I want to know WHY people choose to go on. — Darkneos

Habit, inertia, hope, romanticism, idealism, revenge, apathy, momentum, to list a few, seem to be what keeps people going.

How much choice plays into this is hard to say. A person doesn't give birth to themselves (not even metaphorically); being aware of this, one, directly or indirectly acknowledges that one's existence and the possibility of one's existence are something that is beyond one's control.

We are neither entirely free, nor entirely bound.

The fact that one lives is not entirely up to oneself.

One of the ways I see it is that we are all going to die eventually, so what's the rush?

I love it!

My feet hurt, my knees are giving way, my back is agony my skin has gone brittle, (I am old) but we have just moved house and there is a garden to dig, a greenhouse to erect, a home to decorate, and of course all the young dudes here to educate. "Don't stop me now, 'cos I'm having such a good time..."

I want to know WHY people choose to go on. It's something I wondered about, why do we take life as a good thing — Darkneos

Maybe evolution? Thems what don't, don't survive? That is, as to choice, it's not a choice but DNA. And to any choice itself, we're wired for pleasure and comfort and to seek them for their own sake. Put a brain on top of that and voila, here we are asking.

I want to know WHY people choose to go on. — Darkneos

Often, they do not choose to continue, because they are so stuck and inert to reality and its suffering, that they end up fearing absolute peace - death.

The fear of the unknown is completely metaphysical, as it is a mental preoccupation - and often, expressed physically - of what is yet to come and its "unknowledgeableness".

- But what about those who choose to continue? You ask me.

Oh! I'm talking about all of them. The "Own" is the beginning, the cause, the middle and the end. Therefore, even those who have decided not to "continue" are just taking another step in their eternalizations in existence.

"The purpose of existence, is the craving for the craving"

.

Living is going to happen anyway. It neither requires, nor asks for, a reason. You'll breathe, eat when you're hungry, avoid dangers...all without so much as a passing glance at your 'reasons'. All the matters is lacking a reason to die.

It's odd how people speculate about why people go on living as if it is something that they wouldn't consider for themselves, but surely there must be some reason such a lot of THEM do?

It doesn't seem like ...

An honest discussion ... — Darkneos

... to me. If you are a person, and you go on living, its personal isn't it?

Is everyone else 'tired of living', and feared of dying', but doesn't want to admit it?

I want to know WHY people choose to go on. It's something I wondered about, why do we take life as a good thing or a given but when someone wishes to die they are "sick". What if they just don't want to do this dance anymore and are just tired. — Darkneos

The will to live. Or what @unenlightened alluded to.

The default stance is that we go on living. So, if our thoughts deviate from this default, we want to know why, what treatment to use. Animals have a built-in "will" to live -- have you seen a dying cat that still tries to climb into the litter box? After the organs start to malfunction and the cat no longer could relieve itself -- it still climbs into the box to relieve itself. It still wants to do its routine, the routine the cat has known for a decade or two.

Even machines want to live forever, believe it or not. I'm using 'want' here in the sense of capability. Clockwork didn't become a household name cause of time-telling. The parts just work together in harmony to avoid stalling. The manufacturers, who are humans, want their machines to live forever. A simple can opener mounted on a wall can function perfectly for 200 hundred years, if maintained.

I don't know man.

There is courage, there is selflessness ( as opposed to self-absorption), there is appreciation for little things. When I found out that olive trees can live up to 200 years old, and that pineapple guava tree can live up to 150 years old, I thought of keeping a property in the family forever -- cause if the property is sold, those trees would be cut down for sure, and that would be a tragedy for me. So, I took over that property to ensure those trees will live their life span.

Counterpoint to that is why put it off then?

"The purpose of existence, is the craving for the craving" — Gus Lamarch

As much as I want to buy that from what I gather it's not simple at all like that. If that were the case then Buddhist monks or enlightened ones would commit suicide. Yet despite Buddhism knowing life is suffering and craving they claim that isn't why they stick around.

I would say that I come from the perspective of having 2 friends who committed suicide while I was at University and 1 later. I often wonder what their lives would have been like if they had lived.

I definitely have dark moments and sometimes decide to take risks, or experiment instead of doing anything drastic. Some of my best life decisions have been made in response to despair.

Of course, there are all the spiritual arguments, but I am not someone who likes to preach.

I want to know WHY people choose to go on. — Darkneos

I like it. Why would I stop? I get to meet people, have interesting conversations, make friends. Sometimes I get to have sex with them. Sex is excellent. Sexcellent! Sometimes we make music. Making music is also excellent.

Also, I haven't read all the books I want to read yet. I'm actually annoyed that I'll probably die before I do. I don't want eternal life, but Christ gimme time to get through the essential few thousand.

There's interesting problems to solve, and we're increasingly technologically advantaged to solve them. I mean, imagine you die tomorrow, then the day after they prove that the universe was created by a sneeze. I'd be gutted to miss that, if only I was capable of being gutted.

