A simple question for anyone who wishes to answer.

Simple enough ... I DON'T get out of bed in the morning. My sleep patterns don't follow so-called 'traditional' ways. Even if I have appointments/business to take care of during the day, I just skip rest for those day(s) ... it doesn't bother me if I have things that need to be done.

Originally posted by TheHypnoToad
Although I wasn't a fan of the Socratic method when I was in law school, I will play along now just for kicks.

Thank you for bearing with me.

I also get out of bed to let the dogs out. And to feed them and my cats. Those animals are my babies, and I chose for them to live with me and be my responsibility... so I get out of bed to do my duty as a pet owner, and show them that I love them.

What reason did you decide to take them in? Why did you pick to have pets?

I came through a horrible bout with depression that lasted for a period of years. It was the absolute lowest point in my life, and I have never been so miserable. I would not wish that experience on a single other human being. I wake up and get out of bed every morning because I survived. But more than that... I became a stronger person, and I grow stronger every day.

Well, what got you through the depression? What kept you getting up and living life everyday then? Yes, you survived. But that doesn't explain your direction. You get up and you help your pets. You go to work I assume? Where are you trying to go in life, and why?

In 50 years when I look back and see that I have survived that long (hopefully, I will get to survive for another 50 years, or longer!) I will be proud!! I will be proud because I learned a lot from my experience, and I use it to try to help others with similar pain. I feel like it is my duty to do so if it will make a difference to someone else. I am at peace.

So you want to use your life to help others. What motivates you to do this? In other words, why is it your duty to do so?

I get out of bed to live, and to enjoy life. To bask in the glory of this world, and contribute my energy to the energy of the universe. There was a time in my life when I did not enjoy life, and I did not want to live. I get out of bed out of respect for the person that I was, and for the person that I am becoming.

What does it mean to enjoy life?

Here's the same question thrown right back at the OP:

Why do you get out of bed?

I'll continue this question in a seperate post.

Originally posted by FreeThinkerIdealist
Simple enough ... I DON'T get out of bed in the morning. My sleep patterns don't follow so-called 'traditional' ways. Even if I have appointments/business to take care of during the day, I just skip rest for those day(s) ... it doesn't bother me if I have things that need to be done.

Why do those things need to be done?


BTW, it seems everyone is not looking into the meaning of the question. Instead of looking at the true meaning of the question, they literally interpret it as "What is the first thing that you do when you get out of bed?" The question is a way of asking, why are you here. When you wake up in the morning, you could just not get out of bed at all. Everyday for the rest of your life just roll over and lay in bed doing nothing. But you don't, do you? You get out of bed, you do things of the course of the day, over the course of the month, and the year as well.

When you are possed with that subconscious question "do I get up or go back to sleep?" what are the things that motivate you to choose "get up"? Some one said pets. Well if you didn't have pets, would you stop getting up in the morning?

I get out of bed to experience life.

Because I am convinced that there is no afterlife nor an almighty God that lives in the clouds and will love me for all eternity (except for when I do naughty things and be sent to hell), I have to really appreciate every day and make the most of it.

Originally posted by grimreaper797
I propose a question anyone is open to answer, so long as you are willing to think and critically answer each question. This question should be well thought through before answering.

The Question: "Why do you get up in the morning?"
When you get a reasonable answer, ask why? When you find an answer to that, ask another why? Do so until you feel you have given a good solid summery into the entire reasoning behind your answers. Once you do that, post it up.

I get up in the morning because I believe that things are changing for the better. My husband needs breakfast, my dog, needs a walk and the world needs me to wake up and participate and I need to participate

My ultimate ‘why’ is because I believe that I’m here to learn and grow, and I can’t do that without getting out of bed, even if I wasn’t allowed to sleep. And of course you can endlessly continue to ask why, but why?

And now a question for you grimreaper: was it really the salmon mousse?

Originally posted by SilentGem
I get out of bed to experience life.

What does it mean to experience life?

Because I am convinced that there is no afterlife nor an almighty God that lives in the clouds and will love me for all eternity (except for when I do naughty things and be sent to hell), I have to really appreciate every day and make the most of it.

What do you have to do, you feel, to make the most of it?

Originally posted by dk3000
I get up in the morning because I believe that things are changing for the better. My husband needs breakfast, my dog, needs a walk and the world needs me to wake up and participate and I need to participate

If your husband wasn't here and you didn't have any pets, would you stop getting up in the morning? If not, what is REALLY driving you to get up?

