Will to Live

Philosophy Forums Philosophy
1

Conventional wisdom - intuition, tells us that the will to live is true.

The focus, however, is often lost.

The will to live is why I am still alive. However, it is not the former, but the latter.

I don’t want to merely exist - especially not in pain. I want to live.

Suicide is rational when one concludes the pros of one’s future existence are outweighed by the cons.

Presuming existence is a circle, would you want to include unnecessary suffering in that circle?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1RQmnSJoRg[/youtube]

2

ALL Joy is the inner perception of progress, whether accurately perceived or not.

One cannot perceive progress unless one is certain of one’s goal. Without perceiving progress toward such a chosen goal, one cannot know Joy and thus only knows misery and loses the will to live.

The “natural goal” of life is to build immutable harmonious life throughout the universe, to convert the universe itself into the process of life, “Clarifying and Instilling”. And perhaps “The Devil Between Mirrors”.

3

You either grow (move forward) or you shrink (move backward.) If you’re standing still you are merely thinking you’re standing still: in reality, you’re shrinking.

Life is a process, not a fixed state.

4

James,

The ‘Devil’ is that which threatens to kill ‘God’, right?

(I’m too tired to read through other threads at the moment)

God is intrinsically valuable, with or without the Devil.

And isn’t the Devil only confused?

I’m trying to speak your language, not mine. I don’t like your language.

==

Magnus,

Rest, Strain & Belief

Life & Death II - (Interaction between James and I)

5

Emmm… no.

The “Devil” is that which threatens to destroy order, into chaos and thus life, into death.
Or you could say that “the Devil” is “the divider (a de-mon)” or simply “entropy”.
To the mind, the Devil is “self-doubt”.

6

(Your language) God = Order / Life

So, ‘Emmm… yes.’

7

Life is the home of the sweetest smile, and the sourest tear… A life’s worth lived.

8

Why are you saying that is my language when I have posted countless times;
A god ≡ who/whatever incontestably determines what can or cannot be concerning a particular situation.
The God ≡ Who/Whatever incontestably determines All that can or cannot be concerning any situation.

9

Why is this thread turning into a discussion about God? I suspect I’ve an answer to that too.

I’m tired…

And communicating like philosophy girl…

Hope she’s well.

10

One’s loves are the highest rewarding, satisfying and enjoyable phenomena in existence.

Let us ponder a moment what the most relevant thing to love would be…

Yourself, of course. You are the filter by which all else is measured.

But be warned, it’s a feedback loop!

Joy, Pain & Influence

11

Why not love someone else? or truth? or honor? or God? or destiny?

Positive feedback leads to narcissism but negative feedback would leads to the middle ground - the ideal person.

12

I need to sleep - it’s 4 am here. I’ll delay responding so I can give a cohesive answer later.

13

Love oneself first, and one will love oneself only.

To acquire the love of oneself, one must become what it is that one loves. One doesn’t alter what one loves in order to arrange for the loving of oneself (or at least not without becoming one egotistical, narcissistic asshole).

14

Love is not exclusive. Yet, I will continue:

One is awareness.

One is the filter by which all awareness is sifted.

One is the composition of all influences.

Other is a distinction made by one.

Yet, the other composes one.

The distinction is made in response to the degree of awareness.

One has direct access to X’s thoughts, X’s senses, X’s memories.

One does not have direct access to Y’s […]

Thus, one is more X than Y.

One relies on X.

To neglect X, is to burn the bridge to Y.

To burn a bridge to Y, undermines Y.

Love encourages one to respect the bridge between X and Y.

To love Y before X, is to abuse Y.

Ought one abuse Y, especially if one loves Y?

Surely not.

Yet, if one requires to burn the bridge to Y, one ought not demand Y to rebuild that bridge.

One ought endure the pain of said burned bridge, until one can endure constructing that bridge again.

Why ought one love oneself first?

Because it is the most honest reflection of love - the sincerest act of love.

To burden oneself, to hurt oneself, in order to give the purest form of love.

An assertion without evidence. Yet, I’ll continue:

This would be the case if we assume the feedback is coming externally, and one lacks internal integrity. Or vice versa.

Meaning - methods to validate information to a sufficient standard.

If we assume external or internal integrity, then narcissism will be resisted by said integrity, then it’s a question of which force is more powerful.

Objectivity

==

James,

u dum

15

Recap:

WtL in this context is the will to have a meaningful, satisfying existence.

To do that which one considers essential to a worthy life - A life well lived.

Each person may have a different idea of what a well lived life entails, but the will to realize that ideal in one’s own life is common among all.

It is this kind of WtL that keeps me going.

16

James S Saint

So, what you might be saying here, James, is that the devil is necessary, no?>

In the Garden of Eden, the devil lol or the serpent kind of usurped entropy. One could see such a blessed blissful existence not having a care in the world insofar as Adam and Eve were concerned - as entropy. Coming to consciousness and new life dispels entrophy and helps us to move on.

Self-doubt can also be a blessed event - causing us to question our belief systems. Before there can be right order and harmony, life is a process, don’t you think that the old order has to be destroyed and chaos surging (though there could always be a better easier way to get there lol) - as Freddie said: One must have chaos in order to give rise to a dancing star.

Life is flux, when we stagnate we must become aware of our entropy.

17

Self-doubt is the lack of confidence. It is not about questioning your beliefs, but rather your own ability to make good decisions. Most people bow to higher authority. They merely argue which one is higher (“Science says…”, “Einstein says…”, Bible says…", “Neitzsche says…”). They are often confident in their choice as to who is going to tell them what to think, but very seldom do they ever really believe that they can think for themselves. And the sad truth is that because of such self-doubt, it becomes true that they really can’t think for themselves.

You erroneously think that a man obviously egocentric needs more self-doubt. But it is actually hidden self-doubt that makes him so egocentric, defensive, and perhaps arrogant. When he stops fearing that he might be wrong, he begins the journey of becoming nearly always right. And not because of ego-defending, but because of the courage to question the information, disinformation, and prior decisions of his own. He is not doubting himself, but awakening to the obfuscation surrounding him. He gradually learns when to listen (give priority) and when to turn away (dispense with low grade noise), confident in his own ability to discern, regardless of what anyone else might say.

And thus through the lack of self-doubt, learn what and when to love.

18

what is the nature of this devil being talked about…

19

But, James, given the above, may not a case be made, that when even the doubt is doubted, that, it becomes a totally reduced and ultimately a total suspension of it’s total regress, into stopping at the lowest tier by only one conceivable thing : faith?

And then doubt becomes just another accessory, to be dispensed with, a defensive tool of bundling all of the negating consequentially repulsive idea, that what one is, is anything but what intends, rather, it is that which was served, a dealt deck of cards with which to play the games?

Here strategy, bluff , and politics take center stage, and intention and goal become sandwich ends where
Faith and belief and brotherhood are necessary tools
Without which the games become faithless attempts at the very mimicry over which doubt arises?

Over which, because it is beyond the good and the evil of so called political correctness and expediency?

20

Faith in what?