What makes life worth living?

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mgill

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"Meaningful work, someone to love, a great sex life, a good dog."

i recently found this question & the answers (which i strongly agree with) in an online article. however, being 0-4 myself since my 14.5 year old pitbull passed away a few months ago makes for a life not really worth living at all-especially when there is little to no hope of these area's ever getting any better except perhaps possibly adopting another dog sometime in the future.
 
mgill said:
"Meaningful work, someone to love, a great sex life, a good dog."

i recently found this question & the answers (which i strongly agree with) in an online article. however, being 0-4 myself since my 14.5 year old pitbull passed away a few months ago makes for a life not really worth living at all-especially when there is little to no hope of these area's ever getting any better except perhaps possibly adopting another dog sometime in the future.

It's not a cut and dry answer, not something you can really google. You have to decide for yourself.
My dogs are definitely at the top of my list. I don't like thinking about how soon they'll be gone. I'm sorry for your loss.

But is there really no one in your life that you love? I'll always love my nephews and nieces, and the rest of my family. (despite all the problems I've had with them) I'm not involved with anyone romantically, and besides a couple dates here and there I never have been... probably never will be. I refuse to think that the good things in life are limited to such a short list, and that if you don't have the right combination you're screwed. Maybe I'm being uncharacteristically optimistic... but I think as long as you're willing to look, you'll find your reasons for living even if it's not where you wanted or expected it to be.
 
The ultimate freedom makes life worth living.

"Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way." - Viktor Frankl (A Man's Search for Meaning)

mgill, this is a quote from the book I'd recommend to anyone wondering about this question, I hope it resonates with you.
 
kaetic said:
mgill said:
"Meaningful work, someone to love, a great sex life, a good dog."

i recently found this question & the answers (which i strongly agree with) in an online article. however, being 0-4 myself since my 14.5 year old pitbull passed away a few months ago makes for a life not really worth living at all-especially when there is little to no hope of these area's ever getting any better except perhaps possibly adopting another dog sometime in the future.

It's not a cut and dry answer, not something you can really google. You have to decide for yourself.
My dogs are definitely at the top of my list. I don't like thinking about how soon they'll be gone. I'm sorry for your loss.

But is there really no one in your life that you love? I'll always love my nephews and nieces, and the rest of my family. (despite all the problems I've had with them) I'm not involved with anyone romantically, and besides a couple dates here and there I never have been... probably never will be. I refuse to think that the good things in life are limited to such a short list, and that if you don't have the right combination you're screwed. Maybe I'm being uncharacteristically optimistic... but I think as long as you're willing to look, you'll find your reasons for living even if it's not where you wanted or expected it to be.

thank you for your empathy.  it was the fifth time i had to go through losing a dog and it never got any easier. 

platonic love is great but it is no replacement for romatic love-at least not in my case. for some people not having a relationship is fine and they can be content on their own but everyone is different.  for some of us the lack of an intimae partner has been the bane of our existence and we would do just about anything to change it but are unable to.  i don't think there is any doubt that every area of life is greatly enhanced if there is someone you love there to share them with. having a supportive partner also makes going through the bad times far easier to take too.
 
lnlflwr said:
The ultimate freedom makes life worth living.

"Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way." - Viktor Frankl (A Man's Search for Meaning)

mgill, this is a quote from the book I'd recommend to anyone wondering about this question, I hope it resonates with you.

thank you for sharing.  i have heard of this book and Frankl but have not read it so perhaps i will look into doing so.  i think people are far too different to all be placed in the same category though. the idea that everyone has control over their own happiness is an alluring one but is not always the case.  for those who believe that external events do not greatly factor into a persons qulity of life, perhaps they should not eat for a few weeks or sit for hours in extreme cold or blazing heat and see how happy they are.

i think it comes down to maslow's hierarchy of needs-with the first two levels being material needs like food, shelter, resources, etc.  it is the third level of love & belonging which is the barrier for so many of us and the cause of our discontentment.  being unable to experience the intimate connection they so crave can make for a truly miserable existence and fosters deep regret at the years and decades of missing out on much of what actually makes life worth living.
 
iu
 
I understand my beliefs won't be accepted by most here, but the thread still warrants a different perspective.

