What is the Good Life?? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

screamincheetah · 09-09-2008, 09:31 AM

Everyone strives from a very early age to find and live "the good life," but when asked to define it, most can't. So if it can not be defined, how do you know if you've found it or what your goals should be?

So first thing's first... what is it? It's going to be different for everyone, but if this thread develops a good conversation, we'll start to see that the details will be different but the core might be surprisingly similar. That's the key to the question... the core. What's at our core and what do we do to take care of it?

I'm throwing a couple different thoughts out because I don't want this to be tightly structured. I just want people to truly think about where they are, how they got there, where they want to be, and WHY WHY WHY.

So, what is the good life to you?????? Money? God? Family? Sex? Power? Peace? Structure? Safety? Love? Success? Attainment? Friends? Popularity? Solitary?

Think and have fun with it. Let's see if we can learn from each other.

I've been told I need to add in some of my own thoughts on what makes the good life. Some of the posts below really strike to what I personally think makes up living well. Abaya and Katyanna both hit a theme that I believe in, and that's simplicity. My whole life I've taken pride in being complex and in striving for achievement, or status, or things that wrap around pride. But with help from a class on this subject and by reading thinkers ideas on this, I've come to the conclussion that the simpler your life is the happier or more content you'll be. If you think about the primal man, he didn't worry about the future and never dwelled on the past. When he was hungry, he ate, and when it rained he found shelter. His daily life wasn't cluttered with worry, jealousy, self-doubt, and stress. He lived the simplest and most contented life, because he didn't know better. Each advance in technology and thinking has brought with it pressure, judgement, and a monetary cost to achieve and have everything society says we should. Our bodies and our minds are weaker than they've ever been, and yet we think we're far superior to that primitive man. I question our superiority. Our daily lives are mostly filled now with jobs to make money to pay bills. These jobs define us and carry untold pressures. The cars, houses, trips, gadgits, clothes, etc we all think we need to be "happy" in the end only bring more work, bills, and stress. We always want the next thing and are always worried about the future instead of living in the moment and living simply. A great thinker said something to the effect that we spend so much energy worrying about things that aren't real or are over(future and past) that we never actually possess what we truly have which is the here and now. So if we're always worried and planning for the future and realize we're never satisfied then we will never truly be happy and content. The long, long, long story short is my opinion of living well is living in the moment and living as simply as possible giving all of your energy to yourself and your loved ones. Now, this is way easier said than done.

Baraka_Guru · 09-09-2008, 09:35 AM

From Monty Python's Meaning of Life:
Spoiler: "Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations."

I'll have a more elaborate and personal answer later when I have more time.

snowy · 09-09-2008, 09:50 AM

Strangely enough, a piece in the NYTimes this morning had something to say about this, and I found it summed up my idea of the "Good Life" pretty well. The piece was written by a nurse who had a patient die suddenly.

Quote:

What can one do? Go home, love your children, try not to bicker, eat well, walk in the rain, feel the sun on your face and laugh loud and often, as much as possible, and especially at yourself. Because the only antidote to death is not poetry, or drama, or miracle drugs, or a roomful of technical expertise and good intentions. The antidote to death is life.

from: Cases - Perhaps Death Is Proud; All the More Reason to Savor Life - NYTimes.com

curiousbear · 09-09-2008, 10:07 AM

If I could do all what I want to do, without doing anything that I dont want to do, that is good life.

examples of what I want to do (1) travel (2) have pets (3) lots of sex (4) hear lots of music (5) farming (6) photography (7) own & ride horses
examples of what I dont want to do (1) lying (2) cheating (3) hurting innocents (4) falling sick (5) exploiting the weak

little vague though...

abaya · 09-09-2008, 11:02 AM

My husband and I went wild-blueberry picking in an Icelandic national park last week. It was a gorgeous day and evening, perfectly clear skies and mild weather, and the drive was only 45 minutes. No tourists to lug around with us, for once.

We pulled over and hunkered down into some bushes by the gravel road, and it was utterly quiet except for the occasional passing car (every 10-15 minutes). There were berries all around us in the moss and shrubs, and we worked in silence, sometimes near each other, sometimes not... our knees and fingers getting stained as we went.

Eventually we got a bucket full of berries, as the sun was setting and the air grew a bit chilly... so we drove around the lake to the geothermal energy plant, where a hot river was flowing and we knew that we could have a good soak. A sheep stood on the road in front of us at one point, and we slowed down to laugh about it while it blinked at us driving by.

There was no one else at the river, as usual--the current was fast and the water up to our waists, and the temperature was around 40 C (well over 100 F)--perfect for soaking. We stripped down, didn't even bother with swimsuits since it was just the two of us, and settled ourselves into the river for a good 20 minutes or more. The sun set and a few stars began to come out.