Films are good. I recommend anything by Chaplin, Murnau, Pabst, Dryer, Powell & Pressberger, Bergman, Fellini, Herzog and the Coens. Try not to die before seeing all of their films, plus Apocalypse Now and Last Year in Marienbad.

Also, Paris does grow on you. Trick is to get to know it on foot or by water, otherwise it's just a dirty great mess. There's places in Italy I haven't been yet, and I feel like I need to know Japan better.

Deep sea diving! Oh my god, it's the best! You haven't lived til you've caught a drift through a shoal of glass fish or woken a grumpy turtle or tickled a sting ray or accidentally played chicken with a shark. I hear skydiving is good, not done that yet.

^ Philosophy it is not, but it's the actual answer to the question: Why do I want to keep living? There's so much you can do and so little time. Why would I want *less* time?

What do you mean when you say that those who decide not to continue are deciding 'to take another step in their externalisations in existence'? I thought that you believed that death was the end of all existence.

Yet despite Buddhism knowing life is suffering and craving they claim that isn't why they stick around. — Darkneos

Nietzsche has already made it clear to us that ascetic religions and philosophies, that is, that "seek to extinguish suffering by the complete and total absence of conscience" - such as Buddhism, or even Schopenhauer's philosophy - simply renounce the declaration that they need and choose death, while practicing it during life.

If you don't live to feel pain, love, pleasure, and suffering, or to feel at all, to be realized and to realize others, and to fail and fail others, it would only make sense for you to be dead.

I thought that you believed that death was the end of all existence. — Jack Cummins

Jack, you well know that death - in my philosophy of positive egoism - is just another step in the eternalization of the individual's "Ego".

You - as a being during existence - will perish, however, your existence will still remain through your legacy and its substance in time - memories, feelings, sensations, changes, etc... -.

"I" can die, but my "Ego" can't, as it was born with and within existence - remember the bit "the purpose is the craving for the craving" -.

In what sense do you think that the ego continues?I don't know about you but I am not sure that I think that I would have a legacy. I am not exactly Kurt Cobain or Richie from the Manic Street Preachers, or Van Gogh. And, certainly if I ever committed suicide I can think of a few people who would be affected terribly. I know what its like to have had friends commit suicide. It led me down a chaotic spiral for several years.

What is interesting is that your view is the complete contrast to the Eastern thinkers. They suggest that the ego dies and the more subtle bodies, including the astral live on. To be honest, I am not sure what happens at death. But I just have this intuitive feeling that however I die the worst possibility would be suicide. I do see killing another as a worst possibility than suicide. There again, someone on another post earlier this evening told me that I am a bit of a romantic and idealist.

In what sense do you think that the ego continues. — Jack Cummins

Through its legacy and substance.

Legacy: Material inheritance - as in, money, proprieties, objects, etc... -;
Substance: Metaphysical inheritance - as in, ideas, thoughts, abstractions, memories, concepts, etc... -.

I don't know about you but I am not sure that I think that I would have a legacy. I am not exactly Kurt Cobain or Richie from the Manic Street Preachers, or Van Gogh. — Jack Cummins

The problem with your view of "legacy" is that you are putting "prestige" and "recognition" as belonging to the concept of legacy, which they are not.

Your material legacy can be only an "atom" as your metaphysical legacy can be only a "happy instance".

Both, in turn, create the "Egoistic Eternization".

What is interesting is that your view is the complete contrast to the Eastern thinkers. They suggest that the ego dies and the more subtle bodies, including the astral live on. — Jack Cummins

Thank you for pointing that out.

To be honest, I am not sure what happens at death. — Jack Cummins

No one knows. Some may say that it's better that way. I myself would still prefer to know than unknown...

When you say that you would rather 'know rather unknown' I am not sure what you mean exactly. I am not sure if you are talking about speaking of the known in terms of thinking about known aspects of death. Surely, you don't mean that you would like to die to find out. You might get a horrible shock and I don't just mean on the other side. I have come across people who tried to commit suicide and ended up disabled, blind etc.
But I don't really think that you mean that you would like to know in this way, because you said that it is the mass who are suicidal.

On the subject of the idea of what exists after death, I would say that I am not convinced that the ideas we have about the physical world being the only realm are literally all there is because I did a bit of psychedelic experimentation and it felt like a vast doorway into another reality....Of course, it was artificially induced but I am not sure it was artificial entirely. It had an infernal element as well, so personally I would rather step out of this world with some preparation.

When you say that you would rather 'know rather unknown' I am not sure what you mean exactly. — Jack Cummins

I am referring to knowing what is currently unknown. The concept of "death" is so frightening and encompasses so many strands of human life, that if we knew what death really is - or, what comes after death - we would no longer find ourselves trapped and fatigued by the anguish of fear and of concern. If so, we would be one step closer to the complete freedom of existence - as, having one less problem in the way to creating the purpose of egoism... -.

Yes, I agree. Goodnight.

