Your life philosophy, why you exist, and what you live for

[Nyrad01]

As an advocate of emotional complexity and deep thinking on the Escapist (or so I like to think!) I'd like to open this topic for discussion, the most emotionally complex question that an individual can be posed with.

What is the reason you live everyday, the ideal that drives you, that permeates your very being or the underlying emotional attachment that affects every facet of your existence? Has it been affected or (if you wish) guided by religion? Has it been changed by the world you have become a part of, or the life you have lived thus far? Share it and discuss.

First off, I applaud your efforts and thank you for making the thread. I like to encourage such introspection and critical thinking when I can too (I'm a philosophy major actually).

In the depths of my mind, I tend to think of myself as (or intuitively sense that) I am something of an explorer - of all realities and imagination. I generally don't intellectually or superficially attach myself too much to anything of the world in particular, but live for my own existential freedom with the experiences that may accompany it. This means I still can appreciate my engagements with the world and brushes with the eternal: usually in the form of empathetic encounters with other beings, recognition of metaphysical aspects of the world, and their inspirational resonance with my existential core. You might say, in other words, that I live for transcendence (in the form of communion with the absolute).

Though I've never necessarily posited the existence of an afterlife - I sense that some aspect of my existence is also eternal, or at least, would not have it's integrity diminished upon my passing from this world. However, none of my beliefs were formed with the direct influence of a religion, as I've been atheistic my entire life. I would give some credit, however, to the eastern philosophy I read as a child and teenager - particularly the Tao Te Ching and various works concerning philosophical Buddhism and Shintoism. My actual philosophy differs notably from those, but they heavily inspired me to move toward philosophical pursuits. Playing a lot of classic video games during my childhood probably helped me appreciate imagination quite a bit too . In my daily life I am constantly hungry for new meaningful experiences: learning new things, discovering profound works of art, exploring my own imagination, contemplating the nature of the absolute, and attempting to share my experiences with others in various ways.

I too am a Philsophy Student, and was going to post a large explanation on how this inturn reflects my lifestyle, and my personal philsophy, but you seem to have gotten there first... Damn you sir, damn you... xD

 

[DTWolfwood]

Right and Wrong is a matter of perspective.

living by that usually don't get you a lot of friends as playing Devil's Advocate is often what happens. But then again i don't suffer from judging people by their facade. Always willing to give you a second chance. Not to mention the 'always look at both side of the story' intrinsic in that motto means your opinions are based off facts and reasoning rather than conjecture and faith.

 

[C117]

Life philosophy: I will survive.

Why I exist: to breed.

What i live for: life.

 

[Rothgar blood]

Hmm...I seek to crush the world then i wish to rebuild it as a world under my rule and peace shall be. *_*
kill them all. kill them all. kill them all.

 

[TWRule]

Thankyou very much!
I'm still a teenager, and I have a lot about life to learn. I'm sure my philosophies and ideals of life will change. I have a quite unhealthy mindset at the moment. I want everything to be as big and complex, as noticeable as possible. I'm seriously hoping this wears off as I mature, it is an awful way to think about things. I'm never satisfied.

You sound very wise though, I loved the part about what you have done not having it's integrity diminished when you die. Very touching, and very well written. It's an idea I've had in my head for a while now, but as a creator, that's a given!

Thank you. Btw, you thinking that about yourself means you are already something else heh.

That doesn't sound a whole lot different from how I was (and in some ways still am) though. I finally settled on philosophy because what could be more significant in the grand scheme of things than the big fundamental questions?

It sounds like you're exceptionally advanced for someone your age in terms of your intellectual/spiritual priorities. Keep on that route of inquiry and self-contemplation. Remember that the most important thing in philosophy is discernment; drawing careful and clear distinctions where they are needed. Follow your intuition and take all meaningful possibilities into account whenever possible.

Anyway, I don't know how much you may have studied philosophy, but I recommend reading "What Does It All Mean?" by Thomas Nagel. It's a very short book that gives a brief overview of some of the fundamental philosophical questions most often debated. It might help facilitate your own inquiry. Good luck.

 

[TWRule]

I too am a Philsophy Student, and was going to post a large explanation on how this inturn reflects my lifestyle, and my personal philsophy, but you seem to have gotten there first... Damn you sir, damn you... xD

Haha, sorry about that . Good to see there are fellow philosophy students around; we're a rare and generally misunderstood breed for sure heh.