Freedom is good, but choosing one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, or choosing one’s own way is a model for living selfishly - focused on one's own pursuits of pleasure, power, or money over the cares or concerns of others.  While this is attractive to many people, we don't read inspiring stories or watch movies about these people feeling fulfilled later in life when thoughts of mortality replace feelings of fun times.  On the contrary, the people who express the most joy and satisfaction with their lives at the end of the road tend to be the ones who have "given" the most to society or others in some way.  I would thus suggest that loving others is a better formula for living a fulfilling life than serving ourselves.

I would agree that a dog, career, and fun activities definitely make life more enjoyable and worthwhile, but there's no escaping the reality that relationships with people are more important. I don't think we should ever give up pursuing relationships with people or allow other things in life to replace this essential human need.
 
Finally, in the end, what matters most: enjoying life or fulfilling its purpose?  For the secularist, there is no lasting meaning or purpose in life and nothing to look forward to after death.  If you're going nowhere and taking nothing with you when you die, then it should be hard to feel any permanent satisfaction or joy in life.  The Christian has a purpose in life though and a future to look forward to.  It's uncertain whether our beloved pets will join us in heaven and the new world, but the relationships we build here with God's church family are lasting - the only thing we do take with us when we die.  Loving God and loving people IS our purpose in life.
 
"Cats. Cats are nice."
I'm MOSTLY living out of spite.
Every time I think I "find meaning," it just blows up in my face within the coming years anyhow.
 
Sir Joseph said:
I understand my beliefs won't be accepted by most here, but the thread still warrants a different perspective.

Freedom is good, but choosing one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, or choosing one’s own way is a model for living selfishly - focused on one's own pursuits of pleasure, power, or money over the cares or concerns of others.  While this is attractive to many people, we don't read inspiring stories or watch movies about these people feeling fulfilled later in life when thoughts of mortality replace feelings of fun times.  On the contrary, the people who express the most joy and satisfaction with their lives at the end of the road tend to be the ones who have "given" the most to society or others in some way.  I would thus suggest that loving others is a better formula for living a fulfilling life than serving ourselves.

I would agree that a dog, career, and fun activities definitely make life more enjoyable and worthwhile, but there's no escaping the reality that relationships with people are more important. I don't think we should ever give up pursuing relationships with people or allow other things in life to replace this essential human need.
 
Finally, in the end, what matters most: enjoying life or fulfilling its purpose?  For the secularist, there is no lasting meaning or purpose in life and nothing to look forward to after death.  If you're going nowhere and taking nothing with you when you die, then it should be hard to feel any permanent satisfaction or joy in life.  The Christian has a purpose in life though and a future to look forward to.  It's uncertain whether our beloved pets will join us in heaven and the new world, but the relationships we build here with God's church family are lasting - the only thing we do take with us when we die.  Loving God and loving people IS our purpose in life.

It's not an hedonistic message. That book was written in a concentration camp after the author's family was killed by the nazis, it's about searching for meaning in the worst circumstances and how that can save your life and mental well-being.

I disagree with the last paragraph. It's easy finding purpose and joy when you're not living with the mindset of enjoying afterlife, exactly because of how finite is life.
 
^ yeaaah )

In fact nothing ecxept a life itself, instinct makes me live. I find a life in general sefl-sufficient. When I was younger I hoped to find out how the world worked, hoped that people would find extraterrestrial life, would know some global things about the Universe and dreamt that once I could walk on Mars, but now I think it's not going to happen during my life.
 
ardour said:
Being young and having time ahead.

only for men with good enough genetics.  otherwise, being young & having more time ahead just means many more years of loneliness & rejection to look forward to.
 
TropicalStarfish said:
Love, Truth, and Beauty.

the first and third are what so many here are lacking.  the second is what so many here are in denial of.
 

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