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ATS, when do YOU plan on 'living'?

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posted on Apr, 26 2009 @ 09:53 AM
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I know, its paradoxical. This topic seems to arise in conversation a lot in family recently. The psychological sciences behind it are probably too technical to discuss here, but just to put simply, when are you going to actually 'live'?

Think about it. From the day you're born you're given objectives, tasks, things you have to go and get done in order to be able to have that life you're always wanted. There's always one more thing to do, one more step that needs to be taken until everything will fall in its place and you'll be free to live the life you imagined. I know this isn't the case with everyone, but for the average person this is the life we live.

You start school; you always have tests coming up, you need to ace your tests in order to get the best college placement you can, then you're 'free'. With your college place you think that that's all you need in life right now, that's all that important and you can start living and doing what you've always wanted.

Then starts college; you party around for a bit but you still realize the importance of your stay in college. So you try and ace your exams, to get your degree. After all that's what you're there for, you're degree. Because without your degree you wont get the job you've always wanted so that you can make enough money to live the life you've always wanted. You study hard, thinking that after your degree you'll get that perfect job and life the life.

You get the degree, now you need a job; you look for job, this step is harder for some and easier for others, depending on your sector of work. Your thought process however, is still the same. 'Let me just get that position! Please, then i can live happily with my family', until you actually get the job. Whats important to understand at this stage is the pattern that's developing. Human nature (or behavior? could this 'disease' forced on by society?) has it that we never have enough, how can the farmer live a happy life with a simple farm and a few pigs in a wooden home, yet someone with a luxurious car and house never gains fulfillment?

Now that you have you're job, your life is in order, or so it seems. You're always striving for that promotion, to make that extra cash, to get that better car, the better furniture, the better house. What people fail to see at this point is that happiness cannot be achieved by these means, since happiness relies on the acceptance of where you are. Possessions become your main goal, you seek to make your life better and filled with more expensive cars, clothes, jewelery, all in the vain attempt to satisfy you and so that you can 'start living you're life', the life you always wanted.

The rest speaks for itself, until you're six feet under. I will use this post; Living in the Moment as a connector to this idea. Since (most of us) never really live our moments consciously, we never really experience the happiness they bring. Therefore, this absence of happiness from the pure notion of existence pushes us to seek bigger and better. This (ill fated) mission to gain happiness pushes us into the realm of sub-conscience living, the type of living which never gives us pleasure with lifes simplicities and forces us to seek something we will never find.


I ask you ATS, when are you going to live your life? When you finish you're college degree? When you get that promotion to assistant manager? When you buy that Chrysler?

Go outside, take a breath of the night breeze. When greater a time to start living your life than now? Tomorrow, go do that sky diving lesson you've always wanted to go to, go and give a random person a hug, go and take a small boat to the river... just slide.

So again ATS, when are you going to live your life? When you buy that new suite? Or when you're done reading this post?

[edit on 26/4/2009 by serbsta]



posted on Apr, 26 2009 @ 10:40 AM
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I realized at an early age that the world and the rules were made b4 I got here and I had no say so I ignored all the supposed to do things.I would rather walk to the beat of my own drum and figure out what rules are good and have value and what rules are useless to me.
I have spent my life trying to learn as much as I can about music even if I never get that house and promotion....those things are meaningless to me and my world.
I respect the decision to be a starving artist more then I respect a guy who did what he was supposed to do and got wealthy from it.I don't live for money or the security of having it.
My current job gives me free jam space and thats why I work here,its certainly not for the money or promotions.LOL
My life is about music and always has been and always will be.

This thread should help people get some perspective on their lives and how much stuff they have done that they were supposed to do without realizing that maybe they don't quite agree with the things they were supposed to do and never got a chance to be heard.
If the rules were already made b4 you were born then you have never had a say and have been a slave to the things you are supposed to be doing your whole life.
When is the day going to come when we can wake up and do the things we want to do instead of what we are supposed to do.

Awesome thread man!!!



posted on Apr, 26 2009 @ 10:47 AM
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reply to post by DrumsRfun
 


ME TOOOO!!!

It must be a musician thing.

16 years out the rat race and counting.

JUST DO IT!!! To coin a phrase.



posted on Apr, 26 2009 @ 10:51 AM
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Well said.

