Poll: What's Your Approach To Life?

[Khedive Rex]

This is my senior year of high school and I can't help but notice the amazing differences between my various classmates. Some know exactly whats going to be happening in their lives for the next two decades. Some have no idea what they're going to do even six months from now.

Some have huge elaborate plans and yet still honestly expect things to not work out. Some have no plans but resolutely beleive things will work out wonderfully. Some don't even care what happens after high school.

Being confronted with this many myriad viewpoints, I'm naturally curious, how do most people approach life? Floating along? Rigid plan? Optimistic? Pessemistic? Somewhere in between?

Personally, I'm pretty confident that things will work out for me no matter what happens. Call it youthful foolishness but I'm not really worried. I've got loose plans that are working out alright but honestly I would put myself in the floating along category. Life will take me where it feels like it and wherever I end up it will probably be more fun than where I am now. That's my general philosophy.

So, what is your approach to life? Do you think one approach is better than another? Why or why not?

Basically, what do you think? With the future at stake, how do you plan to get there?

 

[Najos]

There is no "most people". Every one of these avenues is a reasonable approach. You also have to realize you're looking at two extremes.

I'm somewhere in the middle of both of these, but I voted "Float along, things will work out fine." because I think it is how I feel the majority of the time. Life is already filled with "sign here, wait here, stand there, can I help the next person in line?" I really don't think it needs any more order.

 

[Daymo]

I'm floating along, but i do have a very broad plan, like i know i'm going to try to get into uni but i still have no idea what i want to study there.

 

[Mnemophage]

Floating along, having my fun. I've got a finite time here, and I want to fill it with as many good times as I can manage. I cannot see how that could possibly be a waste.

 

[Khedive Rex]

There is no "most people". Every one of these avenues is a reasonable approach. You also have to realize you're looking at two extremes.

I considered putting in a "Somewhere in the middle" option but I figured if I did I would skew the results. It just seemed like a bit of a cop out. Everyone who was not a fanatic evangelist of their approach would vote middle-ish and ultimately I wouldn't have learned a whole lot.

This poll is, admittedly, between two extremes but I think it reveals more about the people in question than a poll with a "I'm pretty common" option would.

 

[Najos]

There is no "most people". Every one of these avenues is a reasonable approach. You also have to realize you're looking at two extremes.

I considered putting in a "Somewhere in the middle" option but I figured if I did I would skew the results. It just seemed like a bit of a cop out. Everyone who was not a fanatic evangelist of their approach would vote middle-ish and ultimately I wouldn't have learned a whole lot.

This poll is, admittedly, between two extremes but I think it reveals more about the people in question than a poll with a "I'm pretty common" option would.

Maybe you're just afraid that a lot of people are pretty common.

 

[meatloaf231]

Basically my outlook on life is this: the harder you work in school, the harder you work the rest of your life. The less you learn in school, the less you earn the rest of your life.

I'm trying to find a happy medium. Go to a good college, grad school, get a solid job as a physicist, nothing fancy, no MiT or anything, maybe get married.

 

[Khedive Rex]

Maybe you're just afraid that a lot of people are pretty common.

I'm fairly confident most people are pretty common. On a site like the escapist, we're probably less normal than a random cross section of society but, by the same token, common is kind of the norm. What I really want to know is which extreme people lean toward if they can't just say their normal.

I myself admit in my OP to having a broad plan, and yet I voted without hesitation for Floating along. When you deprive people of a middle ground, pull them out of their comfort zone, you learn more about them (and they possibly learn more about themselves.)

I apologize if you feel there should have been a "somewhere in between" option but I really don't see it being added anytime soon.

 

[Shamus O Lively]

I generaly float along and take things as they come, but I have a plain outline as to what i'm going to do, finish uni, get a job etc.

 

[rossatdi]

Technically without a specific plan but I've got little ones that I adhere to strictly. I've managed to more or less stick to a fitness/healthy living routine for 6 months.

 

[Ophiuchus]

I don't think 'bored pessimist' is quite the right term for my outlook... 'lazy pessimist' would probably be a bit closer. I'm studying for a degree that'll give me a good in-road to a field of lifelong careers, but I still don't really have a plan. I probably should by now - I went out to work after leaving school and went to university a few years later as a mature student - but I figure I'll work it out as I go along. Plans tend to go tits up so I don't make 'em.

 

[Spinwhiz]

I normally float along, but I paddle to where I think I need to be headed.

 

[aks9]

float along, thing's work out fine

although I do worry about certain aspects of how things will work out, generally this is how I go about it to.
I've no idea what ill be doing a year from now let alone five or ten. really no clue. a job in animation, maybe.

 

[NeedAUserName]

Go with the flow, thats my motto

 

[Dudemeister]

I've got the same problem, my last year at school and I don't know what university to go to, what job I want or even what lessons I have tomorrow.

 

[internutt]

I had plans, quite nice ones, but life doesn't always work out like you intend it to. I'm now searching for a job and going to find a College course, since my first year at Uni went really badly.

 

[Chiasm]

Amor Fati, Is the only way I live.