life...

[Bungo the Mungo]

Do the ones who see life more as a struggle feel 'supported' by the idea that deep, intelligent people tend to have that kind of outlook?

You assume that those seeing it that way are doing so out of some existential anguish about the meaninglesness of life.
It could just be that they're worried about their gas being cut off because they can't afford to pay the bill.

I was assuming none of us here face that kind of problem....

[The Modernist]

I was assuming none of us here face that kind of problem....

That's a big assumption.

[hookfinger]

I was assuming none of us here face that kind of problem....

That's a big assumption.

Of course with that prize purse you have just won, you should be set for awhile...

[Insouciant Western People]

God invented wine, fags and very loud music..

Paging The Hanging Monkey...

[Belle Lettre]

He doesn't smoke.

As for life, you should know it's just a bowl of All-Bran.

Or a pop of the cherry. When you're a boy.

[CatnHat]

[quote="The Idiot"]It's just life. Sometimes it's shit, sometimes it's ace, most of the time it's, well, OK. It's definitely improved by a good soundtrack.
[quote]

And there's always someone worse off than you, and you should appreciate the good things you have

[Insouciant Western People]

there's always someone worse off than you

... and that person is probably Coan

[the hanging monkey]

I don't HAVE to choose though, and it's a false dichotomy (you can look that one up, Coan). Listen to Nick at this point.

It would be a false dichotomy to state that life is either a struggle or a bundle of joys, as a fact. I'm just asking people to choose one or the other based on how they see things, how they feel, their temperament.

No, it's still a false dichotomy.

http://www.sierrafoot.org/soapbox/fallacies/false_dichotomy.html

[Davey the Fat Boy]

C. All of the above.

[sloopjohnc]

I'm speedily getting close to 50, outta work, spend too much time hanging out with you dorks, but still think it's a bundle of joy. Yeah it's tough sometimes, but I like to look at the glass as half full.

I think it's easier that way when you're on your deathbed and start thinking back on what you did and saw.

Is it perfect? Well, I refer you back to my first sentence. I feel lucky simply being born where I was and getting a few lucky breaks, life-wise, that I did.

Believe me, shit could be a whole lot worse than what we have it.

[savoirefaire]

There's nothing like having a good stretch of a nice time when you've been feeling down for quite a prolonged period of time. I guess the thing that keeps me going is looking forward to the little bits of happiness I can gather from my life right now. Which is a struggle? I don't know, I don't enjoy parties as much as I seem to.

[Clippernolan]

Don't talk to me about life.

[Quaco]

For me, it's definitely not a party, but struggle might be too strong a word. It's more like an office job, tasks to do but none terribly difficult, and quite a bit of waiting around. I guess it's the life I've chosen for myself. Purgatory rather than heaven or hell.

[Billybob Dylan]

For me, it's definitely not a party, but struggle might be too strong a word. It's more like an office job, tasks to do but none terribly difficult, and quite a bit of waiting around. I guess it's the life I've chosen for myself. Purgatory rather than heaven or hell.

Yes. Some of those tasks are repetitive or just plain tedious but it's not exactly hard work. Not quite Purgatory, though.

[sloopjohnc]

For me, it's definitely not a party, but struggle might be too strong a word. It's more like an office job, tasks to do but none terribly difficult, and quite a bit of waiting around. I guess it's the life I've chosen for myself. Purgatory rather than heaven or hell.

You should add "determined resignation" to that mature bitterness you've so carefully cultivated.

[Loki]

It''s definitely both. More of a struggle on the whole, but that's why we're here.

Life is indeed what you make it. Attitude is everything.

... not all it could be, but it could also be far, far worse. be thankful for the great things about it and try not to let the bad things get you down.

Got it in one.


All that said, I look fwd to death. I'm really tired of dealing with certain things.

No more pain. Party all the time.

[Django]

Most of the time, I'm having a good time.

I'm getting better at recognising that the moment in which I am existing is the one thing I will ever truly own, and it's up to me to either enjoy it or waste it. I could worry about next year - and there's a lot for me to worry about - but next year will never actually arrive. It doesn't exist. There's only now. And now. And now.

I had my daughter to myself today, and my wife gets home from work and asks what we've done, and we haven't really done anything. We pulled faces at each other a lot, and all the cherry trees at the end of the street have gone into blossom so we went down there and looked at how striking those trees look against the blue sky. And I pulled cherry blossoms off the lowest branches and put them in Matilda's hair. And then we went home. We didn't spend any money and we didn't win anybody's approval. I don't know what will happen tomorrow, or next year, but I can't imagine a day coming when it won't be possible to be as simply happy in the moment in which we live as we were today. And I realise that sounds like hippy bullshit, but it seems to me like's it's fundamentally true as well.


So..... screw you!

[Loki]

I'm getting better at recognising that the moment in which I am existing is the one thing I will ever truly own, and it's up to me to either enjoy it or waste it. I could worry about next year - and there's a lot for me to worry about - but next year will never actually arrive. It doesn't exist. There's only now. And now. And now.

That's exactly it, Django. The Mindfulness principle. You have to enjoy the moment you're in.

[sloopjohnc]

I had my daughter to myself today, and my wife gets home from work and asks what we've done, and we haven't really done anything. We pulled faces at each other a lot, and all the cherry trees at the end of the street have gone into blossom so we went down there and looked at how striking those trees look against the blue sky. And I pulled cherry blossoms off the lowest branches and put them in Matilda's hair. And then we went home. We didn't spend any money and we didn't win anybody's approval. I don't know what will happen tomorrow, or next year, but I can't imagine a day coming when it won't be possible to be as simply happy in the moment in which we live as we were today. And I realise that sounds like hippy bullshit, but it seems to me like's it's fundamentally true as well.

Beautiful post, buddy.

Remember that when she's a teenager. It will sustain you.

[BARON CORNY DOG]

I've been lucky.