just wanted to hear what people have to say?
What else did you have planned?
you cant kill yourself, its too hard to. Ok, pulling the trigger, that takes guts to do that and you might mis-aim. Jumping off a tall building, again same thing and you might just be a cripple in the end. Pills and booze, same thing, you might sit there for hours too drugged to move but not drugged enough to die and when its over, damage might be done. suffocation-too hard. all of this stuff is a risk and require guts and they arent fool proof.
So your best bet is to make the best of things.
Arr! I thought it obvious, m’heartie! Teh find the treasure’s o’course! Arr! 
Why isn’t life worth living? (always best to answer a question with a question)
There are pleasures to be had in life, albeit against a backdrop of misery.
Rachmaninov
Mozart
R. Strauss
Holly Cole
Pizza
Bass Ale
Women (especially Jessica Alba)
Sunsets
Sunrises
Winter
Summer
Porch sitting (ie drinking beer on the front porch with a friend)
Your Mom
Your dad
Nietzsche
Hot dogs w/horseradish mustard, ketchup, onions & kraut)
Choice NY or Ribeye, rare to med-rare
Football (esp the Vikings)
H.P. Lovecraft
Knights of the Old Republic (Xbox)
2006 'Vette (and 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010…)
Golden Labs (the dog)
Friendship
The History Channel
"Life has meaning only if one barters it day by day for something other than itself. " (From my Exupery days)
Oh, and Siatd:
I know that you’re not stating anything in the above sentence (you’re just posing a question), but aren’t you the one who said “respect for power rather than respect for being born” ?
Doesn’t this view exclude the intrinsic value of life in favour of a gained, drudged existence ? By placing mere existence below the struggle for existence, I guess the answer to your question becomes “because one has failed to meet the expectations”.
edited
‘Life doesn’t need an inherent value for it to be worth living’ is the short answer. I could go on at length but I’m sure that I’d be telling you things that you already know.
Besides, power and the struggle take existence for granted, if nothing exists then power and the struggle are irrelevant.
Furthermore a life and life in general are not the same thing. A million lives and life in general are not the same thing.
Do you see why you sighting of a contradiction was based on a somewhat faulty telescope?
If life wasn’t worth living, then why would you propose the question?
I don’t know. I have to tell you when I am done living.
end of discussion
SIATD, I wasn’t chasing contradictions, I was just seeking an answer.
Does not one, by judging the worthiness of something, consider essentially the finality of that action ? By saying that A is worth doing, do you not refer to the fact that A will have a positive and satisfactory outcome, while something that isn’t worth doing isn’t worth it because it will yield nothing good ? Is not finality, or better yet, purposness, what we consider when taking the worthiness of an action into account ? Methinks yes.
Ah, but when one analyses the purpose of life and realises that the only certain finality is eventually death and imminently disappointment, then the plot thickens and existentialist angst kicks in. One is faced then with roughly three choices.
One could give life a transcendental purpose, a Nirvana something, or Enlightenment, or Power, or God. Nobody stops you from doing that, and the immediate advantage of choosing to see beyond the daily routine is that when asked if life is worth living you will answer yes. Purposness gives life direction and it shapes it accordingly to the sought after finality. It also makes struggle the key factor, and it is safe to say that in such a context one who has fought the most with the world and himself deserves the most respect.
You could however choose to see nothing else beyond death and life than it is willing to offer you with a Chinese drop, and opt for a negative answer to the forementioned question, thus living a live of indifference towards life and death. Absurdistan.
Another way to approach the matter is by believing that life gains value as it unfolds. No finality, no immediate purpose, just ethics, sodomy and lust, stoicism, indifference, or whatever turns you on. Improvising life as it goes by rather than reciting a given role, seize the moment, believe in God, fight, be lazy, be a smart-ass, be whatever, just don’t be final in what you do. In such a context, the question of “is life worth living” becomes irrelevant, as life is taken for granted and used to death.
Just imagine what would happen if Thierry Henry stopped tonight during the 17 th minute of the first half and asked himself : ‘Hey, is this match even worth playing?’ What would he say ?
‘It is, but only if I win…’ But what if you don’t win ? It happened before, it happened just lasr Saurday at Liverpool with Everton, so it’s possible that it happens again. Should you give up ? Why, no. The mere thought of victory makes the game worth playing, although it might lead to cheating or extremism…
'I don’t care if I win or lose, the whole game is absurd anyway and I’m just a miserable sob, so it don’t mater if I play or not… ’ That kind of attitude would probably ensure his early retirement.
Or he could just play, like he usually does, without any questions, just for the sake of playing, for the beauty of the game, and play magnificently, as he always does. He would permanenly keep the score board in mind, true, but never let the thought of the result come in the way of making a good game for himself and the crowd.
Sorry, my mistake, I forgot that Henry isn’t playing tonight. Think van Persie, instead, as he is in a good form lately.
Sammy Ally’s barmy army of Real Madrid rejects did for Arsenal today, so Henry was right not to play, evidently…
p.s. Liverpool played Man U last weekend…
Alas, there is nothing to live for anymore…
There’s trying to beat Bolton, Spurs et al for the 4th Champions League spot. If you don’t get it then I think that Henry is leaving…
Again W.C. amazes and astounds me. This is because I have a special spot in me heart for a life at sea as a daring corsair.
W.J. Wilczek, I enjoy not paying taxes. I stopped the moment America invaded Afghanistan and I never will again.
Mucius Scevola, well thought out and insightful as per usual. Though I think their may be more then three ways of approaching the question.
When you think about it this question doesn’t really make any sense. Bah I say! First off one is already “living” because one must already be engaged in a “life.” Second it’s hard to determine what is being asked when you use words like “worth” in this context. Is this a way of asking why not kill yourself or maybe asking what is the meaning of it all? The answer is 42 my friend, but the question is a doozy. I think I would do better to answer, “Why continue to exist after one has determined that one exists.” Ah ha! A question I can deal with…
The answer, well… I don’t know. What do you think?
i guess what i was really asking was,
what motive lies behind any action? does motive necessarily have to preceed action?
does action necessarily have to incur effects?
Arr! That be so? Well how’d you like to scrape the barnacles off of me rudder then, aye? Toothless grin Arr!
Life is worth living for the above reasons plus so much more. For every human born they are a reason. To reach the end that is a reason. To better yourself that is a reason. To choose to end your life you give up on solving one of the greatest mysteries of all time. There are plenty of good solid reasons for suicide. Probably only one or two for not killing yourself. When people decide not to suicide it is only for those couple or three reasons. Love in any form, fear of losing so much, and being alone when you die. these reasons have stopped people from suiciding. perhaps they are the reasons to live. If you are about to kill your self and you stop then you find a reason to live.