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What gives your life meaning? Why keep going? (just curious)

Jinx5555555 6 July 27
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2

These people...

Amisja Level 8 July 31, 2019
8

Knowing that anything can happen tomorrow.

8

Meaning - what meaning - just a tiny speck of dust on a wet green rock floating through the universe - but my dog likes me

7

My philosophy: The end is coming. Enjoy the god damned ride while you can!

7

I enjoy life, no need for purpose or meaning, just live it and make the best out of it. Why keep going?...because I don't want to miss a thing!

7

The hell if I know. I just make shit up as I go.

7
            Pessimistically:

            Optimistically:

O Me! O Life!
BY WALT WHITMAN
Oh me! Oh life! of the questions of these recurring,
Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish,
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew’d,
Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me,
Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined,
The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer.
That you are here—that life exists and identity,
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.


Realistically:

I scream
You scream
We all scream
For ice cream.

6

Learning, laughing and exploring!

6

Just enjoying a beautiful sunset, the feel of cool water, soft air & sunshine on my skin, petting my dog...just simple, little, but incredibly precious moments that I have learned to cherish.

Did you have to intentionally find those moments, or did they just happen?

@Jinx5555555 they are there all the time, just notice them!

Exactly

6

Music keeps my life going. I play 7 or 8 instruments, and when the world gets me down, and stress is overwhelming, the calming influence of music is always in my life.

6

Lots of things:

Hiking is a transcendent, uplifting experience for me.

Since 2006, I have been a volunteer college mentor at the high school. I help low income, first generation students write essays for college and scholarship applications.

Being a mother to Claire, age 29.

Conversation and laughter.

As a Democrat, pushing for positive change: civil rights, gay rights, education, women's rights, protecting the environment, etc.

I believe the mark of a great civilization is how well we care for the elderly, minorities, children, the poor and other disenfranchised members of society.

I agree with your mark of a great civilization and I spent two decades pushing for positive change. Perhaps I need to find some uplifting experiences. lol

6

This is the reason I keep on keeping on, my reason for fighting for a better earth, a better society, a better life. I love their moms, and until SamSam (Samantha) was born I thought I couldn't possibly love more. And then I held SamSam and my heart and my love grew. SamSam is the daughter of my youngest, and Austin is the son of my oldest.

@Nightshade1313 Thank you!! Her hair is already thicker than mine, thanks to her daddy. Austin is a ginger like his mommy and his dad's sister. The last name is Irish, the genes are there. But he looks so much like my brothers it takes my breath away.

6

I don't give my life meaning, nor do I think it needs it. All I know is that it beats the alternative

1of5 Level 8 July 27, 2019

Nailed it!!!
I feel exactly the same way.

@KKGator I like leaving the existential angst of meaning to those who are suicidal.

But I like watching train wrecks, so take that into account. 🙂

But why does it beat the alternative?

@Jinx5555555 because the alternative is nothing, and if the big bang has taught us anything its that something is better than nothing.

5

meaning of life..

5

I am retired, and I motivate myself with both positive and negative information. On the positive side, I want to see progressives get control of this country and turn things around, and on the negative side, I want to cause Trump and all of the Jesus/Gun loving idiots as much pain as I can......We are in the late stages of Capitalism which means that our government and our economy is destroying everything. They actually want us dead, and for me that is a motivation to live as long as I can.

Good answer.

may as well tilt at windmills.
you're right about the last stages of capitalism. although we've never had true capitalism just corrupt, crony capitalism.

@callmedubious What is the real Captilasm? your comment is same like moderate Muslim's claim who always say that real Islam is not ISIS or Taliban

@NR92 ,
google Adam Smith: "the invisible hand".

@callmedubious Please be aware that there is a world of difference between Joseph Smith (and I studied his writings in college), and Ayn Rand. Capitalism (the profit motive) is an engine of growth and development, but it has no governor, no speed control. That is where government comes in.

@DavidNoel ,
you might be right. but it was adam smith who wrote the invisible hand not joseph smith.

@callmedubious Thanks, I am dyslexic, and even though I know the difference (one wrote the book of Mormons and the other wrote the wealth of nations), but my brain goes to sleep sometimes.

5

Being hungry and tired and lonely and curious give my life meaning. When I am fed and rested and accompanied and learned, my “meaning needs” are so well satisfied I can mistake it for meaninglessness.

skado Level 9 July 28, 2019
5

Lots of things to live for but ultimately it is up to you if you want to live. It's up to you what you choose to focus on. You know t by e old saying glass half empty half full thing. It's TRUE. You choose how you perceive the world around you.
For me I choose to find happiness and meaning in the ordinary. It's the little things in life that make the heart want to go on. You choose.
Best of luck to you. I hope you find your way

5

I'm still not sure what the question is, but I know the answer is 42.

