It

 

^That was my earlier point.

 

What is the point of it all? Well if you believe in God (Christian, Muslim, whatever) then this is a test.

I take life very seriously and try to skip the bs. I guess for me this means farce holidays, survivor/fearfactor/insert whatever bs show here, and generally all the lame/bs that most people do every week. I try to focus on what I really enjoy and stay as down to earth as anyone on the planet. I believe that life is a gift and that we need to spend it doing real things, IE living your life for yourself, not for others. I only keep people around me that are real friends, the kind that would die for you, that have your back, etc and check out on friends and family members that are in la la land doing dumb irrelevant chit (IE people overly concerned with what everyone else thinks instead of them, people concerned with the show).

You only get one shot at this, so for me (I'm not naive enough to tell someone else how to live) that means focusing on what I really enjoy and saying F it to all the meaningless bs that I don't care about. I've had a very difficult life and became an adult at a young age (not by choice but by circumstance) and learned very quickly that life is very serious and to savor every moment. I guess you could call it regret minimization framework.

The holidays are a difficult time for many. I get especially pissed off because Christmas is a religious holiday and it's not about lights on your house, egg nog or any other crap. If you don't believe, then why do you participate in all the festerment? You should cherish and spend time with your loved ones year round, you shouldn't need a holiday excuse to get you off your arse. The only advice I could give to someone questioning life and it's purpose without getting into a religious discussion.....is to think long and hard about what you want to accomplish while you are on this planet and do it. Forget about what other people expect/think you should do, and focus on what you want to get done while you are here. It doesn't matter if that is seeing the world and travelling, or shaving 10ths off your laptimes at your local track, figure out what you want to accomplish and do it, you only get one shot. Life is truly a gift, make the most out of it.

 

Bill,

It's interesting that I should bump into this thread. I've been more reflective on these things lately, perhaps my fathers death this spring had something to do with this. I realize that we were never that close, and I find it ironic that I'd end up in the same business (cars) as he was in. This same business that kept him away from the house for so many hours.

I'm not sure what the meaning is, but I will say that nothing has gone as planned! As I reflect on my life at this stage, I'm amazed that everything lasting and significant, from my wife, to our houses, even my work are all delightful surprises. It almost seem like Forest Gump (hopefully, minus the "stupid" part). Is is destiny or random? I'd have to vote for random!

 

I don't find it a depressing subject. I can see why your mother said that, because if you are chronically ill, for example, it is depressing. I never felt the need to procreate. Just a personal choice. I usually focus on living, but sometimes (especially when my mother is having a particularly bad time), I do think about her dying and mine. And my dad and Auntie, too, since they are all in their 80s and 90s. I agree with dean - I want to go with a clear conscience, and as few regrets as possible. But I'm not afraid.

 

I think death will either be a "fade to black", or it will be like crossing that magic 6000 rpm line in 3rd gear....

 

Because we are driven to it by nature. The survival of a gene line is a drive that's programmed into all organisms. The drive is so dominant that it can often override the individual instinct for survival resulting in self sacrifice and other altruistic behaviors.

 

[QUOTE=PWRMKR,Dec 4 2005, 01:55 AM] It

 

It's true that some of our instinctual drives can be overridden, suicide for example. But overall, our fundamental behavior remains the same as it was in the distant past. We just put fancy labels on them and dress them up a bit to distance ourselves from other species.

 

In my opinion, the meaning of life is to act as curators; to work towards making this planet a better place for future generations (both socially and environmentally).
Indeed this planet is not (Gag!) "man's domain."