What Gives Your Life Meaning?

[2322]

Geeeez - Who wrote that bit of wisdom? Thanks for the mirror. :tongue:

I think it was some French aristocrat. An earl of some sort.

You're quite welcome.

What prevents you from having an existential crisis?

My love of adventure and knowing that I do have the power to change myself and my circumstances. I also know myself quite well.

Do you think women just know themselves better than men do?

My desire to win.

Win what? Why is winning important to you?

 

[B_Monster]

work hard or with a hard!

play hard or with a hard!

 

[2322]

Very true. Intellectualizing the motivations for your everyday life and routine actions may seem very intellectual, but is rather productive nor efficient. Why do I do most things? Either because they need to be done, or because they are part of my drill, or because they are interesting to me. There is only little poetry in them, and I don't even try to see it in them.

Not even when you're cruising above the clouds seeing the sun or stars, just enjoying the superb grace of flying? I find flying very poetical in just about any sense.

Or to be more specific, I don't pursue happiness, but I find it and exploit it when I have it.

I suspect this is key to enjoying life. Very well stated, Claire.

Usually I can derive happiness from the smallest things, like a song I like playing on the radio in the morning. Clearing out boxes and finding my old college notebooks (For better memorizing, I used a very graphic and sometimes laconic/ironic style in my written notes).

This is very interesting because you really do appear to be a centered and generally happy person. To mangle Tolstoy, maybe all happy people are happy in the same way and all unhappy people are unhappy in their own ways?

I think media and our culture create false desires about many things. Models spring to mind immediately yet so does happiness. Big house, big car, fashionable clothes, exotic vacations, trophy spouse, jewelry, power: all are thought to make people happy when, in fact, they do nothing of the kind. We're unwittingly taught to believe that happiness is a constant state of euphoria and when we don't have it, we pop a pill to make us feel better, see a shrink, or run out and buy shoes. Money and power are nice for the security they can bring and that security may contribute to happiness in some manner, but if your life lacks satisfaction then I doubt happiness is possible.

 

[Ethyl]

Truly Ryan, I recommend not waiting until you're 41 like I did. Have your crisis sooner. Reading Camus will help induce one if you don't hang yourself afterwards.

LMAO, that is exacly why I avoided Camus. I read Herman Hesse's "Siddartha" instead. "Peaceful Warrior" was another one. Nothing I read really struck a cord in me though.
.

I spent my early twenties reading Camus, Dostoyevsky, Hesse, Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Sartre and Nietzche which served a dual purpose: I was interested in Russian and Eastern European history at the time so one thing led to another. My angst-ridden teenage years propelled me to define what I was experiencing and get it out of my system, at least for a while. Worked until I hit 35 then personal issues required another interior assessment and remodeling.

To answer your question earllogjam, the opportunity to learn, love and be loved. I'm an optimist by nature. When the sky is falling on me I know it won't last even though by all appearances the future looks dim at that moment. Some of my life experiences have been unusual and mind-expanding and I feel fortunate for those opportunities. Still so much to see, do, learn, and love. .

 

[B_Swimming Lad]

Win what? Why is winning important to you?

It's an obsession of mine. Swimming. Tennis. Sex. Who cares!? What else is there to live for?

 

[B_NineInchCock_160IQ]

Life is only pointless if you fail to give it any meaning IMO. When I was your age, no younger maybe around 24 I went through a difficult midlife existential crisis. I imagine all thinking people do so you are in good company. But slowly you begin to piece it together and realize it's more fulfilling to live deliberately than adrift.

I do live delibrately. I delibrately seek out the things that make me happy or give me pleasure. What I described as hedonism, though I use a much broader definition of hedonism than most would. I'm not referring solely to having sex or eating fine foods, though those are both things I enjoy. I include in this definition everything that gives me some sense of satisfaction. I think everyone is essentially an hedonist. I just admit to it. Even those who spend their lives working toward charitable causes do so because it makes them feel good about themselves. Same reason I spend time with my family and help my sick father. I'd feel bad if I didn't.

 

[B_NineInchCock_160IQ]

Bravo!

Truly Ryan, I recommend not waiting until you're 41 like I did. Have your crisis sooner. Reading Camus will help induce one if you don't hang yourself afterwards.

I think I already got through mine when I was about 23 or so.

 

[2322]

It's an obsession of mine. Swimming. Tennis. Sex. Who cares!? What else is there to live for?

Does winning help you feel the love and attention you don't find at home? Is it a way to prove to yourself you are worthwhile? A way of telling people, "Look at what I achieved without you?"

I'm not degrading your triumphs at all. I would have loved to have been a jock in school, comfortable in that role. In that I envy you.

I'm just surprised that winning gives your life meaning because it must be very important to you, possibly the most important thing and, if it is, there must be a deeper reason for it.

 

[B_Swimming Lad]

I think we might be going a bit deep here...
I've had plenty of love in my life. If not neccessarily fom my parents. I just like winning. I also like reading 20th century Russian history, but I don't live for it.
I don't believe its my place to say why I am on this earth. I just find motivation for many of the things I do in my desire to win.

 

[BigDuder]

i like to read the morning paper

 

[2322]

I think we might be going a bit deep here...