Originally posted by resistor
My ultimate ‘why’ is because I believe that I’m here to learn and grow, and I can’t do that without getting out of bed, even if I wasn’t allowed to sleep. And of course you can endlessly continue to ask why, but why?

And now a question for you grimreaper: was it really the salmon mousse?

What is the reason behind your belief that you are here to learn and grow?

If you dont ask why, than you are saying you don't care about why you are doing what you are doing. In a sense, when you act without thought, you are nothing more than a pawn. Always question. Find the root to everything and be critical of it.

Originally posted by grimreaper797

What does it mean to experience life?

Not sure what kind of answer you are looking for here. It means just that, to experience this reality of which I am a part of. Do you want me to define the word experience?

What do you have to do, you feel, to make the most of it?

I don't have to do anything. I do what I think will make me happy and enable me to experience life to its fullest. I seek out things that gives rise to my curiosity, because I am a very curious being. I create my own sense of morality, based on logic and reason and try to live by them. Within this frame work of reason I apply the rule "do unto others what you would have done unto you". This is a core guide for me, and although it is taken from what I hate the most, it does not stop me from seeing its value.

Originally posted by grimreaper797
The Question: "Why do you get up in the morning?"
When you get a reasonable answer, ask why? When you find an answer to that, ask another why? Do so until you feel you have given a good solid summery into the entire reasoning behind your answers. Once you do that, post it up.

Y'know, sometimes I don't get up in the morning. Sometimes lie there and think "Today is unlikely to offer anything to me. I wonder how long I can stay in bed?". Then I find out that I can't stay in bed for any reasonably long amount of time, and have to get out because I am uncomfortable.
Why am I uncomfortable? Because I was in bed so long.
Why was I in bed so long? To see how long I could stay in bed.
Why did I want to see how long I could stay in bed? Because I didn't like doing anything else that day?
Why didn't I feel like doing anything that day? I get stumped here. Because anything I might do that day would be pretty unimportant?
Why would it be unimportant? Because I don't feel like doing it. (Uhoh...I sense an infinite loop coming up here )

Originally posted by grimreaper797
The Question: "Why do you get up in the morning?"
When you get a reasonable answer, ask why? When you find an answer to that, ask another why? Do so until you feel you have given a good solid summery into the entire reasoning behind your answers. Once you do that, post it up.

The human body only needs 8 hours of sleep, you automatically wake up whether you like it or not. Once you are awake, the routine things that you do in the morning will start up - the bathroom, then flush. Take a bath. Eat. After that I go to work. Eat. Then back to work. Go home. Eat. Some entertainment. Sleep to recharge for the next day.

In short, I wake up in order to survive. You can't work while sleeping. You can't eat while sleeping. You can't do your thing while sleeping.

Why do i get up in the morning,
Continuation of my gene line, because as an animal i believe i am pre-programmed to ensure the survival of my offspring and thus my gene's.
Seriously i don't think there would be a reason to get up if i did'nt have kids, i still would but it would be for my own selfish needs.

when you really get down to it we are no more than animals and as such our lives are pretty much meaningless unless we are contributing something to the continuation of our species, i was going to add that maybe if you work on or created something to the betterment of mankind that would be a reason, but really can anyone tell me one thing thats been created or achieved that we really couldn't live without, and i mean really.

Its funny really, as i never wanted kids until my partner and i got caught accidently, and now i realise that they are the sole reason for my being, and when i do die, will i really be gone in the sense of nothing left, no, a part of me will continue. hopefully forever.

Originally posted by SilentGem
Not sure what kind of answer you are looking for here. It means just that, to experience this reality of which I am a part of. Do you want me to define the word experience?

I know what the word experience means. Everything is considered an experience in life, but you can't experience everything. So what is something you want to experience?

I don't have to do anything. I do what I think will make me happy and enable me to experience life to its fullest.

There we go. What makes you happy? In fact, take it one step further and ask what does it mean to be happy?

How do you experience life to the fullest? rather than not experiencing it to the fullest?

I seek out things that gives rise to my curiosity, because I am a very curious being.

and what is the cause of that curiosity?

I create my own sense of morality, based on logic and reason and try to live by them. Within this frame work of reason I apply the rule "do unto others what you would have done unto you". This is a core guide for me, and although it is taken from what I hate the most, it does not stop me from seeing its value.

Good answer. I know what you mean because I have the same belief politically. That is the root to most peoples political views. To ask why? would only give you the answer "because we are equal. I am no better, and deserve no better or worse than somebody else." The why to that question serves no purpose because it is the root of a belief. The why would just be repeating the same thing in different words.