Eventually we got out, dressed, and headed home, utterly relaxed and pleased with our little after-work trip.

For me, this is one example of the good life. I could describe many, many other days like this, moments where I am just so aware of (and happy about) being alive. I don't know how else to explain it--you just know it when you are living it.

FlatLand Flyer · 09-09-2008, 04:13 PM

At this point in my life (not the good life) my idea of the good life would be to be debt free, and be able to to anything I wanted, within reason. Buy a plane, fly wherever I want in the country, have a nice house in 2 or 3 different areas of the country. Maybe get laid by beautiful women.

Basically stress free living.

Ayashe · 09-09-2008, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abaya

My husband and I went wild-blueberry picking in an Icelandic national park last week. It was a gorgeous day and evening, perfectly clear skies and mild weather, and the drive was only 45 minutes. No tourists to lug around with us, for once.

We pulled over and hunkered down into some bushes by the gravel road, and it was utterly quiet except for the occasional passing car (every 10-15 minutes). There were berries all around us in the moss and shrubs, and we worked in silence, sometimes near each other, sometimes not... our knees and fingers getting stained as we went.

Eventually we got a bucket full of berries, as the sun was setting and the air grew a bit chilly... so we drove around the lake to the geothermal energy plant, where a hot river was flowing and we knew that we could have a good soak. A sheep stood on the road in front of us at one point, and we slowed down to laugh about it while it blinked at us driving by.

There was no one else at the river, as usual--the current was fast and the water up to our waists, and the temperature was around 40 C (well over 100 F)--perfect for soaking. We stripped down, didn't even bother with swimsuits since it was just the two of us, and settled ourselves into the river for a good 20 minutes or more. The sun set and a few stars began to come out.

Eventually we got out, dressed, and headed home, utterly relaxed and pleased with our little after-work trip.

For me, this is one example of the good life. I could describe many, many other days like this, moments where I am just so aware of (and happy about) being alive. I don't know how else to explain it--you just know it when you are living it.

That sounds like absolute heaven Abaya.

The good life to me is peace. Not necessarily in the grand global world, I don't know that it is actually possible. Peace to me, no more hustle and bustle, being able to take moments just like you shared Abaya. Being able to stop in the midst of a busy time, and just soak in the peace of it all.

As a child I would spend a lot of time sitting in the grass. I would search through the lawn at my parents home to find four-leaved clovers. In looking back, my goal wasn't truly to find the clovers. To me it was those moments of quiet in the midst of a difficult time, I could hide in the grasses, sing a song to myself, think out loud of my problems, be completely uninterrupted and I would (as much as a kid could) search out my problems. I wish I had more time to do that, a place that would offer more privacy just to sit or lay back in the grass and contemplate.

There are a number of things that would give me satisfaction in life. Money, love, great health, wonderful family. You really don't get to appreciate it all, or what you do have until you have taken the time to become in tune with yourself.

ASU2003 · 09-09-2008, 08:34 PM

Abaya's trip sounds perfect (hopefully there was some sex), and that is what is making my life not considered good right now.

I have been thinking about this quite a bit over the last few days. I can't really complain about what I have and where I'm at. I wish I had some more time and was finished with my electric car project and a few other things. I wish the world was a little better. And I wish I had a vacation/ winter home near the coast in Australia. I'm going to be coming up with a five year plan this weekend to come up with some direction for where I want to get to in a perfect world and in a normal world. I may revise this post a little then.