As a 17y.o. I asked my father about the meaning of life, he answered, "You're born, go to school, leave school and get a job then get married, have two kids, work till you're old and then die leaving the house to your kids."

I knew then life was far more than that, much more than what I call The Dream. The way he said it, with resignation, told me it was an expectation we are indoctrinated into from birth. I decided to break that mould and find a bigger picture. Nearly half a century later I know life is only about Experience, and the only way to experience it is as it unfolds. Making aware choices minute by minute on how we act, no longer reacting with our indoctrinations.

My old teacher told me once about learning to awaken, "Come to your practice as if naked." She meant to have no beliefs or expectations about anything, and I see this as a good basis for perceiving clearly in daily life.

I also see we tend to speed through life, too fast to see the signposts and the scenery. It's nicer to slow it down by choice.

Thanks for your well written post serbsta



posted on Apr, 26 2009 @ 11:08 AM
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reply to post by AGENT_T
 


We might not be rich but we are happy and thats what REALLY matters.



posted on Apr, 26 2009 @ 12:11 PM
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It's almost as if every little thing you thought was true, every thing you thought mattered... just doesn't.

It's all like a little gameshow, we're puppets on strings with people making us dance this way and that.

If you're not free now, you'll never be free.

If you aren't happy without something, you aren't happy with it.
What is love but an infatuation? I could love you or him but does it really matter in the end or now?
It doesn't because I'm still me, and you're still you, and everyone is still sitting here on their computers. It's like we're all frozen, I've always wanted to know - when, where, why, and WHO turned us all off... like we're robots.
The universe isn't moving anymore.

Because we're all waiting for something, but no one knows what.

How many days has your agenda mindlessly repeated itself?
How many seconds have you spent just sitting there pondering on how boring it all is. Our world is stuck - we can't live, we just don't know how.

Some have the ability to be happy and some don't... well, the majority don't.

Think about it: how many things haven't you done simply because you're busy doing all the exact-same-things you did yesterday?

I feel it's fate I ran into this thread considering this has been something I can't seem to stop thinking about lately.



posted on Apr, 26 2009 @ 12:16 PM
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reply to post by deathsleep
 


Let me be the first say welcome to ats.



posted on Apr, 26 2009 @ 07:04 PM
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Originally posted by Tayesin
Well said.

As a 17y.o. I asked my father about the meaning of life, he answered, "You're born, go to school, leave school and get a job then get married, have two kids, work till you're old and then die leaving the house to your kids."

I knew then life was far more than that, much more than what I call The Dream. The way he said it, with resignation, told me it was an expectation we are indoctrinated into from birth. I decided to break that mould and find a bigger picture. Nearly half a century later I know life is only about Experience, and the only way to experience it is as it unfolds. Making aware choices minute by minute on how we act, no longer reacting with our indoctrinations.

My old teacher told me once about learning to awaken, "Come to your practice as if naked." She meant to have no beliefs or expectations about anything, and I see this as a good basis for perceiving clearly in daily life.

I also see we tend to speed through life, too fast to see the signposts and the scenery. It's nicer to slow it down by choice.

Thanks for your well written post serbsta


"Come to your practice as if naked"... haha, i love that. We should all in a sense pretend were naked all the time, you'll enjoy everything more when it does happen.

And i agree AGENT_T, JUST DO IT!



posted on Apr, 26 2009 @ 07:08 PM
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reply to post by serbsta
 


Jerry Seinfeld had a comedy-bit that was similar. He would say "and what is with working out? I mean, you go to the gym, to workout, just so you can be there again to workout! It's like you are never working out to workout; just working out so you can workout!" Or he said something similar. The point is: I know what you mean.



posted on Apr, 26 2009 @ 07:18 PM
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Originally posted by pluckynoonez
reply to post by serbsta
 


Jerry Seinfeld had a comedy-bit that was similar. He would say "and what is with working out? I mean, you go to the gym, to workout, just so you can be there again to workout! It's like you are never working out to workout; just working out so you can workout!" Or he said something similar. The point is: I know what you mean.


Yeah i heard that aswell a while ago and it makes complete sense.

"It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything", no im not saying its good to just sell you're house, car and live on the streets. Im saying to realize that those things aren't your life, those things are the results of your never ending quest for happiness.