5

Why does it have to have meaning? It just is. The alternative is death, so keeping going is the only way to go.

GwenC Level 7 July 27, 2019

But what keeps you away from death?

4

As unlikely as it may seem at times, something amazing might happen.

Like meeting my 2nd wife, 36 years ago? Oh, yes!

4

Bettering myself and situation, I basically came from nothing ( Foster care) after my parents took off. So every single day I can improve where I am in life, is a day that I'm grateful to live. 🙂

good for you.

4

Personally, I don't want to miss anything good. I may not be able to read all of the books I want to read, but I'm going to give it a shot.

zeuser Level 9 July 29, 2019

@zeuser
Funny you should mention that. I am hugely fond of reading, and have been known to say that as much as I read, daily, my book list grows faster than I can read. LOL!

@BirdMan1 I feel you bro. You can tell an awful lot about people based on....do you read at all...what do you read?

4

Life has no meaning and reason, but everyone can create his/her own meaning by pursuing an aim in his/her life.
The only meaning that I currently have in my life is to fight against religious fundamentalism and inequality in Afghanistan using social media, until we get a good result out of it, it has been a decade that seculars and atheists are spreading awareness about religion and its dark sides plus science and progressvism using social media platforms, and day by day the number of atheists & seculars are increasing among Afghan community, specially the young generation, our biggest rival in social media is the religious activists that most of them have connection with ISIS and other terrorist groups and they are using social media to recruit followers and new members, most of them are college graduates, so I have a lot to do in my life, and it creates meaning for my life to go on and use my energy for the goodness of next generation, whom we do not want to be the victims of religion as we are.

NR92 Level 6 July 29, 2019

Continue to fight the good fight, sir!

Oh man, keep that shit up! Respect

4

Why keep going? Besides suicide, there's a choice? One'd have to be depressed beyond my comprehension to end it all, and I'm actually quite cheerful.
WHY cheerful?
No idea.
But okay, what gives my life meaning...
Me.
I like myself, my biggest fan, and want to learn from my mistakes and have good experiences from now til the end. Thus far shortchanged, I want to know what it's like to be content.
Not to please anybody else, not to depend on anybody else for my happiness. To be free of all co-dependencies and enjoy existing for its own sake.
Why?
It doesn't matter to the universe, but an innate instinct and desire to achieve a perfectly blanced state of being, or get an A for effort.
It doesn't matter why.
(Yet another one of life's mysteries.)
Just because.

You matter because causality accords to happenings; whatever it is Existentiality is doing (& make no mistake, It's dynamic, a doing instead of a being), we are a bonafide constituent of it: be it along for an ineluctable ride 🎢 or as an imparting agent/concomitant to what may be (& perhaps even what once was).

@nyrdybyrd "You are a child of the Universe,
No less than the trees and the stars,
You have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you
No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should"

4

Studying. It gives the greatest thrill.

What was that term from "A Beautiful Mind"? I think it was cognitive reverie.

@greyeyed123 That sounds about right! Even Russell Crowe got it!

4

My son gave my life meaning. My ex-wife cut him out of my life turned him against me and I’ve hardly seen him in four years. It’s been hard for years now, I don’t want to go on. There is very little meaning in life.

djs64 Level 7 July 28, 2019

I only have one child (a son), and his mother turned him against me also. For strength, I recite the Golden Rule from Dianetics (L. Ron Hubbard), which states - Be able to experience anything; cause only those things which others can experience easily.

@djs64 & @DavidNoel

I feel for you two, as I am going through what you've described with my three children.. & have been for the past three years. Peep my commentary within this thread & if you think I could avail you gentlemen (an ear to listen, a perspective to contribute), gimme a buzz.

i can kind of identify with the way you feel. my daughter cut me out of her life. i'm sure her mother (1st wife) had a lot to do with blaming me for everthing that went wrong in her life (my daughter). haven't seen my grandaughters for 14 yrs. the eldest graduated HS this year.

@callmedubious I am so sorry to hear it. There is so little humility in the world compared to the spitefulness - it isn't hard to cooperate for the betterment of the children.

@callmedubious, @nyrdybyrd thank you for your reply and offer. Maybe one day I will take you up on it. I filed a civil contempt suit against my ex for her efforts to keep my son from me. I was awarded 50:50 custody, but through her actions, she kept him from me and kept him out of counseling.

@djs64 A determined woman will stop at nothing, and they will act in the most cut throat ways.

@nyrdybyrd Thanks for the message, who are you?

@DavidNoel

@DavidNoel ,
found that out from my 1st wife.

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