Originally posted by babloyi
Y'know, sometimes I don't get up in the morning. Sometimes lie there and think "Today is unlikely to offer anything to me. I wonder how long I can stay in bed?". Then I find out that I can't stay in bed for any reasonably long amount of time, and have to get out because I am uncomfortable.
Why am I uncomfortable? Because I was in bed so long.
Why was I in bed so long? To see how long I could stay in bed.
Why did I want to see how long I could stay in bed? Because I didn't like doing anything else that day?
Why didn't I feel like doing anything that day? I get stumped here. Because anything I might do that day would be pretty unimportant?
Why would it be unimportant? Because I don't feel like doing it. (Uhoh...I sense an infinite loop coming up here

)

Nope, I sense the last answer just wasn't thought through enough. Why isn't it important? (it does give a good sense what your view is, but dig deeper anyway)

Originally posted by amitheone
The human body only needs 8 hours of sleep, you automatically wake up whether you like it or not. Once you are awake, the routine things that you do in the morning will start up - the bathroom, then flush. Take a bath. Eat. After that I go to work. Eat. Then back to work. Go home. Eat. Some entertainment. Sleep to recharge for the next day.

In short, I wake up in order to survive. You can't work while sleeping. You can't eat while sleeping. You can't do your thing while sleeping.

What drives you to survive? You are a conscious being, correct? I would believe you aren't on auto pilot every day of your life, since you are on ats. What makes survival so important to you? To experience life? How can you experience life is the only point to life is to survive?

You can't experience this to the fullest extent if you are more worried with survival. So what drives you to survive consciously. Not just by instincts, but what consciously causes you to say "I am here for no other reason than to survive", accept that answer, and live it through. What reason is there behind it? What point is there to it?

Originally posted by RancidCat
Why do i get up in the morning,
Continuation of my gene line, because as an animal i believe i am pre-programmed to ensure the survival of my offspring and thus my gene's.
Seriously i don't think there would be a reason to get up if i did'nt have kids, i still would but it would be for my own selfish needs.

Yes but you are one with the ability to reason and think. So what point is there behind surviving? Why is it important?

when you really get down to it we are no more than animals and as such our lives are pretty much meaningless

How do you know this? What is the reason for believing our lives are meaningless?

unless we are contributing something to the continuation of our species

why is continuing our species so important?

i was going to add that maybe if you work on or created something to the betterment of mankind that would be a reason, but really can anyone tell me one thing thats been created or achieved that we really couldn't live without, and i mean really.

Life is not about how long it is lived, but how it is lived. Its kind of like an adaptation to the quote. "Dying is not important, all men die. What is important is how he dies."

Can you really tell me one thing that didn't alter the entire world, and be certain?

Its funny really, as i never wanted kids until my partner and i got caught accidently, and now i realise that they are the sole reason for my being, and when i do die, will i really be gone in the sense of nothing left, no, a part of me will continue. hopefully forever.

Yes maybe you will, but why should that play a part in how you live?

You said before if you didnt have kids, you would still get up for your own selfish needs? What are they, and why would you meet those needs?

Originally posted by grimreaper797

I know what the word experience means. Everything is considered an experience in life, but you can't experience everything. So what is something you want to experience?

There we go. What makes you happy? In fact, take it one step further and ask what does it mean to be happy?

How do you experience life to the fullest? rather than not experiencing it to the fullest?

1. Specific things I want to experience? I don't want to list the numerous things I enjoy to experience and look forward to experience. But let’s just take the most obvious one: sex. I love to experience sex.

2. What makes me happy? Now you are getting into biology. Chemical reactions in my brain produce a sense of happiness. I am bound by my own physiology. Happiness is entirely subjective and is in its self utterly meaningless.

3. By not limiting my self to my own fears.

Can you help explain to me where you are going with this?

Originally posted by SilentGem

1. Specific things I want to experience? I don't want to list the numerous things I enjoy to experience and look forward to experience. But let’s just take the most obvious one: sex. I love to experience sex.

I ask what drive you to want to experience them, you will say happiness.

Happiness is entirely subjective and is in its self utterly meaningless.

I quote the last part because it is the only part that really mattered in that entire paragraph. Happiness is entirely subjective. Knowing that, and knowing what makes you happy, answer this question.

Will you ever be able to be content? Will you ever reach a point where you won't need to experience anything else? We know what you want to experience, but what do you need to experience to be content?

3. By not limiting my self to my own fears.

That much is obvious. But even if your fears didn't limit you in anything you do, what is it that makes this life worth living. What is it that you can be content with in life?

Can you help explain to me where you are going with this?

