Outside of offspring, is this really all life is?

This is filling my emo quota for this month.

5/20/2008 9:44:31 PM

I recommend you stop being such a faggot.

5/20/2008 9:52:30 PM

I just read this Mark Twain bit and think that it might be applicable.

http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/mtwain/bl-mtwain-whatisman.htm

Quote :

"There is NO act, large or small, fine or mean, which springs from any motive but the one--the necessity of appeasing and contenting one's own spirit."

5/20/2008 9:59:37 PM

The trick is to live life to the fullest in the process. Dont ever forget that you are in control, no matter how much society tells you otherwise. You could move to alaska and live in the wilderness if you wanted to.

It dosent matter how much money you make, or how much planning you do....you are never gaurenteed another day, minute, or second....if you live life today constantly thinking about tomorrow, then you will never be satisfied.

[Edited on May 20, 2008 at 10:16 PM. Reason : .]

5/20/2008 10:06:07 PM

You might not get to do the last two.

5/20/2008 10:07:42 PM

Quote :

"if you live life today constantly thinking about tomorrow, then you will never be satisfied."

I agree. MAX OUT ALL OF YOUR CREDIT CARDS RIGHT NOW.

5/20/2008 10:21:43 PM

^ right, cause I clearly said to do that.



you should live for the moment, and prepare for the future.....there are too many people out there today that forget this, especially in corporate america. the most unhappy people I have ever met focus on the prepare part and not the live part.

And believe me, "money is the root of all evil".

[Edited on May 20, 2008 at 10:41 PM. Reason : .]

5/20/2008 10:37:39 PM

If you live life today without planning for tomorrow you're going to screw yourself in the long run and will not be satisfied.

I'd rather bust ass at this point in my life and then actually manage to relax a bit once I've built a comfortable life for myself. There are too many people out there today who focus on living for the moment and wait tables well into their 30s.

5/20/2008 10:49:43 PM

'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, this life
Trying to make ends meet
You're a slave to money then you die
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down
You know the one that takes you to the places
where all the veins meet yeah

5/20/2008 11:53:23 PM

My 62 year old boss reminded me of something that I have been chewing over. You may have the money to do what you want by busting your ass and living a spartan existence but you are never guaranteed the health to enjoy it.

5/21/2008 12:14:49 AM

Really dude, shut the fuck up and be grateful.

5/21/2008 12:17:04 AM

Quote :

"Outside of offspring, is this really all life is?"

Even offspring is kind of bullshit.

What, we work and toil and struggle our whole lives to produce and raise children, who then work and toil and struggle their whole lives to do the same with the same results, ad infinitum?

Or, if you are successful enough, you raise kids that don't have to work or struggle...in which case they turn out to be insufferable asshole rich kids.

Basically, you're either a pile of cells whose only job is to make further piles of cells, or your some weird product of an omnipotent God who has deigned that you have to spend 70+ years of pointless terrestrial existence to get into infinity years of pointless spiritual existence.

And people wonder why I drink all the time.

5/21/2008 5:36:10 AM

Emo? Or Existential? Anyway...

Yep. That's exactly what the living ritual looks like from camp Gamecat, too.

Recently, I realized the same thing a lot of others are pointing out in this thread. My uncle said to me that "in life, you only really have one debt. You have to give it [life] back." After pounding sand for investment companies since graduation, that cut deep into my capitalist heart. I've since quit, and taken a gamble at capitalizing my own startup because, well...what the hell? I may die trying to retire anyway.

And because, as Mr. Joshua pointed out of Mark Twain's aphorisms:

Quote :

""There is NO act, large or small, fine or mean, which springs from any motive but the one--the necessity of appeasing and contenting one's own spirit.""

Ah, GrumpyGOP. Indeed. We're an organization of cells displacing matter on a mud puddle in space. What's the glory in raising another simian-robot money hoarder? Ninety-nine out of a hundred kids aren't going to write symphonies, star in movies, or contribute much of lasting value.

