and the point is...
I've come to the realization that life is like a modern video game. Once you've completed all the levels, found all the secrets and killed all the monsters there isn't much point in playing anymore.
Personal enjoyment and satisfaction is not derived from owning a fast car or a big house with a pool.
Some folks chase money, some chase youth, some find themselves in the bottom of a bottle.
I think eventually all of us come to the point where we ask ourselves what now?
It's probably endemic to our affluent culture, that when we no longer have to struggle for each mouthful of food, or for clothes on our back. we end up taking simple things for granted.
Some suggest religion, a healthy relationship with god, prayer, meditation etc... That is fine but what if you are already comfortable with god and your place in the afterlife?
I'm figuring on taking it one day at a time, making sure my family is happy and trying to touch peoples lives in a positive way.
One dickhead sombitch once told me that in 100 years nobody will ever know much less care what job you had, how much money you made or even if you ever existed in the first place.
What are we supposed to do with this life we are given and how important is our legacy?
posted by Bill Rowland @ January 07, 2008
32 Comments
32 Comments:
"Some folks chase money, some chase youth"
Chase your kids! That's life's true joy..I try to just be grateful I wake up breathing every day. I love life even when it is not so magical.
I can't believe that putz told you that. Everyone knows you don't have to wait that long.
Cheesy has a good point. My kids are my living legacy.
Sounds like you understand brother, most people aren't asking for much, just the ability to take care of their families and live a decent life.
You're living to make a positive impact, that's what's important.
~Oswegan
p.s. I am currently on a world tour in Rock Band with my wife and son. Our band is called "Why Me?"
Lately, since my divorce I stop and think, what more could I possibly ask for?! How could life get any better than this? Then it does. A positive attitude in life and toward others helps. Getting rid of all debt don't hurt either! Another thought provoker.
I'm figuring on taking it one day at a time, making sure my family is happy and trying to touch peoples lives in a positive way.
... and I'm thinking there is no more important point than this!
I have come to much the same conclusion as you Mr H. I have been facing a lot of personal choices of late and I hope I have come to the right ones... basically putting my children ahead of work etc. as usual. Happy New year by the way!!
How do you ever get to the end of the game though? There's so much stuff I want to try, see, learn, experience.
So far, my legacy is 13 years old, and so far, I am very proud of it.
Sounds like you are going through what some call the "middle age crises" the time when you wake up one morning and say damn..I have accomplished what I started out to do and what next...or else you wake up like I did and realize that there ain't no fucking way you are ever gonna be president and get depressed..
Most of have been there or will get there and I only know one answer..stay busy..goal setting..goals that are attainable but not so easy that attaining them is boring.
A bit of personal history for what it is worth: I spent twenty two and a half years in the military..my goal during that time was to get promoted on time and to retire with enough money to live without ever having to work again. I attained that goal.
I retired with a nearly new 4 wheel drive Ford pickup, a 28' travel trailer and a bass boat all paid for and enough money coming to drink beer and fish every day..and I did except within six weeks I couldn't look myself in the mirror..I was living a life without
purpose.
Long story short..I went to work, sent sweetthing to college, wound up taking another degree myself, later went into business, and stayed busy as a cat covering up shit on a sidewalk without sand..and it was just a matter of goal setting. I still have goals..mostly to live as long as I can so I can take care of my sweetthing..but I have goals..projects I call them but enough to keep me busy and feeling like I have accomplished something.
Some say life's a bitch and then you die..I agree that you die but life is what you make of it..
Damn! A book on your site! Sorry about that..and thanks for the help yesterday..
I think that immortality is achieved by being remembered after you are gone for leaving this world a better place than you found it.
-Shane (doc)
cheesy: I agree. They keep me pretty busy and focused :)
Jeff: lol you're right it doesn't take that long.
Oswegan: I get to thinking about these things and worry if I'm doing it right. thanks for the vote of confidence.
jp: damn straight. Keeping a positive attitude makes good things continue to happen.
dana: thanks. I've been fretting over this topic lately and ben trying to come up with some kind of goal.
Mutley: I hear you. I've put my kids up front and I'm really glad I did because they deserve no less.
kat: That's what got me to thinking. One beach seemed just as good as another. I get just as much joy out of reading about other people's vacations :)
guy: It sounds like there's hope for me yet. Goal setting is a damn good idea. Maybe theres some more stuff to accomplish. I appreciate the advice.
Docmtcat: You're right. Very good point!
(Looks around for someone elses children to glom onto.)
I think that it's about being the best you. Educate and expand yourself. Give and expect nothing in return.
