Life is worth living!

[Habitat]

8 minutes ago, Guyver said:

Have you ever contemplated Viking “berserkers?”  They were dudes who could be “left behind” because just one of them could withstand a dozen or more of the enemy because of a place they could go in their mind.  I get this.  I understand it.  FWIW.  And now, I will just listen.  Peace be with all readers.

Probably sounds more entrancing in legend, than actuality. I guess it was this mentality that drew large numbers of volunteers from Scandinavian countries to fight on the Eastern Front for Germany, in WW2. Most never came home.

[Golden Duck]

55 minutes ago, Piney said:

...

The "sins of your ancestors" is a Christian concept. Not mine. 

I associate it with North Korea and anyone who leans into the Aussies = Convicts banter.

[Piney]

12 minutes ago, Golden Duck said:

I associate it with North Korea and anyone who leans into the Aussies = Convicts banter.

Wat ye gibberin on about ye shanty bog Irish purloiner? 

[+Sherapy]

3 hours ago, Guyver said:

I agree.  I have had such a “hard life” but I have also had so many blessings.  I have played 500 shows as a bass player.  I have had untold remarkable experiences and joys.  And I have had, and am having, the kind of sorrows that can crush a soul.

If I had it to do again, in spite of the sorrow, I would still choose my life over not having existed.  Because, not having existed, and having existed and made it through to the place I’ve made....yeah, it’s worth living.

My problem is that I focus more on the hurt than the joy.  It’s like Drew Brees last night, he becomes number one of all time, and all he can say is the one pass he missed will bother him.

Some challenges are just awful and your best is getting through each day that might be all one can do.

When I lost my sister things went dark for awhile, having a good support system can help and starting threads like this help.

Thank god you have golf, really it is your sanctuary. 
 

If you need a friend....

Much love to you Guyv. 

['Walt' E. Kurtz]

3 hours ago, Guyver said:

Have you ever contemplated Viking “berserkers?”  They were dudes who could be “left behind” because just one of them could withstand a dozen or more of the enemy because of a place they could go in their mind.  I get this.  I understand it.  FWIW.  And now, I will just listen.  Peace be with all readers.

You can adapt this to anything really :-) 

[Rlyeh]

7 hours ago, Guyver said:

Life is certainly a struggle.  That is observable.  But, some would say that it is the struggle that makes one fit.  Evolution certainly demonstrates this.  So, what is there to be spiritual about?

Or, what is it about living that your faith or spirituality helps you to do better?

Evolution applies to populations of organisms not individuals.  Evolution is also about death and suffering, weeding out the unfit.

[Rlyeh]

Death is the greatest mercy an uncaring universe can offer you.

[Habitat]

17 minutes ago, Rlyeh said:

Death is the greatest mercy an uncaring universe can offer you.

Well, that takes the Misery Guts Award of the year !

[XenoFish]

1 hour ago, Rlyeh said:

Death is the greatest mercy an uncaring universe can offer you.

It's a slow death. We can spend our entire lives obtaining great things, money, power, fame. Be depraved in every sense of the word or live a completely ascetic life. Even spend our days being happy, happy, happy to an annoying degree. In the end it's all the same, gone. 

It's all so pointless. No matter what, it's gone. Might explain why my aspirations have gone nearly to zero, I'm just running off have too's at the moment. I don't think I can live in an egocentric state of spirituality where my life mattered. 

[Rlyeh]

24 minutes ago, XenoFish said:

It's a slow death. We can spend our entire lives obtaining great things, money, power, fame. Be depraved in every sense of the word or live a completely ascetic life. Even spend our days being happy, happy, happy to an annoying degree. In the end it's all the same, gone. 

It's all so pointless. No matter what, it's gone. Might explain why my aspirations have gone nearly to zero, I'm just running off have too's at the moment. I don't think I can live in an egocentric state of spirituality where my life mattered. 

Doesn't have to be slow.

[Rlyeh]

1 hour ago, Habitat said:

Well, that takes the Misery Guts Award of the year !

Life exists in constant competition and conflict.  Peace only comes in the form of death.

[Habitat]

42 minutes ago, Rlyeh said:

Life exists in constant competition and conflict.  Peace only comes in the form of death.

rubbish, as that great philosopher psyche 101 said, if you aren't having any fun, you aren't doing it right !

[+joc]

2 hours ago, XenoFish said:

It's a slow death. We can spend our entire lives obtaining great things, money, power, fame. Be depraved in every sense of the word or live a completely ascetic life. Even spend our days being happy, happy, happy to an annoying degree. In the end it's all the same, gone. 

It's all so pointless. No matter what, it's gone. Might explain why my aspirations have gone nearly to zero, I'm just running off have too's at the moment. I don't think I can live in an egocentric state of spirituality where my life mattered. 

