What's your life Philosophy?

[Dan]

What principles do you base your actions on? Do you follow any moral guidelines, religious or personal, or just stick to the norms of society or only follow the letter of the law? Explain what your life philosophy is and maybe some of the reasoning behind it.

Personally I like the idea of Taoism: being humble, like water, seek the low places and offer no resistance but you carry a lot of strength. Although I think I could never actually do the whole Taoism thing because I have a bit too much pride in myself even if I try not to show it too much. I'm an attention whore at heart.

But the only one overall rule that I stick to is be flexible in everything. Never be dead set on any rule of ideas. Of course everyone carries some prejudices with them, but I try to be able to change my attitude and morales if the situation requires it. If placed into extreme situations, I think I'd probably be ok with lying, stealing, killing other people, maybe canabalism if I was starving. But so long as society is working I stick to society's values. Seems kind of at odds with the whole Taoism thing, but nothing stops water, it can takes whatever path is necessary, and can always change its course.

 

[spookymooky]

Nihilism
Egoism
Amoralism
Pragmatism
Hedonism

Religion class is miserable...

 

[Steven]

I obey the law and always try to stop physcial abuse that I see with my own eyes.

 

[short recoil]

I understand we have evolved on this earth as animals, we are complex but not beyond understanding.
I treat my body like a machine.

I will do what i want weighing up the fact of other people and things/events will get in the way or possibly help.

I have absolutley no morals involving anything other than myself, i am quite selfish, i will help others but only to either improve my image or expect some sort of favor.

I'm a ****ing testosterone raged hulk at the momment btw.

 

[Nat Turner]

I am a little similar to short recoil in mine... but it's more simple. I do what leaves me most sane and stable. This usually involves being a good person and working hard. I plan to live as long as possible at all costs. Also I somewhat follow society's way because it's most convenient. If I make enough money I might be able to postpone my death long enough to live forever.

 

[Que-Ever]

If you don't get arrested for not doing it, don't do it.

(laziness FTW)

 

[Steven]

If you think about it all life forms only want to live and reproduce.

I have spent entire days only thinking about that and it's the damn truth, everything we do is done to live longer and/or reproduce.

 

[Vegeta897]

"All's well that ends well"

Simply one of the greatest things that keeps me going.
If I'm going through a bad experience, like when I had braces, I just think that none of this will matter when I'm happy in the end.

 

[spookymooky]

A few things I've written which seem relevent:

"The Secret of Happiness

One thing I thought would be a good idea to figure out is happiness. After all, if I could figure that out, I'd be set, right? Well, this is what I came up with.

In my life, I've noticed that every time I've been happy, it's because I've been making progress of some kind. I might be happy because I'm doing particularly well in school, making a bunch of cash, having a lot of fun with friends, or many other things, but there is always an identifiable goal, and I am always making definate progress towards that goal. If I'm doing well in school, I'm moving myself towards both respect and a chance to get to a better college. If it's because I'm making money, I am building up a clear base of resources. If it's because I'm having fun with friends, then I am building a relationship with them.

Now, eventually the happiness recieved from these situations begins to dull. For me, this is because I see that I am making no real progress towards a specific goal. I can continually build my bank account, but to what end? Or, I grow a lot closer to my friends, but there's only so far that closeness can go. The relationship, along with the fun, stagnates.

The interesting thing about this to me, is that in order to have a goal, I need to have something missing in my life. In other words, in order to be happy, there needs to be something making me unhappy enough that I am willing to work to get rid of it.

I need to be unhappy in order to be happy; crazy world, eh?"

"Humor's a funny thing.

If you know me at all, you know I joke around a lot, as do most of my friends, and, likely, many of yours, and consider my life to be pretty funny. However, anytime I tell a joke, or do something to be funny, I feel a little twinge of guilt. You see, man's sense of humor is something that has disturbed me for a while.

As far as I can tell, at the base of every joke or funny situation is a little core of emotional pain. In slapstick humor, I laugh at very directly at one's obvious mental anguish from physical pain, but often it's more subtle. For instance, many jokes present a rediculous instance; Family Guy does this a lot. In these instances, it seems to me, I laugh at my inability to cope with such a situation. I challenge you to present to me a joke, or funny situation without pain in it.

With this evidence, it seems that humor is a coping mechanism for pain. My best guess is that the ability to find things funny arose from the brain's ability to be overwhelmed by emotional pain, just as various endorphins control physical pain.

This seems perfectly fine to me, to ease pain by laughing at it. However, I begin to worry when we stop using humor to prevent pain, but actually create it when there wasnt a painful situation to begin with. Constantly I see people going out of their way to experience humorous situation, such as stand up comedy, and funny movies. They seek the humor as moths to the light. Like a morphine addict, they too have become addicted, and I myself am guilty of this as well.

I guess the question is where does the line lie? Where is the golden mean between therapy and addiction?"

