What's keeping you Alive
 

I know some people are driven to suicide because they think they lack anything worth living for, but I was wondering what motivates people here to go about thier day-to-day lives. For me it's the hope that in the future, I'll be enlightened spiritually and that I'll create something beautiful. Sounds corny but it comes from the heart.

I am kept alive by revolt against the absurd (and this came before reading any Camus or other philosophy).

I realized that the fundamental problem of suicide couldn't be answered with "yes" when I was in 7th grade because it didn't get rid of the problem of not having a greater meaning to my life. Killing myself said "I don't know why I'm alive and it isn't worth it". Staying alive said "I don't know why I'm alive but I'm willing to keep searching because I don't know if it is worth it."

After reading "The Myth of Sisyphus" by Camus this put my rudamental philosophy is clear terms. If Sisyphus can engage in absurd meaningless activity for all eternity and be happy because he is doing it in scorn of his fate, then I can be happy doing things I choose for myself.

So, the short answer. Living in the face of knowing that existence is absurd gives me the power and strength to get through each day. My creativity and passion for making the most of my opportunities is key to making my life meaningful on a day to day basis. Now the idea of anything greater than myself governing for me a destiny or such I find abhorable... I'd much rather be on my own with no given answers. I'd like to create my own answers, one at a time.

It verry simple for my part. Both life and death has no spiritual meaning to me. The thing with life is that you can create a meaning to it yourself. Since death is the end of life you are not able to create a meaning to it. Living is pointless in the grand view of things but death is even more pointless so I choose life and enjoying the things that makes me happy about living. Death is the ultimate end, it is comming all too soon, no matter what I do.

The thought of revenge and the fact that you can't undo death.

While there is life, things can improve. That and coffee.

Oxygen, food and water. In no particular order.

My daughter is one big thing that keeps me going in my every day life. I know what I can do for her is better than many of her other choices. In no way do I envision myself as the perfect parent but I do care for her so very much and try my best.

So often I do what I do each day because it needs to be done. I don't worry about who should be doing it. I do know that if I was gone so much would get left undone and my girl would be loved by one less person. I make myself useful and ultimately needed by what I do.

I don't see why I should commit suicide?

I enjoy my life. I don't see why I need to have some overall, ultimate "meaning" to justify living.

If my life became too pointless or hopeless, I could easily justify suicide. I'm not going to pretend that my life serves any higher purpose - I don't believe in fate or predestination, and I don't believe in a punishing God. As it stands, I'm doing things that I enjoy and I still have hope that I'll do great things in my future. But if that hope is extinguished I reserve the right to remove myself.

my will to live comes from the hope for greater things.
the hope for love.
for laughter.
for happiness.
for peace.
for self-actualization

and knowing that i have these things with me in my grasp right now. i choose to live because life is full of choices and i believe in free will. i think people are much happier if they believe they have control over things than if they thought everything was fated to them. everything is a choice. learn how to choose mindfully and consciously.

I live because I'm alive -- life is beautiful and needs no excuse.

Air, water, food, love - listed in no particular order.

Fear of death...heh.

sus and mimi, love of Nature, a great satisfaction in collaborating with others in positive ways to create new forms of expression, and intellectual curiosity.

it would take to much effort on my part to end it

Refusing to keep living would be giving up and quitting. I believe in the forces of Good and Evil in a karma-like system, and just letting the evil take over and beat me would be the most cowardly thing I could do, and if there's one thing in life that I can be positive I am not and do not want to be, it's a coward.

if you can't find anything that makes yourself happy, you always have the capacity to make someone else happy. thats a reason to stick around.

my g/f is what makes me smile in the morning, live my day, and go to sleep at night.

I was never afraid of dying, and I still aren't really, its just now I do more to try and avoid it, whereas before I never cared.

Because I don't want to miss a thing.
Good, Bad or Ugly
It's all a new experience.