I have no children, but I'm so glad that some folks actually THINK about how they're raising theirs.
you have posed some of the very same questions i ask on a daily basis.
we are at the stage of our lives where we've nearly paid down personal debt with the exception of our home and a new vehicle. there is more money after all is paid.
the children will be going off to college (hopefully!) and WE'RE GONNA GET HARLEY'S!
wooooooooooooooo!
seriously, we are christians and until we started taking the Lord and His Word seriously, we never really knew just how purposeful life would be. on the plus side, our teens are different than most teens and are the joys of our lives. this aspect of our lives is what i hope for the world.
and, i wasn't kidding about the harley's!
I think you hit it right there. It's all about the people you love and their happiness. Everything else fades and turns to dust in the end. None of us are gonna built a pyrimid that's gonna last thousands of years. All we can do is try to be the best person we can be and love one another. Whatever comes later will be a surprise to all of us. Hopefully it will be a pleasant surprise.
I suppose that unless we are really famous and accomplished something relevant to our society, we are often forgotten by everyone including our own family over a period of a few years. This has bothered me over time as I always wanted to have a long lasting effect on especially my family.
I get discouraged and pessimistic about this when I then realize that I know little or nothing about my own grandparents let alone anyone else in the family for that matter.
Because of this, I have concluded that what I do and who I affect has to be only for the now and not later.
Very thought provoking post Hammer!
R.L.L: My mom's partner took an active roll in my son's early years and made a huge difference with him. And even though she moved on my boy still talks about the kindness and attention she showed.
In other words you are totally right about being selfless and expecting nothing in return.
Nanc: Sounds like you've got a plan and are making it happen. Good kids are a big part of feeling secure. You will enjoy the Harleys.
FHB: I think you nailed it. Even the pyramids will tun to dust eventually. We just need to make the right choices for the here and now.
Dave: I was looking at pictures that I had of my great uncles and some of my Wife's family and realized that there is hardly anyone left that remembers them or even talks about them. I guess it doesn't pay to worry about it just be happy here and now.
Modern "person"kind is like domesticated hamsters. Take away the imminent threat of death by hovering hawks... the need to run eight miles a night foraging out seeds and herbs... and without a meaningless treadmill life is unbearable!
Hey I didn't know you knew Mary Crystalchick from New Jersey... small world...
Although it's not that important in the overall scheme of things, I do know that your legacy only last as long as you are remembered...after that, you are really gone.
I suppose my effort to write things down is my way of trying to push the inevitable further out.
Hammer that is a great quesetion. Because according to the Pastor at the Church Jeff and I were going to said if we werent baptized and got the Holy Ghost we werent going to be saved and going to Hell. I guess I am fine with that. I am not perfect anyway.
gledwood. what a great comparison!
I never thought of it that way.
mushy: That makes sense. I guess people who aim for greatness are really trying to postpone the inevitable erasure of their name.
The book is a great idea. I've picked up ancient books and ledgers used for decoration and wondered about the person who wrote them.
Tweety: Shame on that pastor for using his religion like a bully uses a sharp stick. Good for you standing up for yourself. I think you will be richly rewarded for your resolve.
Live one day at a time. Do your best to do the right things. Pay it forward. Remember that everything you do and say will make a difference to someone some time. Peace. Nice post. Truthful.
I think if you find a passion in life, you gotta do that and do it well. I know everybody wants to edify their existence and children bring purpose to peoples lives. But whether we have them or not, we have to also find something else in life that is all about our individual achievement in life too. Nurture your passion and talent and do it the best you can. That works for me because of the pride I feel in myself when I do my best and get excellent results.
. . .the pursuit of happiness.
that's why people deterioate quickly when they go into retirement if they dont have a task to make them feel meaningful.
i heard somewhere that once we fail to grow and learn, we stagnate and remain in a state of perpetual purelity.
Jahooni: Thanks, well put and good advice.
Paul: You are right about that. It's something I'm still trying to find.
em: yep, I guess that would be good too :)
Tequila: You're right. It's like the guy who retires after 45 years at a company and dies of a heart attack a week later. I don't want to be one of those poor souls just waiting to die.
For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?
--Jane Austen (1775 - 1817), Pride and Prejudice, 1811
I guess the point is to live a good life and not hurt other people. Help other people when we can.
Interestingly, in 100 years people will know who Mother Teresa was but not Michael Milken. There's a lesson there.
I think just live it as best you can, with as much integrity and decency and kindness and fairness and ethics as you can. Doesn't by any means mean that other people will. But at least then you can live with yourself. And I'm not saying be an inufferable self-righteous prig. Just be GOOD.
A legacy is what you leave behnind. Because you have children, it matters. They are the fruit of your tree, adopted or biological. They are part of the future, and you leave behind your thougts and attitudes in them.
i try to figure this out every day... i never find an answer i like.
Really really really well put!!!!
Love it!
J
I am trying to keep the belief that if I raise my gremlins to survive and be a better parent than I was..to love and be respectful...then that at least improves the world in some small way...and I surely try to be a better parent than mine were...
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