Inner Demons, Human Frality, and a search for life's purpose

[JB73]

yeah i have been watching "Tin Cup"


anyway i came to realize why it is a "feel good" movie in many guys eyes.

we all i believe (from the oft quoted and terrible acronym gen X) are looking for that "one thing" in life.


we all want to be "Tin Cup". the greatest at 1 single thing whatever it is, and lead a unpopular, yet happy life purseuing that "thing"

who wouldnt give up anything to be the "greatest" at 1 pursuit, and lead a happy life, with no monetary rewards, but a feeling of self-worth in what we do?


oh well talking bull**** here, i just really said "what is it i want to be that good at, and will that get me any success in life"? the sad part of it is, success and happiness rarely go hand in hand.

[MrCoffee]

JB, there are only two certain things in life. Life itself and death. Everything else is an uncertanty. Me, I just want to be reincarnated as a cup of coffee. Actaully I m just kidding you because you seem a bit unstable. Maybe you need some help, therapy?

[JB73]

I seem unstable?

ok.... i know im not the most well adjusted member of scociety, but hardly jeffery dalhmer-esque


sir, if you feel that way about me, i will try to purvey a more stable and upstanding member of scociety in the future here on the AH bulletin board.

[Chortle]

You dont appear unstable to me JB73, not in this thread anyway

It's a question of how you measure success IMO - if you measure it by others values/beliefs etc and not by your own than you may come a cropper eventually.

[SOB]

Originally posted by JB73
ok.... i know im not the most well adjusted member of scociety, but hardly jeffery dalhmer-esque

What about that time you ate all those people and stored their body parts in your freezer?

[Eagler]

The Razor's Edge, the original (1946), though Bill Murray in the remake(1984) is pretty good also

[deSelys]

I've found that doing something a bit dangerous is a good confidence builder (+ it gives you a great 'Feels so good' moment afterwards). If you're able to win a little fight upon one fo your inner fears (vertigo, tight places...), it's even better.

I'm not talking about taking extreme or uncalculated risks but doing a risk involved activity while minimizing those risks by approaching it the most carefully and professionally possible (i.e. rockclimbing or cave exploring with the proper gear, advices and mentors, getting a skydiving licence...).

'Dangerous' is a variable notion: what is truely scary for me would be like having a cup of tea in the garden for some people while some others consider me like a reckless lunatic.

The activity should bring you some fun though (it's easier that way):  I have an average fear of heights and I can have great fun fastroping from a cliff or skydiving while I truely hate being stuck in tight places. Passing through narrow tunnels to explore a cave would certainly be an achievement for me while I doubt I would enjoy it one bit.

This article confirms in a certain way the attraction-repulsion man has with danger:
From this article:

Ogilvie's findings are consistent with other studies. A 1994 paper followed juvenile criminal offenders enrolled in a dangerous cliff-climbing course. Graduates of the program reported higher self-confidence afterward, and recidivism dropped by 50 percent. Another study exposed single mothers on welfare who refused to enroll in college courses to a four-day program of risk-taking activities. Seventy-three percent of participants signed up for vocational education afterward.

[lazs2]

If it's dangerous some democrat will seek to ban it.

lazs

[Habu]

You know some think life is like the seasons. You are born live and eventually die. This is as natural as the spring summer fall and winter.

If you want to find purpose for your life consider a farmer. He tills the soil in the spring, plants the seeds, tends the fields over the summer and finally harvests the crop in the fall.

The whole point of the exercise is the harvest. It is not the planting nor the tilling. If he does not harvest then the whole exercise has been pointless.

Some people want to spend their whole life in the spring or summer, persueing wealth or living as they did in their 20's.

If you believe in God there are scriptures that say there is a point to life and that is to prepare you for the afterlife.

If that is the case then you must look at what the after life is supposed to be. People tend to look at life as the thrilling and exciting experience and the after life as some kind of listliss existence where we all sit around on fluffy clouds and sturm harps. But that would be much less an existance than your mortal life.

But if it is the point to our existance then it like the harvest. You  have passed the tests and lived a good life and fought the good fight and have succeeded. It should be a time to reap the harvest of your existance.

If you do not believe in God then the point of life is just to put in time till you die. If that is the case then you might as well enjoy yourself as there is no reason to prepare for the future. Because the future is death. Just grab every oportunity to have sex and eat and play while you are young and healthy enough to do so. Because one day you will be old and unable to even control your bladder. And at that point you may regret not even having memories of good times to sustain you.

[lazs2]

which is why we shouldn't allow apartment dwelling penny loafer taxi riders to vote.  They wish to vote on quality of life yet they don't know what life is.

lazs

[FUNKED1]

Originally posted by SOB
What about that time you ate all those people and stored their body parts in your freezer?

You insensitive salamander.  He was hungry, OK?

[AcId]

Hey JB73, I feel for ya and can relate. I have often wondered the same things and seem to come to the same conclusion each time. I'm good at my job and I know this not because I'm a conceited salamander but because thats what my peers as well as upper mgmt tell me. Is that enough? Not for me, yeah I may be successful in what I do and actually enjoy my work but it's not enough for me. It just enables me to be able to do some of the things in life that I want to do. When it comes down to it I want to be able to rate my life by how good of a friend I am to those who know me and to be able to do things for people less fortunate than I. Not for personal gratification or to stroke ones ego, but to at least be known as the guy thats willing to lend a hand instead of the pompous selfish tard that only cares about himself......

ugh, now I'm spewing.....in a nutshell, you don't necessarily need to find 1 thing thats make you happy and successful, rather live a life that you can look back on and be proud of. Thats my personal take anyway.

[AKS\/\/ulfe]

One day I was curious about what would happen when I die.

Then I stopped getting high.

Now, all I do is sit around and sigh.
-SW

[mosgood]

Originally posted by JB73
we all want to be "Tin Cup". the greatest at 1 single thing whatever it is, and lead a unpopular, yet happy life purseuing that "thing"

who wouldnt give up anything to be the "greatest" at 1 pursuit, and lead a happy life, with no monetary rewards, but a feeling of self-worth in what we do?

I agree.  I also think it goes a little further than that.  At the core, our end result isn't "I want to be the best" or "I want to be rich" or "I want to be popular"...  at the core, it's "I want to be happy" and we tend to look at being rich or the best or the most popular as the road to happiness.  As the means to the ends (happiness).

I think that Happiness is really all we want, and everything we do in life, one way or another, is done in the attempt to attain it.

[Ripsnort]

You might enjoy this JB73,

Long, PDF version here

Short version here