La joie de vivre
(literally the joy of life but meaning "the essense of life")

Suck the juice out of that marrow. ;)

getting as much done for my soul growth in this life, thereby getting closer to the next level...whatever that may be. Who knows , in a couple more lifetimes I may be an avatar and not need to come back here.

The most tangible thing that keeps me going is my dog/son/little man. He's a black lab that was near death when he came crawling out of the woods and found me. He was about 6 months old and had been shot with birdshot, you could see every rib, he had open sores where he had been left in a muzzle, and was covered in ticks and mange. He's 5 1/2 now and still has horrific nightmares which require me to wake him and he suffers from seperation anxiety. We're like peas and carrots.

Got way too much shit that wouldn't get done it I weren't around. That's what keeps me here, and as TopHat said, Coffee...


-SF

The curiosity of what might happen tomorrow.

...and pizza

That's a very touching story for some reason.

You know what i hate, but i still find to be more intresting. When my life sucks. When a g/f dumps me or my cards just arn't falling into place when everything sucks, and i'm losing money out the shitter. When everything feels like a waste when times are bad. I LOVE IT. I feel so alive, and the experience itself is almost reward enough to compensate for my losses, but what i hate is having to rebuild. rebuilding after losses sucks nut, and its not an enjoybale experience.

All i know is that no matter where i am in life i derive joy from my present state of being, as every day is a new day, and i love living it.

however the more i get into my life the more i find the workings of some ultimate being... Which sucks, because as a former atheist i lost some of the feeling of being without bound. Not that i buy into one particular church, nor do i see evidence anywhere around me that any earthly gospel has it all figured out, but i've seen enough proof that there has been divine influence in our universe to make me a believer.

Life rocks even when it sucks, not my philosphy just how i see things.

Dunno how to make people see things they way i do, but if i could there would be a lot more positive people.

If you mean that you enjoy the challenge of life, and think of everything bad that comes your way as another level in a game, then I feel the same way you do. Sometimes I make things harder for myself on purpose, just to see if I can win in a bad situation. I think it's true that whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

People have asked me, as an athiest why do I bother living without a given purpose.
Truthfully, as far as I know living has no purpose (aside from the purpose you give it blah blah blah.)
My usual answer is: if neither life nor death have purpose, and death will come regardless, what reason would one have to hurry it?

I live because I still find a lot of things fascinating and enjoyable. If I were even incurable bored Id probably die without even having to kill myself.

I live to see whats next.

I live to make my legeacy storng

What do you want your legacy to be?

I live to create and to see my creations inspire people.

A answer to your question can be found here

http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...threadid=32484

I would have to say the love of my family is the only thing that keeps me from calling the game on account of rain.

I love book, music, movies, and other forms of entertainment. I love exploring these artistic mediums and sharing what I've found with others. I turned a co-worker on to Bill Hicks and Elliot Smith recently. I think quality literature, film and performance are what keep me constantly interested in society.

As a journalist, I contribute my own observations and work to help people make their own choices and to spur debate.

But what really turns me crank right now is thinking about all the social possibilities available to me once I finally move into an apartment in the city. I wonder what lovely lady is going to catch my eye--what she'll be like, what she'll sound like, etc. There is nothing more important than the bonds people make with each other.

I live cuz I love programming so much that I wanna have sex with Java...

*gets a werid feeling that everybody is looking at him*

What!?

tomorrow.

that's all i got.

It feels good so I do it.

The idea that nothing is definite. Life is crazy and can deal you anything at anytime. Good or bad not knowing the outcome, keeps you going. In life you never know whats gonna happen, so take one day at a time and see what the outcome is.

Last one standing wins.

You know, I think my family and friends and music is was keeps me alive. I have had some very sh!tty days in my 19 years of existance. I've been in trouble with johnny-law, have had my share of ups and downs with relationships. But being able to talk to friends and family then being able to listen to music to relieve anger works great...

ALSO

Little Nemo... "Just keep swimming" ...etc that is the best advice EVER!!!!