09-09-2008, 09:31 AM	#1 (permalink)
screamincheetah Insane Location: Kansas City	What is the Good Life?? Everyone strives from a very early age to find and live "the good life," but when asked to define it, most can't. So if it can not be defined, how do you know if you've found it or what your goals should be? So first thing's first... what is it? It's going to be different for everyone, but if this thread develops a good conversation, we'll start to see that the details will be different but the core might be surprisingly similar. That's the key to the question... the core. What's at our core and what do we do to take care of it? I'm throwing a couple different thoughts out because I don't want this to be tightly structured. I just want people to truly think about where they are, how they got there, where they want to be, and WHY WHY WHY. So, what is the good life to you?????? Money? God? Family? Sex? Power? Peace? Structure? Safety? Love? Success? Attainment? Friends? Popularity? Solitary? Think and have fun with it. Let's see if we can learn from each other. I've been told I need to add in some of my own thoughts on what makes the good life. Some of the posts below really strike to what I personally think makes up living well. Abaya and Katyanna both hit a theme that I believe in, and that's simplicity. My whole life I've taken pride in being complex and in striving for achievement, or status, or things that wrap around pride. But with help from a class on this subject and by reading thinkers ideas on this, I've come to the conclussion that the simpler your life is the happier or more content you'll be. If you think about the primal man, he didn't worry about the future and never dwelled on the past. When he was hungry, he ate, and when it rained he found shelter. His daily life wasn't cluttered with worry, jealousy, self-doubt, and stress. He lived the simplest and most contented life, because he didn't know better. Each advance in technology and thinking has brought with it pressure, judgement, and a monetary cost to achieve and have everything society says we should. Our bodies and our minds are weaker than they've ever been, and yet we think we're far superior to that primitive man. I question our superiority. Our daily lives are mostly filled now with jobs to make money to pay bills. These jobs define us and carry untold pressures. The cars, houses, trips, gadgits, clothes, etc we all think we need to be "happy" in the end only bring more work, bills, and stress. We always want the next thing and are always worried about the future instead of living in the moment and living simply. A great thinker said something to the effect that we spend so much energy worrying about things that aren't real or are over(future and past) that we never actually possess what we truly have which is the here and now. So if we're always worried and planning for the future and realize we're never satisfied then we will never truly be happy and content. The long, long, long story short is my opinion of living well is living in the moment and living as simply as possible giving all of your energy to yourself and your loved ones. Now, this is way easier said than done. __________________ "The sunrise ain't pretty when you ain't been to bed...tomorrow is today instead." Bobby Bare Jr. Last edited by screamincheetah; 09-10-2008 at 05:53 PM..

09-09-2008, 09:35 AM	#2 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	From Monty Python's Meaning of Life: Spoiler: "Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations." I'll have a more elaborate and personal answer later when I have more time. __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

09-09-2008, 11:02 AM	#5 (permalink)
abaya Location: Iceland	My husband and I went wild-blueberry picking in an Icelandic national park last week. It was a gorgeous day and evening, perfectly clear skies and mild weather, and the drive was only 45 minutes. No tourists to lug around with us, for once. We pulled over and hunkered down into some bushes by the gravel road, and it was utterly quiet except for the occasional passing car (every 10-15 minutes). There were berries all around us in the moss and shrubs, and we worked in silence, sometimes near each other, sometimes not... our knees and fingers getting stained as we went. Eventually we got a bucket full of berries, as the sun was setting and the air grew a bit chilly... so we drove around the lake to the geothermal energy plant, where a hot river was flowing and we knew that we could have a good soak. A sheep stood on the road in front of us at one point, and we slowed down to laugh about it while it blinked at us driving by. There was no one else at the river, as usual--the current was fast and the water up to our waists, and the temperature was around 40 C (well over 100 F)--perfect for soaking. We stripped down, didn't even bother with swimsuits since it was just the two of us, and settled ourselves into the river for a good 20 minutes or more. The sun set and a few stars began to come out. Eventually we got out, dressed, and headed home, utterly relaxed and pleased with our little after-work trip. For me, this is one example of the good life. I could describe many, many other days like this, moments where I am just so aware of (and happy about) being alive. I don't know how else to explain it--you just know it when you are living it. __________________ And think not you can direct the course of Love; for Love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course. --Khalil Gibran

09-09-2008, 10:07 AM	#4 (permalink)
curiousbear Addict Location: WA	If I could do all what I want to do, without doing anything that I dont want to do, that is good life. examples of what I want to do (1) travel (2) have pets (3) lots of sex (4) hear lots of music (5) farming (6) photography (7) own & ride horses examples of what I dont want to do (1) lying (2) cheating (3) hurting innocents (4) falling sick (5) exploiting the weak little vague though...

09-09-2008, 04:13 PM	#6 (permalink)
FlatLand Flyer Insane Location: Eastern, WA	At this point in my life (not the good life) my idea of the good life would be to be debt free, and be able to to anything I wanted, within reason. Buy a plane, fly wherever I want in the country, have a nice house in 2 or 3 different areas of the country. Maybe get laid by beautiful women. Basically stress free living.

09-09-2008, 08:34 PM	#8 (permalink)
ASU2003 immoral minority Location: Back in Ohio	Abaya's trip sounds perfect (hopefully there was some sex), and that is what is making my life not considered good right now. I have been thinking about this quite a bit over the last few days. I can't really complain about what I have and where I'm at. I wish I had some more time and was finished with my electric car project and a few other things. I wish the world was a little better. And I wish I had a vacation/ winter home near the coast in Australia. I'm going to be coming up with a five year plan this weekend to come up with some direction for where I want to get to in a perfect world and in a normal world. I may revise this post a little then.