"Free Will

It doesnt really seem to make sense to me. The idea is that we are endowed with the ability to make our own choices. At first this seems to be the case, after all, I'm choosing to write this blog right now, right?

Maybe not.

Why do I make a decision? There seem to be two causes: my natural inclinations, and my prior experiences, including prior decisions. There might also be some random firing of neurons and such thrown in there.

All of these things are out of my control. Obviously I didnt have a hand in choosing my genetics. As far as experiences go, I cant control my enviorment. My earliest decisions were a result of instinct and enviorment. While my later and current decisions resulted from those.

Thinking is itself a choice: to begin thinking, what to think about, etc. Thus, thinking is not a variable in the choosing, it is choosing.

If all this is true, if choosing relies on genetics, experience, and chance, and if all these are out of our control, choosing is not within our control. It is not something we can truly do. Its like pulling your hand of a hot stove: just a reflex."

 

[ComradeBadger]

My life philosophy?

**** the lot of you. First comes first. Friends come straight after.

 

[evil^milk]

Out of many complications and deep thinking, it all comes down to choice, kind of like spooky says. What I choose is to find a balance in life in general, and that's pretty much all I feel I need.

 

[Nat Turner]

I don't try to attain a persistent state of happiness. I find that to be a delusional mental condition. I'm quite satisfied just living day to day. (no, I don't have seasonal affective disorder, any form of depression, etc.)

 

[Neutrino]

1) Enjoy life.
2) Do your best.
3) Value others as much as you value yourself.
4) When in doubt, do the right thing as best you can.
5) Appreciate the beauty around you.
6) Question everything.

That pretty much sums it up for me.

 

[OvA]

I don't have one. I just live.

 

[Captain M4d]

Don't worry. Be happy.

I think if I follow those two sentences, I can't go wrong.

 

[Neutrino]

Don't worry. Be happy.

I think if I follow those two sentences, I can't go wrong.

Until you find yourself in the path of a charging rhino. At that point you might run into trouble.

 

[Uriel]

Shootem all and let God sort'em out.....
or you get what you deserve.

 

[xcellerate]

Drive it like you stole it?

 

[Captain M4d]

Until you find yourself in the path of a charging rhino. At that point you might run into trouble.

Nah. I'll just think of it in a positive way.

"Perhaps this will satisfy the rhino and add onto his insights of life."

 

[Nat Turner]

Drive it like you stole it?

Moan like you mean it?

 

[Dekstar]

Dan I follow your taoism one I guess.

Uuhm essentially I am an attention whore. I like people giving me attention, but can live without it if there's no one about (I don't have to actively go out to parties and socialise. I'm actually quite intraverted).
I like making people smile. I like thinking about people. Uhm, don't hurt people (Though sometimes I think about it and imagine scenarios just to get the anger out - and by far I'm not weak).

Just be a nice guy. Ultimately I want to be remembered when I die I guess. Hopefully for a good thing too like getting rid of a disease or inventing something that will have a huge effect on people. Hell I can write poetry, maybe I can pass on my poetry for a while so that people remember me that way.

Hehe this has gotten me thinking about what I really want now. Another nice thread Dan!

 

[Emn1ty]

Do things at your own pace, try your best, but only if your really into it. And dont give a shit about what others think, because they are usually wrong and it doesnt affect you.

 

[Dan]

I guess it all comes down to what's the point of life. You're gonna die anyways no matter what. It's all rather arbitrary.

 

[Nat Turner]

You're gonna die anyways no matter what.

No not really. Medicine might improve faster than I age (hopefully).

 

[OvA]

Moan like you mean it?

Finish before she wakes up?

 

[JNightshade]

Be openminded and take nothing for granted.

 

[Evo]

I just want to enjoy life as much as i can without causing others pain or suffering

 

[Codcommando]

simply Karma.

 

[CrazyHarij]

I dunno.. I do alot of positive thinking.. quite egoistic most of the time..

if i'd put up a list of the codes i go by, it'd probably be something like this:

1.don't take orders from no one
2.enjoy life, we'll all be gone by 2012 anyway
3.respect is something you earn
4.walk tall, stand proud, don't take any shit at all

 

[Danimal]

1) I form my opinions and stick to them
2) I help those who are in need around me
3) If something isn't broke. Don't fix it.
4) Respect is hard to earn and easy to lose.

Just a few guidlines I go by.

 

[jerkasaur]

Munro-ism FTW!

 

[Venmoch]

Shit Happens.

 

[Solaris]

I try to help the helpless, Prevent the Preventable, stand in the way of evil.

"All that is needed for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing"
I will not be one of thoose men.

More personally I try and see the positive out of everything, and act as if Karma exists.

I've also found a way to belive in re-incarnation without beiliving in anything spiritual.

 

[Fliko]

Keep on breathing.