 

[Latinidiot]

Why I exist? I simply live to live, there's not really a right way to live, and I only do something when my intuition and my reason agree it's worth doing. Also, I don't live i a hurry, trying to do as much as i can; There's beauty in calmness, and I have lived many lives by simply fantasising in my 'empty moments'. The best moments are when something that originated from my mind finds foothold in the real world I.E. a drawing, a piece of music, an occasional poem, or simply a carefully crafted conversation (using alliteration is also fun). What I try to do is to simply experience, like I said, not as much as possible, but one at the time. That's why I like books, films and games: worlds created by someone else, made fit for entry by one of these mediums.

I'm quite happy, now I think about it.

happy new year.

 

[Sebenko]

I suppose the big reason is that I live for my boyfriend. That's what keeps me getting out of bed in the morning.

And of course, who knows what's going to happen tomorrow? I for one can't wait to see.

We're living in the future, damnnit, let's make it one that the past would be proud of.

 

[default]

Thankyou very much!
I'm still a teenager, and I have a lot about life to learn. I'm sure my philosophies and ideals of life will change. I have a quite unhealthy mindset at the moment. I want everything to be as big and complex, as noticeable as possible. I'm seriously hoping this wears off as I mature, it is an awful way to think about things. I'm never satisfied.

You sound very wise though, I loved the part about what you have done not having it's integrity diminished when you die. Very touching, and very well written. It's an idea I've had in my head for a while now, but as a creator, that's a given!

Thank you. Btw, you thinking that about yourself means you are already something else heh.

That doesn't sound a whole lot different from how I was (and in some ways still am) though. I finally settled on philosophy because what could be more significant in the grand scheme of things than the big fundamental questions?

It sounds like you're exceptionally advanced for someone your age in terms of your intellectual/spiritual priorities. Keep on that route of inquiry and self-contemplation. Remember that the most important thing in philosophy is discernment; drawing careful and clear distinctions where they are needed. Follow your intuition and take all meaningful possibilities into account whenever possible.

Anyway, I don't know how much you may have studied philosophy, but I recommend reading "What Does It All Mean?" by Thomas Nagel. It's a very short book that gives a brief overview of some of the fundamental philosophical questions most often debated. It might help facilitate your own inquiry. Good luck.

Thanks again! I've never studied any philosophy, all these ideals I present are my own. I will definitely look into that book at some point.

I know I've always been very strong on a spiritual and emotional level... my art is strange and in a way unique, I enjoy exploring transcendence of existence and the ways in which we exist, as well as others. Almost none of my works feature people like you or me, but a form of 'being' in some way.

I wrote a tragic love poem once about two beings I just described as 'hearts' who lived together in an empty and forgotten world. One is lost, and the other journeys across the vast and empty world looking for her, until finally he meets the angel of death, who will not disclose the secrets of passing from one world to the next. As the heart, left alone forever, lays cold and broken, he hears through the veils of life a call. He now knows what he must do, and ends his own life, to be with the one he loves.

And they drift among the stars, together forever.

Obviously this is a very unsubtle version and very trimmed down... Pretty deep stuff for a guy of 17 though, hey? I've always been strange like that, it's just who I am, and I always try to use it for the betterment of myself and others

 

[Latinidiot]

To answer such a big question, I first have to state this fact:

The human brain takes in and processes four hundred billion pieces of information every second. Four hundred BILLION. Not thousand. Not million. But 400,000,000,000.

That said, humans are only aware of about two thousand per second. Two thousand out of four... hundred... billion. That means for every two hundred million pieces of information that my brain processes, I'm only aware of one.

And THAT means that we, as humans miss almost thirteen years of experiences every second we live. It means we're spiritually and mentally blind. What are we missing? What could we know, if we were only more aware? Would we be aware of the thoughts and feelings of others? The ability to see the future? To control energy? Manipulate time? Matter? Space? Would we hear the voice of God?

As big as these concepts are, they can't make up for the vast enormity of information that we are, for some reason, programmed to ignore in our own heads. And I dedicate my life to trying to uncover as much of that information as possible. I study the martial arts mostly, as my method to do this. It is, in fact, why martial arts were made in the first place. I also study meditative techniques and various philosophies and ways of thinking.

Results have been enlightening. And sometimes unsettling. But I'd recommend it to anyone who feels unfulfilled in their lives, when they can't figure out what's missing.

