is a life well lived, and it wouldn't be special if it weren't for all the endless ordinary days

There is no such thing as a wasted life. Enjoy it man, even the sucky parts.

Sometimes bad things happen but it isn't the end. It never is, I think one day (from my own perspective) I will look back at this and be like, "That wasnt so bad man, now was it?"

Feels like Hell going through it however.

I would say there are most definitely wasted lives but I guess it all comes down to what you think makes it worthwhile and has value. In my mind I see someone's life defined by the relationships they have, their families, and their careers so collecting trains or cats doesn't seem too fulfilling to me if that's what people think is filling the hole. What value, purpose, or meaning is there in being a recluse? I'm sorry if that is negative and depressing but this isn't in the haven so I figure one speak more candidly. You only get one shot at this, a lot of pressure.

just incarnating down here and not accumulating any more negative karma is an accomplishment and by dint of that is not a wasted life.

It depends on subjective criteria. But there is nothing like objectively wasted life.

For someone way more successful then you, you wasted your life.
For someone having different priorities then you, you wasted your life even if you are successful in different field.
If you set wrong priorities you think you wasted your life.
You might think you wasted your life but other people might consider you highly valuable.
Others might think you wasted your life but you might disagree with them...

As long as there is even a single person(can be you or someone else) thinking that you are valuable or you are doing the best you can - your life isn't wasted.

BTW. I think I am wasting my life - because I have a lot of abilities but there is a social skills and executive functioning barrier preventing me from using them to the fullest. But when I see what I can do inside the barrier it doesn't seem so bad. It's not like I am wasting my time - I am constantly learning and I help my family with my technical abilities. I am just frustrated because I can't move further than that. The frustration kills me. I feel like I am stuck in a cage unable to break free. I can do more for the world if only someone helps me out.

The term waste implies a moral judgment that is inappropriately applied as imposing a value to a persons efforts. Each person is an individual who reponds to the challenges of their life with the collective strengths they possess. Some people would say I am a success because; I am an autistic man who has successfully built a career that rewards me with a 6 figure income. Some would call me a failure because; socially I live alone, I have no wife, no children of my own, bad relations with my family, I'm a misanthrope, I am easily confused by social and other situations and best of all some people say my life is a waste because I am unable to drive.

The definition of a wasted life is solely dependent on the perspective, empathy and insights of the person making the judgment. The true definition of what qualifies as a wasted life must be the individual living their life for no one else is uniquely qualified to determine if you wasted your life. The best indicator of a wasted life is embodied by your answer to this question. We all the challenges you face, all the things you know and all the abilities you possess DID YOU DO THE VERY BEST YOU COULD WITH WHAT YOU HAD AT THE TIME OF THE ASSESSMENT? If yes you did not waste your life. If no you did waste your life. My question is born of my autism inspired black and white thinking which at time is a boon to my comprehension of the world and its human realities.