mine is happiness. not just for myself, but the idea that everyone in the world should have an equal opportunity to experience happiness.
right now I think the world is kind of messed up and we could improve it a lot.
I don't think there's an afterlife, so the more people who can be happy while they're alive, the better!
when I decided to post this I thought I had a lot more to say than I actually did, haha. I'll post more later maybe.
right now I think the world is kind of messed up and we could improve it a lot.
I don't think there's an afterlife, so the more people who can be happy while they're alive, the better!
when I decided to post this I thought I had a lot more to say than I actually did, haha. I'll post more later maybe.
mine is the nonstop war against regret. i base all major decisions in my life on the rule of "will i regret this?" so every choice made is the best possible and there's no reason to look back on it.
=D
also... cupcakes. someone once asked us in highschool what our life goals were... you know... to be a doctor, have a family, shoot up the place.. things like that i guess they were expecting. I said... my life goal is to eat a cupcake. And I'll be happier than all of you, because there are cupcakes a plenty for me to eat, and I'll be realizing my life goal often with sprinkles.
So yeah... Cupcakes.
=D
also... cupcakes. someone once asked us in highschool what our life goals were... you know... to be a doctor, have a family, shoot up the place.. things like that i guess they were expecting. I said... my life goal is to eat a cupcake. And I'll be happier than all of you, because there are cupcakes a plenty for me to eat, and I'll be realizing my life goal often with sprinkles.
So yeah... Cupcakes.
Friends and family. My ultimate goal is to make a better future for all of those who I truly care about. In this is what I find fulfilling. To give gifts is great, but to make someone smile for the rest of their life is truly fulfilling. In fulfilling other peoples dreams I achieve greatness myself because it is what makes me happy. And I feel that in order to make others happy there is some level of success I must achieve.
I really like asemi's view about the afterlife. I don't really know, nor do I care about the afterlife. But I have the view, regardless of what is out there, there is no reason not to have a fucking blast while you are here.
I really like asemi's view about the afterlife. I don't really know, nor do I care about the afterlife. But I have the view, regardless of what is out there, there is no reason not to have a fucking blast while you are here.
my driving principle is peace
I'm fightening to attain competence!
Übermensch
Superman?
Nietzsche speaks of the Übermensch (overman?) but I am no expert so I will just talk of what it means to me.
One of my driving principles is to seek personal perfection. To overcome my intellectual and physical prejudices and achieve a level of existence that is above that of the mundane human while at the same time fully acknowledging my own physical and mental limitations. In acceptance of my true limitations I would realize that the walls that I have constructed are so much tighter than those which actually exist. Ultimately the hardest thing to accept will be the infinite possibilities of personal destiny. Realizing that in truth I could be or do just about anything. My goal would be to ultimately be able to accept my own divinity.
I would not have stated all of this so explicitly for I feel that such a driving principle has become hackneyed.
One of my driving principles is to seek personal perfection. To overcome my intellectual and physical prejudices and achieve a level of existence that is above that of the mundane human while at the same time fully acknowledging my own physical and mental limitations. In acceptance of my true limitations I would realize that the walls that I have constructed are so much tighter than those which actually exist. Ultimately the hardest thing to accept will be the infinite possibilities of personal destiny. Realizing that in truth I could be or do just about anything. My goal would be to ultimately be able to accept my own divinity.
I would not have stated all of this so explicitly for I feel that such a driving principle has become hackneyed.
asemisldkfj>>I don't think there's an afterlife, so the more people who can be happy while they're alive, the better!
Trent>>And I feel that in order to make others happy there is some level of success I must achieve.
Tried that, it sucks. In the end you realize that the happiness of others was never within your powers. happiness is subjective. I let others worry about their own happiness.
nny>>mine is the nonstop war against regret.
I renounce regret! Regret like worry is an artificial construction of the mind which feels itself unable to change what is no longer within its sphere of influence. Regret = impotence of the mind. All regret is a waste of energy (and perhaps the byproduct of a religious upbringing).
Trent>>And I feel that in order to make others happy there is some level of success I must achieve.
Tried that, it sucks. In the end you realize that the happiness of others was never within your powers. happiness is subjective. I let others worry about their own happiness.
nny>>mine is the nonstop war against regret.
I renounce regret! Regret like worry is an artificial construction of the mind which feels itself unable to change what is no longer within its sphere of influence. Regret = impotence of the mind. All regret is a waste of energy (and perhaps the byproduct of a religious upbringing).
:)
I'm not necessarily talking about making individual people I come into contact happy, but changing the world in a way that makes it more fair and allows more people opportunities for success and happiness and a good life.
yeah ;) there is something to that
i once decided to never regret. i thing everything i've done in the past can't be undone. there's no use agonizing over past mistakes
now i believe that thinking about the past is useful for planning new actions. if i've burned my hand on the stove in the past, the painful memory of it may prevent me from burning myself again. is that regret? is it useful?
now i believe that thinking about the past is useful for planning new actions. if i've burned my hand on the stove in the past, the painful memory of it may prevent me from burning myself again. is that regret? is it useful?
i don't really understand the concept of regret. i had a philosophy professor who tried to clear it up with me. i don't remember what i was supposed to learn. :(
do you ever use the word in conversation?
