Participating in a discussion is a great way to learn and contribute to ideas for superstructing. When you post a comment, try to provide information that others may not know, and avoid getting into arguments. Winning discussions are all about working together to get smarter.

Please login or register to post


    21st Century Ideas: What Are You Fighting For?

    A moment to think about why we fight for survival.

    Started by: Scott_Mason Raves:4

    Subscribe » RSS

    I know, the basic answer to the question is that the drive to survive is a primal instinct present in (I think) every living creature - but I thought it'd be good to take a few minutes to stop and talk about what it is that keeps *you* going, personally, if only to remind ourselves. I'll get the ball rolling and say what keeps me going is the way I felt about a girl at university. I won't go too much into the melodrama except to say that yes, I was in love with her, but we were only ever 'Just Friends'. That said, she was an amazing friend, and just being around her made me feel amazing, like I could do anything, be anything. I could get much more lyrical about it, but the long and short of it is that no matter how bad things get, I've always got this sort of 'reference point' to remind me that things can and will get equally as, if not more, awesome (I already used the word 'amazing', so please don't think less of me for using the word 'awesome'). It's the yin yang idea I guess (or the pleasure/pain principle if you like Muller yoghurts).

    I have 5 kids. From the moment I became a parent back in the 90\\\'s every thing I did was with the knowledge that it affected their future. It has shaped everything I\\\'ve done since then. I owe them a whole lot. My two oldest are in their late teens and mid to late 20\\\'s now and having children is not something they\\\'ll consider. That makes me really sad and at the same time I know they\\\'re making responsible decisions. I owe it to them not to sink into \\\"comfortable middle age\\\", I need to facilitate and listen to what they are saying is necessary for survival. So here I am a 50 yr old mom admitting my kids probably have all the answers and my \\\"wisdom\\\" is pretty limitted.

    I too have 3 kids with 1 more on the way. I know things were better 10 years ago, and even better when I was a kid. But I\\\'m fighting for a better world for my kids. I want them to grow up knowing how to function in our ever changing world and to have the passion to do something about it. Things can\\\'t get much worse, so it\\\'s all up hill from here.

    We fight to be because we are of the Universe and as such being part of this whole allows us to exist. That we have chosen to exist in this manner at this time expresses that part of the Universe that in fact has done the choosing. We are it, it is us and ain\\\'t it fun?! Even when it\\\'s tough.

    this life is all we have. once our lives end, that is it for our planet. once my life ends i have nowhere to go but into unconsiousness. i like sleeping as much as anyone but i only get to enjoy it when im awake. id rather endure some hardships than just give up.

    The reason I keep moving forward is that I want to see the world become a better place. It already has as any history professor can attest, but I could become so much better and I want to be able to say that I was one of the people that made it that way. I want to continue on as part of history even if my body is rotting away underground somewhere.

    I feel that death is no matter, only life. And that certainly means all life on this planet (and those beyond). Every living thing is a staggering wonder onto itself.

    I'm fighting to keep us moving forward. To keep humanity from having to spend decades, if not centuries, scratching in the dirt for another day's food while avoid another day's bullet. We've come so far, I don't want us to fall into another dark age just because we were afraid of what the new world might look like.

    I'm sorry to burst your bubble, Robert, but being a history professor I think I can safely say that it has been getting worse since 1204, much worse since 1776, and exponentially worse since 1914. At the end of the day all that we have is a fundamental assertion that to be a sentient being, to be able to think and so pursue the Platonic ideal of the 'contemplative life' is good. My approach, at least, is that the reasons for survival are very personal, for ourselves and our children to be able to have that experience. I don't concern myself to much with surviving on humanity's behalf.

    I'm fighting to keep the human species alive until we're able to cease being human. Once we adapt our bodies for extraterrestrial living, fuck it, I'm done. I'll head off to... let's say Europa, for good measure, make my own society, and leave Earth to rot. It's got thousands of years of fuck ups behind it, trying to preserve it is like laminating a rotten sandwich.

    I have a couple of reasons. One, there's my family. I live with my fifteen-year-old niece and she needs me. My community needs me. It would be selfish of me just to give up. That keeps me going when I feel overwhelmed by all our problems today. Secondly, I love being alive! Death is just nothingness. I'd rather something than nothing, even if that something isn't always fun.

    'Fighting' is probably not the best verb here. Over the last few decades, the media has overused the word and dramatized the "endless plight" of the everyday. Spare the drama. No one is fighting, we're just going about our business in a little different way.




    Nominate For A Badge

    Badge:
    More detail on badges



    NOMINATE CANCEL