Brenton
What is Worth Living for?
January 14th 2008 12:54
I wrote an article a while back entitles ‘What is worth dying for’? It seems only logical that there should be a similar assessment of the equal, opposite question- what is worth living for?
I don’t want to make a feel good list of glurge here. I want to make a list of real, reasons to be alive – things that, if you met someone hovering halfway between life and death, would provide real, genuine motivation to choose the former.
The one thing we do know is that, whatever your view of the afterlife life offers something unique to death.
Why is what life offers worth sticking around for?
• Death is an inevitability, therefore there’s no sense in fast tracking things. We all get to die at some point. It’s living that we only get to play with short term.
• Let’s take a logical point of view for a moment. If we observe statistics, we see that attempted suicides often express gratitude that their attempt did not succeed. States of intense misery tend to confuse our perceptions. In many circumstances we may be a disservice to ourselves to drop out early.
• Many suicides are of young people. They may not have the skills needed to deal with major problems. This means that suicide may easily be a bad option as it is more of an obvious choice than many other better options.
• Many things that are regarded widely as making life worth living are often portrayed as ‘just happening’. These include falling in love, finding your purpose and developing a sense of self. When we fail to obtain these things we may consider ourselves unlucky or unworthy. Fact is that, despite the quick fixes getting sold to us by media and Spin Doctors, true happiness and a meaningful existence must be worked towards, and may require development of personal strength and skill. While it is tempting to assume that if we have not found these things we never will (and thus have no hope of a good life) the truth is we all must fight for the life we want – and have the potential to receive it.
• Love is worth living for. It sounds tacky, but true love – so far as it can be understood as a human concept, is one of the most energising and valuable things I’ve ever had the fortune to experience in this world. To be surrounded with love is to be given strength to deal with the bad, and fully appreciate the good. It is not easy to find somebody to love and to love you, and it is a mistake to think that love will definitely find you if you make no effort.
• Change is widely inevitable. This means that if you have hit a rut, it is never so deep as to be impossible to climb out of. Things improve.
Personally, I think life has something real to offer each and every one of us. It might not be obvious, or easy, but I would argue – it IS THERE.
I don’t want to make a feel good list of glurge here. I want to make a list of real, reasons to be alive – things that, if you met someone hovering halfway between life and death, would provide real, genuine motivation to choose the former.
The one thing we do know is that, whatever your view of the afterlife life offers something unique to death.
Why is what life offers worth sticking around for?
• Death is an inevitability, therefore there’s no sense in fast tracking things. We all get to die at some point. It’s living that we only get to play with short term.
• Let’s take a logical point of view for a moment. If we observe statistics, we see that attempted suicides often express gratitude that their attempt did not succeed. States of intense misery tend to confuse our perceptions. In many circumstances we may be a disservice to ourselves to drop out early.
• Many suicides are of young people. They may not have the skills needed to deal with major problems. This means that suicide may easily be a bad option as it is more of an obvious choice than many other better options.
• Many things that are regarded widely as making life worth living are often portrayed as ‘just happening’. These include falling in love, finding your purpose and developing a sense of self. When we fail to obtain these things we may consider ourselves unlucky or unworthy. Fact is that, despite the quick fixes getting sold to us by media and Spin Doctors, true happiness and a meaningful existence must be worked towards, and may require development of personal strength and skill. While it is tempting to assume that if we have not found these things we never will (and thus have no hope of a good life) the truth is we all must fight for the life we want – and have the potential to receive it.
• Love is worth living for. It sounds tacky, but true love – so far as it can be understood as a human concept, is one of the most energising and valuable things I’ve ever had the fortune to experience in this world. To be surrounded with love is to be given strength to deal with the bad, and fully appreciate the good. It is not easy to find somebody to love and to love you, and it is a mistake to think that love will definitely find you if you make no effort.
• Change is widely inevitable. This means that if you have hit a rut, it is never so deep as to be impossible to climb out of. Things improve.
Personally, I think life has something real to offer each and every one of us. It might not be obvious, or easy, but I would argue – it IS THERE.
| 52 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
Activist Links: (Request one)
Vitamins are criminal?
Just say Know
Could Corporate Interests Destroy The Internet as we Know it?