* * *
etymonline says: "to look back with distress or sorrowful longing; to grieve for on remembering, [...]"
in "i regret to inform you [...]", what is regretted is not in the past. the informing happens as the word is written, or when it's read later by its recipient
https://www.etymonline.com/word/regret
* * *
what is my driving principle?
from what i've done, it seems to mostly be about comfort. when i'm uncomfortably cold, wet, or hungry, i spend most of my energy on trying to remedy it. otherwise, when there's no immediate need for that kind of action, i work to prolong the comfort i have for as long as possible with the least work possible
it's not always obvious that i follow that principle
maybe i try to maximize my total dopamine production over my whole life (or the feeling that's associated with that hormone). maybe i desire dopamine in the minute more than the same amount one year from now
i desire eudaimonia. and i think everyone must do the same, even if they don't state it as their driving principle. i don't know how to measure it, or how to achieve it. i think those aspects may be different for every living thing
...
are having principles a way to circumvent obvious wants?
* * *
etymonline says: "to look back with distress or sorrowful longing; to grieve for on remembering, [...]"
in "i regret to inform you [...]", what is regretted is not in the past. the informing happens as the word is written, or when it's read later by its recipient
https://www.etymonline.com/word/regret
* * *
what is my driving principle?
from what i've done, it seems to mostly be about comfort. when i'm uncomfortably cold, wet, or hungry, i spend most of my energy on trying to remedy it. otherwise, when there's no immediate need for that kind of action, i work to prolong the comfort i have for as long as possible with the least work possible
it's not always obvious that i follow that principle
maybe i try to maximize my total dopamine production over my whole life (or the feeling that's associated with that hormone). maybe i desire dopamine in the minute more than the same amount one year from now
i desire eudaimonia. and i think everyone must do the same, even if they don't state it as their driving principle. i don't know how to measure it, or how to achieve it. i think those aspects may be different for every living thing
...
are having principles a way to circumvent obvious wants?
seems like the comfort goals are transient--myopic--with your use of "immediate need"
while the pursuit of maximal dopamine is transient in effect, the lifetime optimization of it is not myopic
eudaimonia would be nice, with a balanced time-path of dopamine. the former seems to require values, and there arises the existential problem (defining one's values)
while the pursuit of maximal dopamine is transient in effect, the lifetime optimization of it is not myopic
eudaimonia would be nice, with a balanced time-path of dopamine. the former seems to require values, and there arises the existential problem (defining one's values)
Been years, time to revisit...
My driving force now is peace. I desire and seek peace in life, in thought, and in practice. I have been slowly achieving simplicity in living, and in return I have been able to reflect more about what I truly want in life. I don't seek fame, fortune, or even comfort. I don't see a comfortable bed as something of a need, nor do I really need to be in a regulated environment any longer.
I would like to do as little harm as possible in my life, and would prefer to bring as much joy as I can.
I don't think this is ever something that can be obtained.
My driving force now is peace. I desire and seek peace in life, in thought, and in practice. I have been slowly achieving simplicity in living, and in return I have been able to reflect more about what I truly want in life. I don't seek fame, fortune, or even comfort. I don't see a comfortable bed as something of a need, nor do I really need to be in a regulated environment any longer.
I would like to do as little harm as possible in my life, and would prefer to bring as much joy as I can.
I don't think this is ever something that can be obtained.
sounds like some buddhism right there
There's a strong argument to be made. But I dislike the connotations of 'Buddhism,' and the ideas of karma, samsara, enlightenment, et al.
"Burn your bookshelves to be free."
"Burn your bookshelves to be free."
i have many reservations about a literal interpretation of buddhist teachings and following them as such.
but i have my own looser interpretations of some of the teachings, and then i really appreciate them.
but i have my own looser interpretations of some of the teachings, and then i really appreciate them.
hm, now i'm reading about the two truths doctrine. seems relevant
Interesting. One of my good friends is (insanely) well-versed in the Pali canon (he taught himself Pali to read it). I need to ask him about this.
i've been comfortable for a while
now i think my guiding principle is minimizing guilt. i avoid guilt by following more specific principles such as keeping promises, to others and myself
maybe this is more of a direction i happen to act in than a principle that i deliberately follow
i struggle to justify it. i avoid a feeling that i don't like more than i seek a particular goal
now i think my guiding principle is minimizing guilt. i avoid guilt by following more specific principles such as keeping promises, to others and myself
maybe this is more of a direction i happen to act in than a principle that i deliberately follow
i struggle to justify it. i avoid a feeling that i don't like more than i seek a particular goal
> Interesting. One of my good friends is (insanely) well-versed in the Pali canon (he taught himself Pali to read it). I need to ask him about this.
phi_, did you?
> i avoid a feeling that i don't like more than i seek a particular goal
suppose you're a person living around 500 BC and you're designing a set of guidelines for how to live a good live. quite a few of them might be designed to help society as a whole. some of them might be designed to help people be happy, live at peace, and avoid guilt and suffering.
i feel like the first six folds (?) of the [eightfold path](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path) have a direct effect on what you describe, bluet. for example, keeping promises helps others; it also helps your credibility, reputation, and avoidance of guilt (suffering). it could be right speech, right action, or right resolve (idk which; it might depend on the details).
anyway, i'm not pushing buddhism. but it's a lens through which i interpret things (even though i don't know much about buddhism tbh)
phi_, did you?
> i avoid a feeling that i don't like more than i seek a particular goal
suppose you're a person living around 500 BC and you're designing a set of guidelines for how to live a good live. quite a few of them might be designed to help society as a whole. some of them might be designed to help people be happy, live at peace, and avoid guilt and suffering.
i feel like the first six folds (?) of the [eightfold path](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path) have a direct effect on what you describe, bluet. for example, keeping promises helps others; it also helps your credibility, reputation, and avoidance of guilt (suffering). it could be right speech, right action, or right resolve (idk which; it might depend on the details).
anyway, i'm not pushing buddhism. but it's a lens through which i interpret things (even though i don't know much about buddhism tbh)