If you want to know what it feels like to be aware of all that, consult a authistic person. They are so introvert because they can't handle all the information that comes their way. they have not learned to filter, and each bt of information that comes through is as important as any other. True, you can make yourself more perceptive by training, and can probably handle it, but all the information that we miss, is missed because it doesn't let a human live efficient. From an evolutional standpoint, that is. Maybe it's actually what enlightment means. I wouldn't know.

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

Never expect
Never pressure
Never judge

Sad is just a state of mind.

These are what I adhere to. Works out quite well.

Agreed, especially what I highlighted.

My own philosophy on life(if you could even call it that)is almost entirely rooted in my belief that I don't matter, so I don't place expectations on myself...and I don't stress about anything. It's incredibly freeing. I know people who are desperately trying to achieve things, they don't seem too happy...and they aren't aging too well. Seriously, looking haggard at 24? What the hell!? They resent me because I am single, work a minimum wage job, and am permanently happy.

 

[Jedoro]

"In war, victory. In peace, vigilance. In death, sacrifice."

You'll have to ask God why I exist. Me? I don't give a damn.

I live in the hope that I'll find a woman to love who loves me just as much as I love her and is worth dying for. Or, you know, the chance to live in a post-apocalyptic world.

 

[DonMartin]

Pretty deep stuff for a guy of 17, hey? I've always been strange like that, it's just who I am, and I always try to use it for the betterment of myself and others

Boyo, the more I discuss philosophy with people, the more I am convinced that the most open and willing to learn are those our age, 17-18. Aside from people who are genuinely interested in philosophy their entire life, young people like us are the ones who are really drawn to and really care about it. And then there are folks like you and me, who'd like to think we are pretty philosophical, but we really just manage to put our generation's thoughts, the mindset of those like us, into words and then eventually shape it into something personal. Atleast, that's what I think.

Of course, it just might be our generation that's awesome in general. Or not.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

I exist because my parents did the naughty in the Summer of 83 and I popped out 8 months and 10 days later.

I live because of my self determination to avoid premature death <.<

My philosophy is 'Don't fuck around with people behind the wheel of a car, if they have a weapon or if they happen to be Dick Cheney'. Its worked for me so far.

In all seriousness my philosophy is probably the same as nearly everybody else;

"Pay your debts. Do your labour. Thrive by the merits of your actions and inherent abilities."

 

[El Poncho]

Uh, food? I like food and if I woke up and thought wow i'm only going to get bread crumbs today I may lose the will to exist

 

[ZydrateDealer]

My mum and dad had sex! NOOO!

OT: The big bad scary secret of existence is that there is no point to it. No matter how great you are, you are ultimately doomed...well until they make us some android bodies.
To echo what I opened with life is about sex and offspring, leave some children behind after you're gone and then your genetic code remains in the population, also you teach them things that imprint on them and their offspring.

My philosophy is live how you want to, just don't worry about the great beyond afterwards, it doesn't exist...only endless darkness waits for you. That seems kind of depressing but really it makes life more valuable.

 

[Whateveralot]

I don't have much time but I just wanted to add that a large part of my life is being there for other people, and the appreciation I get from people after I helped that person through troubled times is that what drives me.

 

[katsumoto03]

I'm going to be a rebel here and admit that I do believe that everything has a greater purpose. I believe we all have something to contribute to the grand scheme of things and that some people have a bigger part than others, though no less important.

 

[endnuen]

Never expect
Never pressure
Never judge

Sad is just a state of mind.

These are what I adhere to. Works out quite well.

Agreed, especially what I highlighted.

My own philosophy on life(if you could even call it that)is almost entirely rooted in my belief that I don't matter, so I don't place expectations on myself...and I don't stress about anything. It's incredibly freeing. I know people who are desperately trying to achieve things, they don't seem too happy...and they aren't aging too well. Seriously, looking haggard at 24? What the hell!? They resent me because I am single, work a minimum wage job, and am permanently happy.

It applies to your surroundings as much as to yourself. I try never to expect anything from anyone, I will never lay pressure on someone, and I will not judge a person for whatever reason. To a degree..

 

[crunchieman]

I do whatever makes me happy. If I don't enjoy doing it I won't do it. It leads to a lotta bad things and problems but more good things. Oh and I'm not completely self centered, It makes me happy to make people happy so I end up doing things I mightn't enjoy to enjoy making people happy.