How does one find motivation to live?
- on 07.06.09
- motivation
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Its true that you came with nothing in this life and you will go with nothing from this life. Life can’t be just about working , paying bills, getting married, having kids, retiring and then dying old (among other tasks). How does one find motivation to keep on living knowing that everything is coming to an end and your demise is inevitable?
I don’t know about an end? I find that life is a history test that I’m trying very hard to pass so I can get to my next class.
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Legacy is the way most find reason to live. By living their lives to the fullest, they can live forever in the eyes of those that matter.
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In the motif’s (that’s mot-eef) that inspire you in life, the goals and the outcomes that you have endured and have ever so strongly worked for in order to obtain…children being a gift of life itself…love being a gift when married, and devotion and comfort being the result, working, striving for goals that may seem out of your reach yet when you succeed its that much more fulfilling…live life to the fullest, and find what motivates you, not what motivates society (;
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Resume
Razors pain you;
Rivers are damp;
Acids stain you;
And drugs cause cramp.
Guns aren’t lawful;
Nooses give;
Gas smells awful;
You might as well live.
~Dorothy Parker
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We do not find it, we create it. With the end near, it is time live like there is no tomorrow. Work at a job that builds your character. Marry the one that knows that love is also being able to let go. Have children only for your own demise and retire only if the door you are opening is to the Luxury Suite.
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I think the best way to answer this is a question reversal. How does one not find the motivation to live? There are so many ways to answer this question that by picking one and answering it would do great injustice to the other ways to answer.
For me personally, which I believe is the only true way to answer this question, I examine all aspects of life. Think about all of the things I would be missing out on. The grass that grows 3 feet tall in the summer, the way the wind feels on my face after a hot day, taking a hot shower each morning, the sounds of the birds after a hard rain. The list goes on a never stops.
As stated before, the answer to this question must lie within the person asking.
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In so many ways we all feel like this at some point in our lives, i know i have been feeling it alot of late… lethargic and basically feeling like what is the point ?
But basically, life is what you make it (cliche i know)… if you want to carry on feeling sorry for yourself because the end is inevitable go ahead, but think of all the wasted opportunites that you could have that other people could not.
Eventually everything ends, and sometimes this can be seen as a good thing and on the other hand it can be seen as heart wrenchingly awful… the fact of the story is, experiences make us who we are, and there is a reason that we are here, whether it to be finding someone and making their lives better through our presence or by finding the one thing that truly makes you happy and fulfilling yourself by doing it.
All in all, yes everything does end but there must be a reason for it happening, and i’m not saying that we all need to believe in the same thing to understand, everyone has different beliefs, i personally believe that fate has a hand in everything that happens, but to be honest it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, its your life and you make it through who you are.
The point of life ? Different for everyone i guess. The motivation ? Knowing that somehow your actions are changing someone’s life, however small that change may be, everyone is worth more than they give themselves credit for (without sounding to cliche again, i apologise!)
Yes, demise is inevitable, but surely thinking like that is not going to get you anywhere ? Don’t focus on the possibly overcast future, but concentrate on the present and how you will not leave life with nothing, you will have memories, experiences, love, pain and misery… but in the end, thats life isnt it ? different for everyone
sorry, i feel i’ve rambled but, erm thanks, writing this answer has made me feel sortof better about my perespective on life. i hope it helps in a way
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By changing the way you view these things that you call tasks. I work hard and accomplish goals and feel good about what I have done or created. I owe the bills so why shouldn’t I pay for what I have used or even want and my work helps me to accomplish this. I love the one I am married to and I can’t wait to grow old with him. You have more fun when you are older because you get to harass people, make people listen to you, dress any way you want to, and because you are old, who is going to say anything to you. I love my boys and even though I went through some feelings of indifference when I found out I was pregnant, they are here now and I would do your inevitable demise and I would die for them. I can’t wait to retire, I will still be busy because I can’t see myself sitting on my but for the next thirty years doing nothing, but I will start living my life in a different way and I enjoy change. Motivation to live is how do you see your canvas painted. If you don’t like it, change it.
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I don’t know about an end? I find that life is a history test that I’m trying very hard to pass so I can get to my next class.
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Im going to lay this out really simply for you since by now you must have lost most taste for this subject after reading so many other answers.
There are 3 consistent philosophies of life. Only Three really refined.
The first is determinism- It the most scientific understanding.
It would argue, that free will is as much an illusion as god and religion. That we human beings are totally predictable creatures. Your reason to exist can only be evaluated on a case be case basis where any result (you wake up and decide to go on, or shoot yourself) is logical.
So. in Lamen’s terms you don’t find determination to live, because finding implies free will- your body will just do it.
The Second is the philosophy of Ayn Raynd (her books are popular for this very reason). As an atheist her philosophy shares your understanding also that everything ends in this life essentially. And because of that the only true logical conclusion of how you ought to live your life is the maximization of self interest. Do what you want irrespective of others. Living a colloquially understood moral life will only set you back and hinder your potential according to the philosophy.
The Third is the most controversial.
It first centers around the nature of truth (because morality often proceeds a clear understanding of truth). Whether it is objective or relative. The idea that any truth be it scientific or moral is Relative is a fallacy. I would tell you that the claim i just made is a matter of debate because it seems that way on yahoo answers. But most (i reckon 99%) of academia both religious and atheist (including notables such as RIchard Dawkins -acclaimed writer of the God Delusion) dismiss relativism and accept the need for objective standards.
Here though is where the religious and atheists differ-
Objective standards to the atheist are the best answer to living what is colloquially understood as a good life yet they have no idea what to base the standards on (because to do it relativistically is hypocritical). And furthermore since Atheists do not believe in an afterlife their best justification for living a good life is understood in a communal uplift if "everyone is doing it"- basically a utilitarian answer.
Objective Standards to the Religious are centered on God- he is essentially that standard. However since humans have such a limited understanding of God there is much debate even on the basic level as to what those standards are. However the biggest difference would be that religous often believe in an afterlife also. Since there is no death- then their actions have eternal value rather than a blip value.
SO there you have it- philosophically these are the most popular-
That your body will figure it out since you dont have free will
That you ought to live your life to the maximization of self-interest
That you should live a moral life rooted in good deeds and contemplation (philosophize) of the merit of what is good or bad
My only advice to you is this- always contemplate to yourself what that motivation is- Better to discover that answer for yourself.
Two fish swim along and pass a wise fish who asks them "Hows the water?" Later on, one of the two looks to the other and says "What the hell is water"?
Im sincerely glad you ask that question, Why live in this rat race? Why go on? Why at all? I promise that no matter what personal conclusions you come to- your life will be enriched be it
Take care
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-philosophy grad student
- If you have time read this speech, it in the yellow box
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/18395
Live in desperation without motivation long enough, and you will not have to do much to want back what you rationalized away. I don’t advocate doing this, (the hard way) but it is the only thing I can give you from what little experience I’ve got.
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