Quote :

"And people wonder why I drink all the time."

5/21/2008 10:49:34 AM

the way i see it, your legacy is your soul. it is the flame. people are the candles. in the short time you have on earth, you should use it to light as many candles as possible. this includes your family -- especially offspring.

for some, all of the effort is on the kids and family. some become leaders and/or entrepreneurs and are able to positively impact a lot of people by creating value. there are intellectual, technological, and artistic paths that also effect change positively in people's lives. then there's the saving of lives through medicine, fighting fires, etc. there are a lot of ways to pass on the flame.

5/21/2008 11:12:48 AM

the purpose of life is to get as much power as possible, hopfully to one day rule the world with an iron fist

and to get the highest score as possible and put the initals ASS in the cosmic high score list

5/21/2008 11:28:57 AM

I am out of school and working.

When I was in school there was always a next step.

High school lead to college

College leads to Real Life

Just seems there isnt much to look forward to professionally.

I probably just need to get the fuck out of Burlington, NC

5/21/2008 1:03:53 PM

and people wonder why >90% of the earth believes in some sort of religion

5/21/2008 1:39:35 PM

If your life can be summed up by "make money," you're doin' it wrong.

5/21/2008 2:44:17 PM

Wasn't this in chit chat?

5/21/2008 2:47:22 PM

May I recommend "The Myth of Sisyphus" to cheer you up. You will realize that the only thing bumming you out is hope. Only by giving up hope will you find contentment. Or at least that's what Camus thinks.

I can't find a version on-line, but Wiki has a good summary.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Myth_of_Sisyphus

Quote :

"In the essay, Camus introduces his philosophy of the absurd: man's futile search for meaning, unity and clarity in the face of an unintelligible world devoid of God and eternity. Does the realization of the absurd require suicide? Camus answers: "No. It requires revolt." He then outlines several approaches to the absurd life. The final chapter compares the absurdity of man's life with the situation of Sisyphus, a figure of Greek mythology who was condemned to repeat forever the same meaningless task of pushing a rock up a mountain, only to see it roll down again. The essay concludes, "The struggle itself...is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.""

Quote :

"Camus presents Sisyphus's ceaseless and pointless toil as a metaphor for modern lives spent working at futile jobs in factories and offices. "The workman of today works every day in his life at the same tasks, and this fate is no less absurd. But it is tragic only at the rare moments when it becomes conscious." Camus is interested in Sisyphus' thoughts when marching down the mountain, to start anew. This is the tragic moment, when the hero becomes conscious of his wretched condition. He does not have hope, but he also figures out the truth and Sisyphus, just like the absurd man, keeps pushing. Camus argues that Sisyphus is truly happy precisely because the futility of his task is beyond doubt: the certainty of Sisyphus' fate frees him to recognize the absurdity of his plight and to carry out his actions with contented acceptance. With a nod to the similarly cursed Greek hero Oedipus, Camus concludes that "all is well," indeed, that "One must imagine Sisyphus happy." "

PS* Or you could just watch Ground Hog Day.

[Edited on May 21, 2008 at 3:05 PM. Reason : ``]

5/21/2008 2:56:16 PM

Quote :

"If your life can be summed up by "make money," you're doin' it wrong."

Tell me, what have you done that is anyway special or unique that hasnt been done millions of times already by all the generations that have come and gone on this planet?

[Edited on May 21, 2008 at 3:34 PM. Reason : dasd]

5/21/2008 3:33:42 PM

Is your happiness dependent on being special or unique?

[Edited on May 21, 2008 at 3:46 PM. Reason : V ]

5/21/2008 3:37:51 PM

^ i saw that pre-edit. lol

5/21/2008 3:41:17 PM

Quote :

"I am out of school and working. When I was in school there was always a next step. High school lead to college College leads to Real Life Just seems there isnt much to look forward to professionally. I probably just need to get the fuck out of Burlington, NC"

I feel the exact same way. It'll be the same in which city you decide to make your stake. When there were next steps there always appeared to be something to accomplish, as well as a sense of change, but when you are out in the 'real world' there is only furthering what you currently do in that arena.

