Ever felt as though you had a void that needed to be filled? If so, what, and why?

Absolutely.

For a very long time I’ve felt this “void” (as you call it) where I think a parent or a mentor should be. I’ve never really had someone to look up to or seek advice from. Someone wise and a bit weathered.

My parents were fine, and I had good grandparents, but I always wanted someone to say, “Listen kid, this is how ya do it”. Someone to look to for guidance or wisdom.

Instead, I feel very alone and rudderless sometimes. Just figuring it all out on my own.

Self love is the answer.

Yes. If you want to know the truth, I’ve always felt that way. I just don’t know what it is.

Feeling like I belong somewhere socially, that I’ve found my “tribe”. I’m either looking too hard or not hard enough…

Needs a NSFW tag.

That void is your realization and internal knowledge of the truth of existence: Nothingness.

People try to fill that void in so many ways like a god, religion, food, sex, drugs, etc.

Instead of trying to fool myself with meaningless, hollow delusions I accept the void and know that I will never know or understand anything.

Milo here; Sure, but Gail takes care of all voids in our household, mine taking precedence over hers, of course.

I felt the void for the first 41 years of my life… the absence of love. As @marinelife says, the answer was self-love. After being molested as a child and believing I was a worthless lump of flesh for so long, I thought that I could never fill the void and would never love myself.

It took a lot of time and conscious effort to change my own mind and to find the good in the world and within myself. Once I was able to accept and forgive myself, the void started to fill. I went through a challenging relationship and was hurt, but I did not experience the desperation or depression I had with previous breakups… that was when I knew I’d be ok.

it was only after I was able to love myself, that I was fully open to being loved by another. – no insecurities, no self-sabotage. We are ourselves alongside each other; we are alone together.

I’ve felt lonely much of my life. I am an only child and was an outsider for numerous reasons, from being mixed race and bicultural to being transsexual. For the past year, I’ve trained myself to get used to being alone. Before this time, I was always in a relationship. I am so used to being able to explain myself to another person that I still talk to myself all the time.

Silly answer: Holy jeebus, yes. I’m ravenous. A nice juicy burger would fill the existential void inside me and settle all my philosophical questions. Or some waffles. Burgers and a waffle. Lasagna waffles. Whatever.

Actual answer: Sure. It seems like most of my relationships are pretty shallow. I want to get down to brass tacks and talk about the things I really care about with someone who understands and reciprocates. But doesn’t everyone want that?

That’s probably why I read so much. With certain authors and poets, you can pick up on the same sort of search, only better articulated than anything I can come up with right now. It’s a comfort.

I have a void that seems to need filling, but I’m not sure what to fill it with. Maybe @tinyfaery‘s right though, maybe a whole lot of nothing belongs in there. I mean it is a void.

Hugging pillows usually does it for me though. It’s not permanent, but it’s real. :D

Yes! I have so much curiosity about my paternal grandfather, who died before I was born. I’m so family-orientated, and just recently I’ve developed this longing to learn more about him. It sounds pathetic, but every time I think about him I feel empty. :/

@marinelife and @hearkat figured it out.

@lookingglassx3: Go to the genealogy sites and learn about your grandfather. Why would it be pathetic to want to know more?

www.ancestry.com and other similar sites

My cool great-grandfather, born in Lithuania in 1845. He was a brewer and inn keeper.

@gailcalled When I said pathetic, what I really meant was compared to my cousins and even my brother; I seem to be the only grandchild who has an interest in him! I feel a bit isolated in my eagerness to know more, that’s all. Thanks for the links! I’ve tried genealogy sites before, but his name is John Smith (of all the names in the world!) so I never got very far in the past. xD However my dad told me his middle name, date of birth & death so it’s now easier to find stuff. :-) By the way they’re some great pictures of your great-grandfather!