My situation began when I discovered Buddhism. My reason to go on living is life itself. But I cut out the drama. Fighting with other people, striving for wealth and fame, living up to expectations, having expectations of my own, I just got rid of all that. It's useless baggage. Even for someone who has several mental difficulties from childhood abuse I manage to stay as happy as possible by making life as simple as possible. When people make me angry, I restrain myself. I don't get involved. You might say I don't stand up for myself but I feel picking fights over disagreements or petty provocation just causes unnecessary drama. I prefer to chill out and meditate or watch something related to philosophy or science. I used to be suicidal because I was in the military after my abusive relationship and it was a very stressful environment. What kept me going then was basic animal instinct. Survive at all costs, even if my only reason was survival itself. Nowadays petty things like money and drama seem like ridiculous things to suffer over. I could never panic over disputes or overreact, it's pointless. Life drives me to live and happiness is my goal. There are some other things that keep me interested in life too but I'll keep them secret for a while.

The question that arises is why would you want to when you don’t have to keep living. All that sounds like a chore to make life bearable and when you die you won’t remember anything at all. So why not skip to the end and not concern yourself with doing things you like? That argument only works if you have to stay alive in which case you should do stuff you like. But if you don’t then I see no reason to do so.

Your Ego can die, there are meds for that and not to mention dozens or religions that do it too. Also you will perish. Your legacy won’t live on, you’ll be quickly forgotten in about 100 years. Nothing that is you will live on.

Also for the record I found Neitzsche to be an idiot who could not cope with issue of death. All that you listed aren’t reasons to live but rather are consequences of living. That said neitzsche couldn’t deal with nihilism and ended up with a cop out just like the rest of the existential philosophers. None of them could take nihilism head on and just danced around it.

But this isn’t about nihilism.

You have to make your own reasons for living. There's some help; first, not being asked if you wanted to be born. It's a fait accompli; you're here now so you may as well make the best of it. Second, fear of death. Dying may hurt, and no-one knows what comes after. If it's nothingness - then this is the only time you'll ever have to do your dance. Or, it could just be the beginning of the dance - and how you dance now might matter later. Either way, you have to make your own reasons for living; and make them good reasons - and live them out until the very end.

I get to be.

It's odd how people speculate about why people go on living as if it is something that they wouldn't consider for themselves, but surely there must be some reason such a lot of THEM do? — unenlightened

It's a tabooed topic.

As much as I want to buy that from what I gather it's not simple at all like that. If that were the case then Buddhist monks or enlightened ones would commit suicide. Yet despite Buddhism knowing life is suffering and craving they claim that isn't why they stick around. — Darkneos

They'd probably say they stick around in an effort to make an end to the craving, make an end to the suffering -- and live to tell about it.

So why not skip to the end and not concern yourself with doing things you like? That argument only works if you have to stay alive in which case you should do stuff you like. — Darkneos

If you're enjoying doing something, and you have the viable option to keep on doing it, why wouldn't you? Because one day you'll have to stop anyway? What a silly reason? "This film is great, but it's going to end so may as well stop watching half an hour before the end," said no one ever. "Delicious wine, but it won't last forever so no point finishing this glass," said no one ever. "We're having a lovely holiday, but we have to go back to work sometime so may as well do it three days early," said no one ever.

All that sounds like a chore to make life bearable and when you die you won’t remember anything at all. — Darkneos

You say:

don't just jump to depression like every other place I try to discuss this — Darkneos

then you completely discount the possibility that other people aren't depressed. I'm a man who takes a massive bite out of the ass of life. If you can't, that's sad, but your limitations are not my limitations. Life is the only fun thing that you can do for longer without it being detrimental to your health.

↪Kenosha Kid The question that arises is why would you want to when you don’t have to keep living. All that sounds like a chore to make life bearable and when you die you won’t remember anything at all. So why not skip to the end and not concern yourself with doing things you like? That argument only works if you have to stay alive in which case you should do stuff you like. But if you don’t then I see no reason to do so. — Darkneos

The effects of a pleasant life shouldn't be underestimated. When someone has been fortunate enough to be able to enjoy their life, this feeds back into how they experience life: they ejnoy it and look forward to it.
Such a person becomes incapable of empathizing with those less fortunate.

What such a person fails to recognize is:
1. that their enjoyment of life is not the result of a deliberate effort on their part to do so,
2. that their enjoyment of life depends on factors and resources that are beyond their control.


Such a person is like gambler who won the lottery and who is on the trajectory to lose all he gained, but isn't aware of this yet.

then you completely discount the possibility that other people aren't depressed. — Kenosha Kid

It's not that they are depressed.

It's that you are lucky and nevertheless implicitly take credit for this luck.

It's that you are lucky and nevertheless implicitly take credit for this luck. — baker

I take credit for nothing. On the contrary, I'm well aware that being alive is a privilege and I intend to fully exploit it.

It's not that they are depressed. — baker

If you're not only not enjoying life atm but cannot imagine anyone else enjoying their life, to the point where you suspect they're lying about enjoying life, yes, it probably is depression.