Quote :

"Dig that hole, forget the sun, And when at last the work is done Don't sit down it's time to dig another one"

5/21/2008 3:49:10 PM

Quote :

"Outside of offspring, is this really all life is?"

porn
beer
drugs
golf
mountains
rivers
6 billion or so people who are all interesting in *some* way.
millions of places on earth that you haven't seen
skydiving
wine
spectator sports
liquor
making someone's day better
loose women
skiing
popping a wheelie on a bike
cutting things with chainsaws
millions of foods or dishes that you haven't tried
vegas
live music
jogging
playing with dogs
taking a huge, satisfying shit



so that's about a minute and a half of typing. sounds like there's more to life than your short list.

5/21/2008 4:19:12 PM

^ Or we can shorten it down a bit "various distractions to keep your mind off the absurd meaninglessness of life."

5/21/2008 4:31:46 PM

The meaning is whatever you make it.

This thread has turned some good TSB posters into total goth kids.

5/21/2008 4:35:34 PM

I enjoy how not even this thread is without the

5/21/2008 4:42:55 PM

taking a huge, satisfying shit


lawl

5/21/2008 4:48:37 PM

Quote :

"I'd rather bust ass at this point in my life and then actually manage to relax a bit once I've built a comfortable life for myself. There are too many people out there today who focus on living for the moment and wait tables well into their 30s."

If your focus is living in the moment then you could end up waiting tables....if your focus is on making money to relax at some point in the future, you may never make it to the future.

You should have an mix of both. Remember, you work and make money to live your life, not the other way around....no matter what your boss or company may tell you. The only reason you save is so that you can maintain your lifestyle when work is no longer an option, or you retire.

5/21/2008 4:58:03 PM

Hey, at least the jihad durkas think their life will mean something.

I am at least rational enough to realize that almost nothing I do will affect anything that happens. I have wanted to join the armed services to at least fight for a reason.

We have no cause.

5/21/2008 5:44:51 PM

The answer is ice cream.

5/21/2008 6:49:11 PM

I would probably be satisfied in this question if I had a job that helped others or served a higher purpose.

If I was an engineer working to go to Mars, I would be content, for example.

But right now all I do is essentially help my company make money to cut a huge check to some Yankees in Chicago at the end of the year.

I am way to idealistic I think. If I grew up poor, I might value money enough to think that was enough for me.

5/21/2008 7:00:41 PM

Quote :

"I am out of school and working. When I was in school there was always a next step. High school lead to college College leads to Real Life Just seems there isnt much to look forward to professionally. I probably just need to get the fuck out of Burlington, NC "

You are an idiot malcontent. Why not cherish your human relationships more?

5/21/2008 7:10:34 PM

Quote :

"Tell me, what have you done that is anyway special or unique that hasnt been done millions of times already by all the generations that have come and gone on this planet?"

Whoever said satisfaction has to be unique?

5/21/2008 7:15:36 PM

Quote :

" You are an idiot malcontent. Why not cherish your human relationships more?"

The problem for me is more about what I am going to accomplish. This doesn't mean I don't enjoy friendship or relationships. But I consider that separate from work.

Quote :

"Whoever said satisfaction has to be unique?"

What would you be satisfied with?

[Edited on May 21, 2008 at 7:43 PM. Reason : das]

5/21/2008 7:42:46 PM

Honestly, success. In and of itself.

The fact that for me success in my career = bettering the world is icing on the cake.

As far as the "money" aspect of my life is concerned.

5/21/2008 7:53:19 PM

Quote :

"career = bettering the world"

I think thats what I am missing.

