What Does it Mean to Truly Live?

[sunndoggy8]

What does it mean to truly live? Is it just going through the normalcy of your life, or is it doing more and trying new experiences and taking more risks, that truly classifies a person as "living"? Are you not living my being stuck in a routine, or is it a lesser level of living, HK?

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<font color="#0F00CD">~~~~"If we could read the secret history of our enemies we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility."-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~~~~</font color="#0F00CD">

[HordeKing1]

Sunndoggy8 - Excellent question.

I don't recall the source of this quote but you'll no doubt recollect the author. "The life not examined is not worth living."

The ability to examine our lives, is what separates us from every other animal we know about. We are the only sentient animal.

Can a sentient life be lived by trudging through an dreary everyday existence of sameness? Or do we require more than this? Taking the original premise into account, and extrapolating it to the next level, a life of sameness isn't worth living b/c any self examination will see flaws in daily living and constently seek to improve it. Thus a life filled with sameness is not life, at least not sentient life.

Seeking new experiences, striving for self-improvement, never being content with the knowledge you have, always trying to better oneself, that is a life worth living.

(one day remind me to get into the fascinating topic of whether sentient human life is more deserving of living than non-sentient human life and if so, what duty do we have towards the sentient life to protect it at the cost to the non-sentient life - heady stuff.)

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[sunndoggy8]

If I remember off the top of my head correctly, I believe it's Socrates who coined that quote HK...but I'm feeling too lazy to check right now :)

If your answer holds true, then obviously a great majority of people aren't living, or in a sense of the way we're classifying living in this context.

You mentioned exactly the question I would ask you in response to your answer, in that are the lives of the sentient any more valuable than those who are not...so you're one step ahead of me! :)

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[TomPoo]

Truly "living" means embracing life.

It is truly appreciating everything (large and small) in your life.

Some people equate "living" to adventure, some to partying, some to travel... I think it is all that and more. It is also Spending time with your family, accomplishing career goals, celebrating birthdays with your friends, or whatever.

Truly "living" encompasses all parts of life. Your whole life is not a party, nor is it a job, nor is it a vacation. And to base your life on only one aspect of it is a mistake.


The best way I can explain my point is through an example:

In college, I knew this kid (MATT) who got drunk everday, he was the first guy there at every party and the last to leave (I think everyone knew a kid like this in college) Anyway, he had like a 2.0 GPA, and was a cool kid. My Senior year I asked him how many years he has left, and he said to me "YO man I don't know, I am just gonna live life to the fullest while I'm here!!!! I am only young once and now is my time to party!!!!!"

Now I happen to agree with him that he is young and NOW definately is the time to party However I don't think that he was living life to the fullest.

HE missed out (or is missing out cause I am sure he is still there)on so much. He has the opprtunity to take classes on a wide range of subjects, join clubs or fraternities, play sports, and a wide range of other things that he will NEVER have access to again.

In my opinion the college kid who takes advantage of all that is offered is the kid who is truly "living" And when this Matt looks back and sees all that he missed out on, I am sure there will be some regret cause he will never have that time back.

I guess my point is "living" is at least attempting to take advantage of the opportunities presented to you in life. Cause you might not get second chances, so you might as well go for it now. AND truly "living" is taking every part of your life and making it the best it can be.

REEKING of AWESOMENESS
----TomPoo



"There's nothing more exhilarating than pointing out the shortcomings of others, is there?"

[HordeKing1]

Another quote comes to mind "Youth is wasted on the young." If only we could go back through life knowing what we know now!"

Live each second to the fullest. That doesn't mean partying or getting shit-faced. It means spending time with your family, devoting time to introspection, reading, playing with your kids and/or dog. Study philosophy and science. Question the things you've been taught all your life.

Make independant choices based on your belief.

Live. Improve upon yourself. Grow.

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[Pootertoot]

When you've got a small Polynesian boy by the hair and are ramming his head toward and away from your crotch while his tears roll off your schween...then, when you've blown your wad, you toss him aside and make the dog lick it out of his mouth while defecate in his bellybutton...and then, after all that, you found you accidentally broke his neck during the whole ordeal, so you throw him in your "Can't Run Away No Matter What You Do To Their Body" pile...

THAT, my friend, is living.

Wait...look who I'm talking to, Sunny, my fair Polynesian friend.

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