My apologies.

I've had plenty of love in my life. If not necessarily fom my parents.

That makes me very happy. I'm glad to read that. Somebody did something right.

I just like winning. I also like reading 20th century Russian history, but I don't live for it.

I should introduce you to my friend in Scotland who loves reading 20th century German history. Would make for a great bar fight. :tongue:

I don't believe its my place to say why I am on this earth. I just find motivation for many of the things I do in my desire to win.

A sparrow in hand is better than a cock on the roof, eh?

 

[viking1]

What gets you up every morning? Necessity, I have to go to work.

What motivates you? Survival. I have to work to survive.

What prevents you from having an existential crisis? Nothing. I have been having one for years now, and it's getting kind of tiresome...

 

[B_Think_Kink]

Nothing... Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, what do we do, we swim, swim , swim.

 

[SpeedoGuy]

What gets you up every morning?

What motivates you?

These two questions require the same response and here's my answer: A somehow-renewed desire each day to get moving and try to improve myself and do a better job at everything I set my hand to. I don't know how I receive that motivation recharge each night but I sure appreciate getting it. Without it I think I'd be lost.

What prevents you from having an existential crisis?

Increasingly, precious little lies between me and a crisis. Or, at least that's what I perceive about myself on bad days. I'm not quite sure what quality is saving me from a breakdown but I hope whatever it is remains intact.

 

[southwest]

I love living, never used to be like that but these days life is soooo easy. Taken me years to sort my mental problems out.
Motivation to sort my head out revolved around my shitty experience of life and my inability to cope with my own personal problems.
Existential crisis... bring it on, had three nervous breakdowns through drug abuse when I was younger, went insane, would not leave my bedroom for about six months once. No fear of that shit anymore, I know the signs now, so how can I get in that state again unless I wanted to.
One thing I've learnt... If you got problems, don't repress them, deal with them. It only gets more difficult if you don't, then you got to claw yourself back, and deal with the issues anyway.

 

[Notthe7]

1/ Money.
My need for it.
My love for it.

2/ Love.
My need for it.
My adoration for it.

 

[B_Hickboy]

What gets you up every morning?

What motivates you?

What prevents you from having an existential crisis?

Answer to all of the above:

Me.

 

[ClaireTalon]

Not even when you're cruising above the clouds seeing the sun or stars, just enjoying the superb grace of flying? I find flying very poetical in just about any sense.

Lol, it's the general image, and probably it has once been like that. But even during flights, I don't derive happiness from different things than those on earth: It's the moments that make the day, really. When I am not PF (pilot flying), there is some time to catch the one or other sight, but I can't completely relax and enjoy it. Somewhere my mind is always reeling, evaluating its possible effect on the flight.

It's an obsession of mine. Swimming. Tennis. Sex. Who cares!? What else is there to live for?

A lot of things. I can't really imagine anyone who doesn't like winning. I am a competitive person myself. But obsessions don't help here; it may be difficult but defeats have to be accepted sometimes to take a step back towards self-reflecting and self-evaluating. And as for me, finding the reason for a defeat can cause happiness too.

 

[earllogjam]

However, rumbling along like this, I sometimes find myself in situations that make the day. Or to be more specific, I don't pursue happiness, but I find it and exploit it when I have it. And whenever I am in one of these situations, I think that this has been worth getting up today, or getting this and that job done.

I'm like you the simplist thing can make my day. A nice word, something that I hear on the radio that makes me think, my dog licking my face, a beautiful sunny day- and none of it is planned. It just happens but I suppose you just gotta keep your eye out for that kind of stuff.

To answer your question earllogjam, the opportunity to learn, love and be loved. I'm an optimist by nature. When the sky is falling on me I know it won't last even though by all appearances the future looks dim at that moment. Some of my life experiences have been unusual and mind-expanding and I feel fortunate for those opportunities. Still so much to see, do, learn, and love. .

You are lucky to be an optimist. I always thought optimists were born, myself. I've been trying to aquire the ability but can't say I've been successful.

I think I already got through mine when I was about 23 or so.

Why doesn't this suprise me?

i like to read the morning paper

LOL -

Nothing... Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, what do we do, we swim, swim , swim.

I always thought I was some sea animal in my past life, too. Ever see tuna swim in a circular tank? That's what your comment reminds me of.

Increasingly, precious little lies between me and a crisis. Or, at least that's what I perceive about myself on bad days. I'm not quite sure what quality is saving me from a breakdown but I hope whatever it is remains intact.

I get that knot in my stomach feeling too of impending crisis, but it always turns out to be indigestion.

One thing I've learnt... If you got problems, don't repress them, deal with them. It only gets more difficult if you don't, then you got to claw yourself back, and deal with the issues anyway.

Yeah, it tends to seep out anyways and it's always smelly after a year or two.

Answer to all of the above:

Me.

lol

 

[eddyabs]

What gets you up every morning?

Love, (partner, friends, family).... without love, what's the point?

What motivates you?

Again love, there's nothing in this world without that connection, for me anyway.

What prevents you from having an existential crisis?

My regard for those whom I love, holding it together for them, when my world is falling apart. It's tough for all of us, so many times in this life.