5/21/2008 8:00:29 PM

Quote :

"^ Or we can shorten it down a bit "various distractions to keep your mind off the absurd meaninglessness of life.""

And we can shorten this down to "the meaningfulness of your life is distracting you from the meaninglessness of your life"

[Edited on May 21, 2008 at 8:03 PM. Reason : .]

5/21/2008 8:00:36 PM

^ and how do you matter?

5/21/2008 8:01:27 PM

Go read the book "a purpose driven life".

And you should always have a plan and purpose in life to go towards. Thats what makes you happy today. I have fun preparin for the future because it gives me something to work towards. Have fun in the present but never forget where you are going and where you've been either.

5/21/2008 8:51:41 PM

Quote :

"I'd rather bust ass at this point in my life and then actually manage to relax a bit once I've built a comfortable life for myself."

So when you're young and physically able to do more things, you should instead work your ass off. This is so that when you are old and less able to do things, you will have the resources to do those things you can't do.

Or so that the fruits of your labor can be robbed from you by financial catastrophes or the icy hand of death before you ever get to enjoy them.

Have I pretty much summed up your position?

5/21/2008 11:15:54 PM

He's saying work hard now so he doesn't when he gets older. Thats what we all should be doing. But the key to no getting older is to have something to keep working for.

5/21/2008 11:18:22 PM

Quote :

"So when you're young and physically able to do more things, you should instead work your ass off."

Because they are mutually exclusive?

5/21/2008 11:23:07 PM

Quote :

"Because they are mutually exclusive?"

If you have a job that satisfies all your hopes and dreams, more power to you. If you're like the other 99.9% of the population, you are working instead of doing things that you would enjoy more.

Quote :

"He's saying work hard now so he doesn't when he gets older."

Yeah. I get that. And I'm saying that working hard now is no guarantee you won't have to later. It's no guarantee there will even be a later. All that it guarantees is that you are not doing other things now while it is still possible to do them.

Don't get me wrong, I'm striving for a successful job that I will work relatively hard at. But whatever I save won't be for paradise in my old age, because it's too likely I won't get to see that paradise for any number of reasons. It will be so that I don't have to eat cat food, and so that I can go to the nursing home with the prettiest nurses.

I have no problem with spending money and time on the here and now since that's the only thing I'm sure I have.

5/21/2008 11:38:18 PM

I feel like we're on the same page.

I also feel like this thread is full of people thinking that after making a comfortable amount of money others will be irresponsible enough to lose it all by retirement..that is of couse if some disaster doesn't kill them first.

And yeah, I love what I'm doing for a living. I started my own company last year that's doing fairly well. I work some at night when I get home, but I don't mind one bit. Hopefully by the end of the year I'll be able to leave my project manager in charge while I skip town for 3 months to finish my commercial pilot license. After that I might even take some shit job flying cargo for a bit so that I can see the world, although that may just as easily turn out to be a pipedream. So yeah, I'm happy working.

5/22/2008 12:39:19 AM

bigun20:

Quote :

"Dont ever forget that you are in control, no matter how much society tells you otherwise. You could move to alaska and live in the wilderness if you wanted to. It dosent matter how much money you make, or how much planning you do....you are never gaurenteed another day, minute, or second....if you live life today constantly thinking about tomorrow, then you will never be satisfied. "

You realize in your first paragraph you say "you're always in control" then in the second paragraph you say "not really, you're not in control." Leave it to a republican though to hold paradoxical illogical ideologies.

5/22/2008 12:44:25 AM

Quote :

"Leave it to a republican though to hold paradoxical illogical ideologies."

Don't most people hold these, not just republicans? I'm pretty sure the libertarians do too

5/22/2008 11:25:29 AM

Quote :

"I think careers are a 20th century invention and I don't want one."

5/22/2008 11:41:11 AM

i thought life was just about waking up everyday to pay bills

5/22/2008 11:49:21 AM