I'm pretty pragmatic about it all.  Life...is...until it...isn't...but then it still is.  Every living thing procreates.  Every plant, every insect, every mammal procreates.  But...Why?  

Why is it so important for Life to stay alive?  It seems like the individual life form has one purpose...to embody the Life and not let it die.

Looking at it through a different perspective:  There is an Alien on this planet.  That alien is called Life.  It has completely taken over every square inch of this planet.  That being the case...I would imagine that if there is Life on other planets...it would be completely the same...all consuming...

We are the Aliens we have been waiting for....

[XenoFish]

12 minutes ago, joc said:

I'm pretty pragmatic about it all.  Life...is...until it...isn't...but then it still is.  Every living thing procreates.  Every plant, every insect, every mammal procreates.  But...Why?  

Why is it so important for Life to stay alive?  It seems like the individual life form has one purpose...to embody the Life and not let it die.

Looking at it through a different perspective:  There is an Alien on this planet.  That alien is called Life.  It has completely taken over every square inch of this planet.  That being the case...I would imagine that if there is Life on other planets...it would be completely the same...all consuming...

We are the Aliens we have been waiting for....

I'm more pessimistic. I see humans as an aggressive cancer rapidly reproducing with the intention of killing its host. 

[+Desertrat56]

12 hours ago, Guyver said:

I agree.  I have had such a “hard life” but I have also had so many blessings.  I have played 500 shows as a bass player.  I have had untold remarkable experiences and joys.  And I have had, and am having, the kind of sorrows that can crush a soul.

If I had it to do again, in spite of the sorrow, I would still choose my life over not having existed.  Because, not having existed, and having existed and made it through to the place I’ve made....yeah, it’s worth living.

My problem is that I focus more on the hurt than the joy.  It’s like Drew Brees last night, he becomes number one of all time, and all he can say is the one pass he missed will bother him.

You can choose to focus on the joy instead of the hurt.  It takes practice and I can tell you it is not easy, it is like jumping off of a roller coaster going 100 miles an hour, but as you practice it gets easier, the roller coaster slows down.  You have already started by making this post about knowing you are blessed as well as experiencing sorrow.

Blessings.

Edited December 18, 2019 by Desertrat56

[+Desertrat56]

12 hours ago, Habitat said:

I wouldn't discount that your sheer negativity hasn't pushed someone reading it over the edge.

Pot calling what he thinks is the kettle black, are you?

[+Desertrat56]

11 hours ago, Piney said:

It seemed insulting. I don't blame the current generation on what happened in the past. He did. 

The "sins of your ancestors" is a Christian concept. Not mine. 

I have known people with African ancestry (born in the U.S.) that had that same blame and I have grown up with a mostly celtic father who had that same blame.  It must be a mental illness or some other aberration, because I don't know any other african americans or natives or Irish/scottish that think that way.  Some people live in the past, even when it isn't even their past, which is sad for their families.  And in my experience, unless someone just got off the boat from where ever or their parents came together, most americans are mixed and no one can really claim any one ancestry except being human.  I look forward to the days when no one cares who your ancestors are or what hue your skin is.

[Piney]

1 minute ago, Desertrat56 said:

I have known people with African ancestry (born in the U.S.) that had that same blame and I have grown up with a mostly celtic father who had that same blame.  It must be a mental illness or some other aberration, because I don't know any other african americans or natives or Irish/scottish that think that way.  Some people live in the past, even when it isn't even their past, which is sad for their families.  And in my experience, unless someone just got off the boat from where ever or their parents came together, most americans are mixed and no one can really claim any one ancestry except being human.  I look forward to the days when no one cares who your ancestors are or what hue your skin is.

I see that when it comes to SJWs it's not compassion, but guilt and 'White mans burden", which in itself is racist. 

[Duke Wellington]

The negativity out of some posters around here sounds like they are getting ready to jump.

How about letting in some light and positivity?

[Guyver]

48 minutes ago, Desertrat56 said:

You can choose to focus on the joy instead of the hurt.  It takes practice and I can tell you it is not easy, it is like jumping off of a roller coaster going 100 miles an hour, but as you practice it gets easier, the roller coaster slows down.  You have already started by making this post about knowing you are blessed as well as experiencing sorrow.

Blessings.

I imagine that what you are saying here is positive.  I think a person’s health and well being can be effected by how they view things.  I have also seen some people who have had tremendous difficulty and still have a very positive outlook.  Recently, someone  was telling me of a motivational speaker who had lost both arms and legs in battle while serving in the military.  I must admit that would be a burden I would consider too great to bear.  But this man seems to be able to handle it....according to what I heard anyway.

