It's amazing how everything can be simplified down to the bare bones; and often times numerous simplified things yield the same equally unfavorable results.
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The age old question of purpose is one I'd like to raise. I've been doing a lot of contemplating, if you will, as to why I or any other human beings exist. Is it to appease our gods?? For those of us who don't worship some diety, I think we have to look inwards..and that's precisely what has happened to me. With my unfortunate loss of interest in video games, or at least the ones that are available for play at the moment, I've been faced with the question of what to do to occupy myself in those hours I used to spend in the mythical realm of Hibernia. Now, I'm having a lot of trouble, and I find myself just sitting around a lot. Or I go out with my roomate. As I type this, I realize I have gone off on a tangent.
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The point of this is to share my recent philosophical discoveries, not that any of it is controversial, I'm sure it's been stated in a somewhat similar manner at some other point in time. Regardless, I question the point of life, although I most certainly would not want to give mine up. To have ambition maybe, get a job, raise some kids, acquire wealth, live long healthy wealthy lives and stay at the top of the food chain in more than one way. But, having taken this into consideration, I am forced to ask myself, what is the point?? So many people trudge off to jobs they hate every day, to make money to survive and provide for those close to them. It just all seems so bizarre to me, so instinctual. What is it that causes us to have these desires?? I listen to music, go to concerts, read books, look at pictures of Suicide Girls..but what's the point of it all?? Personal enjoyment perhaps..some form of satisfaction. I might smoke pot occasionally, and I love getting drunk. But why do I do it?? I have no idea really, other than to enjoy myself. What's the point of seeking out sexual encounters, which many people do as zealously as Jerry Fallwell pursues idiocy. "Getting your rocks off," could be said to be the point of this. But why do we feel the need to "Get our rocks off"?? I suppose it has something to do with strange chemicals having beach parties in our brains, but still, the underlying point of doing all this is to achieve personal enjoyment or satisfaction, am I right?? Now, I know I don't really care to ever have a job, or go to school, or do anything but sit around and enjoy my life; and frankly, as of late, doing much else has seemed utterly pointless. Which brings me to my incredible dull and non-controversial point..the meaning of life is enjoyment. Life and enjoyment are synonyms, idealistically.
--
"Smoking is bad for you," one might say. Yes, it sure is..but if one enjoys smoking I think he or she should do it, regardless of the health repercussions. Once again, the point of life is enjoyment, so enjoy it while you can. Perhaps one's smoking habit may put one in a less enjoyable state of living later on in life, but I guess the pros and cons must be weighed, yes?
--
I've been trying to adopt a Buddhist-Zen like mode of thought lately. I've been trying to free myself of unnecessary wants, because it has also occured to me, not that this hasn't been brought to my attention before, that unnecessary wants are the main reason for all suffering one experiences.
--
Think about it. Reduce. Everything can be broken down into smaller causes; many of which coincide.
Example:
Fred is suffering because he was mugged by someone.
Underlying cause simplified: The person who mugged Fred mugged him because of a want, for money, or whatever Fred had that the mugger wanted.
Sally is stressed out because she is running low on funds and the bills are piling up.
Underlying cause simplified: Sally's suffering is caused by the want to have the things her bills are charging her for, air conditioning, gasoline, credit card bills, whatever.
--
Free yourself from wants, inquire within. See how it works for you.
--
The age old question of purpose is one I'd like to raise. I've been doing a lot of contemplating, if you will, as to why I or any other human beings exist. Is it to appease our gods?? For those of us who don't worship some diety, I think we have to look inwards..and that's precisely what has happened to me. With my unfortunate loss of interest in video games, or at least the ones that are available for play at the moment, I've been faced with the question of what to do to occupy myself in those hours I used to spend in the mythical realm of Hibernia. Now, I'm having a lot of trouble, and I find myself just sitting around a lot. Or I go out with my roomate. As I type this, I realize I have gone off on a tangent.
--
The point of this is to share my recent philosophical discoveries, not that any of it is controversial, I'm sure it's been stated in a somewhat similar manner at some other point in time. Regardless, I question the point of life, although I most certainly would not want to give mine up. To have ambition maybe, get a job, raise some kids, acquire wealth, live long healthy wealthy lives and stay at the top of the food chain in more than one way. But, having taken this into consideration, I am forced to ask myself, what is the point?? So many people trudge off to jobs they hate every day, to make money to survive and provide for those close to them. It just all seems so bizarre to me, so instinctual. What is it that causes us to have these desires?? I listen to music, go to concerts, read books, look at pictures of Suicide Girls..but what's the point of it all?? Personal enjoyment perhaps..some form of satisfaction. I might smoke pot occasionally, and I love getting drunk. But why do I do it?? I have no idea really, other than to enjoy myself. What's the point of seeking out sexual encounters, which many people do as zealously as Jerry Fallwell pursues idiocy. "Getting your rocks off," could be said to be the point of this. But why do we feel the need to "Get our rocks off"?? I suppose it has something to do with strange chemicals having beach parties in our brains, but still, the underlying point of doing all this is to achieve personal enjoyment or satisfaction, am I right?? Now, I know I don't really care to ever have a job, or go to school, or do anything but sit around and enjoy my life; and frankly, as of late, doing much else has seemed utterly pointless. Which brings me to my incredible dull and non-controversial point..the meaning of life is enjoyment. Life and enjoyment are synonyms, idealistically.
--
"Smoking is bad for you," one might say. Yes, it sure is..but if one enjoys smoking I think he or she should do it, regardless of the health repercussions. Once again, the point of life is enjoyment, so enjoy it while you can. Perhaps one's smoking habit may put one in a less enjoyable state of living later on in life, but I guess the pros and cons must be weighed, yes?
--
I've been trying to adopt a Buddhist-Zen like mode of thought lately. I've been trying to free myself of unnecessary wants, because it has also occured to me, not that this hasn't been brought to my attention before, that unnecessary wants are the main reason for all suffering one experiences.
--
Think about it. Reduce. Everything can be broken down into smaller causes; many of which coincide.
Example:
Fred is suffering because he was mugged by someone.
Underlying cause simplified: The person who mugged Fred mugged him because of a want, for money, or whatever Fred had that the mugger wanted.
Sally is stressed out because she is running low on funds and the bills are piling up.
Underlying cause simplified: Sally's suffering is caused by the want to have the things her bills are charging her for, air conditioning, gasoline, credit card bills, whatever.
--
Free yourself from wants, inquire within. See how it works for you.
VIEW 11 of 11 COMMENTS
Your last line reminds me of a story title I read a long time again. "Virginity is Curable, Inquire Within." Just popped into the old noggin.
i remember how i stopped going out in public with my mom because i was tired of people gasping and looking at me in fear because they were just SO black and SO big. the black was down to almost the bottom of my nose. and i was tired of sitting in the shopping cart while mom did grocercies and people just stared at me in disbelief. hehe
i should look for my pics of the blackeyes and post them.