Alright, I'll give it a shot.

People have this idea that we are all here to serve god, or we are all here to do something. Fact is, we are all here for our own reasons. Nobody on this form is going to get to the same roots. Some one may find science as the ultimate reason for being here, another may find love. Some may find a rich lifestyle, others may find family.

The idea is to show that we aren't born with this mission from a higher power, but we are born with our own individual personalities, which lead us to our goals.

Furthermore, its to find out what exactly do people hold true to their hearts. The questions are eventually suppose to find what we have a passion for and will it ever lead us to being content. If you can find what gets you up in the morning, in the bigger picture, then you are one step closer to getting there. Some people spend alot of their lives thinking "I want alot of money and a hot wife" only to find 25 years down the road they got what they "wanted" but it wasn't what they were really looking for.

Most people don't stop long enough to look at the road signs and figure out where they are going. Question, figure out where you are going, figure out what will make you content, and look where you are going. Those questions are important.

I got lucky and stumbled over what makes me content. After stumbling upon it, then losing it to my own oblivious mistakes, I thought about it for 3 years. See I didn't know what I wanted, and when I stumbled across it, I didn't have the value I should have had for it. I thought I knew what I wanted, but never stopped long enough to ask the questions that would reveal if my "wants" were really what I was looking for in life. It may be years before I come across it again, I dont know.

What I do know is what makes me content, that you aren't truely happy unless you know what it means to be fully content, and I know it takes certain questions to get to that point.

If you think finding out what you want is as simple as "What do I want in life" you will come up disappointed 10 or 20 or even 40 years down the road when you finally finish it all up and still feel like you missed something very important in life. Even if you stumble across what will make you content, you still have to figure out why, or you will never be able to keep ahold of it or find it again.

Originally posted by grimreaper797

Originally posted by TheHypnoToad
I also get out of bed to let the dogs out. And to feed them and my cats. Those animals are my babies, and I chose for them to live with me and be my responsibility... so I get out of bed to do my duty as a pet owner, and show them that I love them.

What reason did you decide to take them in? Why did you pick to have pets?

I took them in because they were homeless and needed a home and love. I had a home to share with them, and more than enough love. I felt drawn to helping them. I do not feel that I did "pick to have pets." That is who I am, and it is who I have always been. Don't ask why, because I have no answer. I am a person who is meant to share their life with animals. I just am. Besides, I don't consider it "picking" to be a pet owner... I consider it that I have chosen to enlarge my family, similar to a person deciding to adopt a child. And I have already told you why I chose to do that.

Originally posted by grimreaper797

Originally posted by TheHypnoToad
I came through a horrible bout with depression that lasted for a period of years. It was the absolute lowest point in my life, and I have never been so miserable. I would not wish that experience on a single other human being. I wake up and get out of bed every morning because I survived. But more than that... I became a stronger person, and I grow stronger every day.

Well, what got you through the depression? What kept you getting up and living life everyday then? Yes, you survived. But that doesn't explain your direction. You get up and you help your pets. You go to work I assume? Where are you trying to go in life, and why?

In a word, what got me through my depression: Zoloft. (Sorry, Tom Cruise). Again, I cannot explain... I was instinctively fighting for my life. I am newly employed, in a job that (again) I was drawn to. My career is something that I am meant to be doing.

Originally posted by grimreaper797

Originally posted by TheHypnoToad
In 50 years when I look back and see that I have survived that long (hopefully, I will get to survive for another 50 years, or longer!) I will be proud!! I will be proud because I learned a lot from my experience, and I use it to try to help others with similar pain. I feel like it is my duty to do so if it will make a difference to someone else. I am at peace.

So you want to use your life to help others. What motivates you to do this? In other words, why is it your duty to do so?

I am motivated to help others because I have to. If I watched someone spiralling into the despair that I felt, and just stood by and watched them silently, I would be evil. All I wanted was to know that I wasn't alone in my pain. I see others take comfort in knowing that they are also not alone.

Originally posted by grimreaper797

Originally posted by TheHypnoToad
I get out of bed to live, and to enjoy life. To bask in the glory of this world, and contribute my energy to the energy of the universe. There was a time in my life when I did not enjoy life, and I did not want to live. I get out of bed out of respect for the person that I was, and for the person that I am becoming.

What does it mean to enjoy life?

If you don't know that, then I feel sorry for you. It means that I am grateful for every day that I am alive. Life isn't easy, but it is not meant to be.

What does it mean to enjoy life? Get off the damn internet and go find out for yourself!

[edit on 28-11-2007 by TheHypnoToad]