[+Desertrat56]

1 minute ago, Guyver said:

I imagine that what you are saying here is positive.  I think a person’s health and well being can be effected by how they view things.  I have also seen some people who have had tremendous difficulty and still have a very positive outlook.  Recently, someone  was telling me of a motivational speaker who had lost both arms and legs in battle while serving in the military.  I must admit that would be a burden I would consider too great to bear.  But this man seems to be able to handle it....according to what I heard anyway.

There are a lot of people who loose function of their body for many reasons who are able to work their way through it and learn to be ok.  I have days when I have to remind myself of my blessings, but those  days are fewer since I started forcing myself to do think about them when I catch myself in the self destructive mental loops.

I agree that viewpoint/perspective has more to do with health than is acknowledged.  I know that no one (no matter what the new age gurus or Joel Ostene says) has a 100% positive though process.  Things happen and we have to find our way to be ok, not 100% joyful all the time, not even 100% positive all the time.  We have to have balance, and the ego, which a lot think we need to kill, is needed in order to survive.  But we have to have balance, no constant extremes.  We will always hit extremes but we cannot waste time feeling guilt or regret on those extremes, we have to pop back to balance.  If you know math you can get this.  Our life, ups and downs should be close to to a sine wave, with possible drastic, sudden lows that we recover from and sudden, drastic highs that don't last.

[lightly]

Yes.

[Habitat]

6 hours ago, Desertrat56 said:

Pot calling what he thinks is the kettle black, are you?

If you want to endorse that constant stream of gloom, that is on you.

[+Sherapy]

7 hours ago, Guyver said:

I imagine that what you are saying here is positive.  I think a person’s health and well being can be effected by how they view things.  I have also seen some people who have had tremendous difficulty and still have a very positive outlook.  Recently, someone  was telling me of a motivational speaker who had lost both arms and legs in battle while serving in the military.  I must admit that would be a burden I would consider too great to bear.  But this man seems to be able to handle it....according to what I heard anyway.

As a caregiver, for terminal or no cure Conditions spinal cord injury, COPD, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s I see the reality of the behind the scenes if you will. The truth is it isn’t a positive attitude as much as it is “acceptance” of what is. How well you can accept reality.

There is always a struggle between what once was and was is now the reality one finds themselves in, what you see is varying levels of acceptance and being proactive where you can. 
 

And, there are days it is a struggle, just like life is a struggle for the rest of us at times, but there must be a distinction made between overcoming  a bit of adversity and true suffering.  Like anyone else feeling viable and that you matter and have a purpose is powerful too.

One of my bosses is an accomplished Neurologist and has done remarkable things with her life in spite of a spinal cord injury that put her in a wheel chair at the age of 20. Setting aside that she finished medical school, used her own situation to advance her field went on and and became a lawyer on top of being a doctor she not only changed in home health care for the better she wrote the new laws and was part of the panel that brought them in, she is also a foster care mother, setting this all aside as few have her credentials, what is remarkable is her insight and empathy, and courage and resilience an ability to pick back up at a level that it is beyond articulation, for her, having a purpose helps. 
 

The other lady I care for has Parkinson’s and when she has bad days and she does, hers is more about the sadness over losing who she once was , what helps her is to count her blessings and she has them to count, in real time. She is truly the 1 percent, lived a fairy tale.

Then there are those that want to die are not afraid of it at all, I conclude that it isn’t about facing the end it is about how one has lived the life they had that matters. I have actually seen terminal people happy to die.

Often the self pep talk is it can always be worse, some times being seen as a viable person in spite of an illness helps, having a strong support system. And having someone to talk to candidly and to be seen and have purpose beyond the disability. 

I will say that the people I have been honored to work for are the reason I have an opportunity  to cultivate qualities such as compassion and empathy, loving kindness and patience at all, they are mentors to me. 

 

 

 

Edited December 18, 2019 by Sherapy

[+Liquid Gardens]

On 12/17/2019 at 7:19 PM, Guyver said:

Or is it?

 

Sure!  Got nothing better to do.

 

On 12/17/2019 at 7:24 PM, XenoFish said:

We live for a finite speck of time. For no reason. Our lives are hardships for no reason.

Not too sure about that, I know I have had plenty of hardships whose reasons are all because of me.

Just curious, is there any situation that you think you would find satisfying?  I don't mean that in a critical or exasperated way, do not place any emphasis on 'any'.  I think at a minimum for you we would have to at least live longer, maybe forever.  Do we need a good God also maybe?  Just wondering if you had something in mind that, if it was true, would provide a satisfying 'reason'. 

Yours is a somewhat foreign position for me, I agree with you depending on what you mean that there is 'no reason' and no objective 'meaning', but I don't have much in the way of 'therefores' because of that which lead me to any kind of dissatisfaction or negative anything.  I probably have trouble relating though since unlike I think you I never really had a 'belief' to ever lose, I never became accustomed to a spiritual-type 'meaning' that would be lost if one stopped believing in spirits for example.