Lol... just slide.



posted on Apr, 26 2009 @ 08:11 PM
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reply to post by serbsta
 


This thread reminds me of one of my favorite books, which is called:

"All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten," written by Robert Fulghum.

The following is on the back cover of the book, as well as inside. Remember these things when you were small? If everybody followed this everyday, they would be living! What happens to all of this as we age?

"Share everything.

Play Fair.

Don't hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don't take things that aren't yours.

Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paing and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.

Be aware of wonder."

The whole book is full of gems like this. It greatly points out how we get away from enjoying the small things, and or just living!



posted on Apr, 26 2009 @ 09:15 PM
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Originally posted by DrumsRfun
We might not be rich but we are happy and thats what REALLY matters.


Happy because we're NOT rich maybe


Once you commit yourself to a life of maintaining a high level of earning,you simply become a slave to the continuance of achieving the same.

As I've said numerous times on here,your time is precious,every minute of it.
I refuse to spend 8-10hrs a day in a job which serves no purpose except to pay for things that require me to need to work 8-10 hrs a day.

I love my work,I still sometimes work long,unsociable hours,but I also love my option to quit for a week or two and take off somewhere that requires no money to exist.
It is a fantastic way to keep yourself grounded.

Besides,when recession hits,you find you're one of the luckier ones.

I'm even happier because I've managed to take on another 'partner in crime' recently.
It's nice being able to pass on success to others too.


I find it truly sad that there are tens of thousands of people who are terrified that they are going to end up with they same amount of cash I don't have..
Maybe once they land down here they'll find out it's not so bad and learn to let go too.



posted on Apr, 26 2009 @ 09:30 PM
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m'Bride and I came to much the same point of view several years ago. We had a huge garage sale. We made arrangements. We went to more that 40 concerts in the space of 3 months. We packed all our stuff in boxes that were exactly the same size, so we could stack them in a running bond inside a Ryder truck, and drove the scenic route from California to Florida (and put 6200 miles on the truck) and moved to the Caribbean. It was a real struggle, the first four years, but not one we didn't appreciate the merits of, nor one we weren't prepared for.

We've aimed toward simplicity of living, freedom of spirit. We do what we want, for the most part, without fanfare or unwanted attention. We grow much of what we eat, work, play, swim, ride, dive, walk, hike, feel, photograph, learn, teach, love, enjoy. We're both aware that the probability (in my opinion) is that we're all of us on the down side of a standard of living peak, and rolling fast toward difficult times. Much of the world would love to trade their best days for our worst. We do what we can for others who can't do for themselves. It's a balance.

I can't say that I'm even close to figuring it all out - the BIG questions -- but meanwhile, it's a hell of a ride, and the destination becomes less important. Either or both of our human lives could be snuffed out tomorrow or the next day. There's no value in fretting over such possbilities. At the end of my race, I want to be put away wet and trembling, exhausted and happy....... knowing I frickin' RAN.



posted on Apr, 26 2009 @ 10:59 PM
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Originally posted by argentus

I can't say that I'm even close to figuring it all out - the BIG questions -- but meanwhile, it's a hell of a ride, and the destination becomes less important. Either or both of our human lives could be snuffed out tomorrow or the next day. There's no value in fretting over such possbilities. At the end of my race, I want to be put away wet and trembling, exhausted and happy....... knowing I frickin' RAN.


I think that's the key here and something most people will never really get to grips with. I don't mean to preach, but its not about where you end up but the process of getting there. Again, there's no other way to describe the life i want to live besides saying... slide.



posted on Apr, 26 2009 @ 11:08 PM
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Here here ...I agree ..star for ya ......some people play all the time and dont take life serious at all ....some people dont play at all and life is taken so serious that they never have any fun at all ...and sure dont stop to even smell the roses along the way of life ..............there are very few people who actually do both ....which I am one of them ....it took me a few years (about 25) to figure that out ..but ever since I did figure it out ..I have really enjoyed life alot ..and I have done everything (well close) that I wanted to do ..I have traveled alot (especially during my childhood and even more in my twenties) ....and I have met so many people in my life that I cant even remember a handful of them by name lol ..........I missed nothing .......well except I never got my own horse lol ............but thats the only thing I did not experience in this life .
So if it is my turn to die ...I am ready and have no regrets ..and I can honestly say that I LIVED while I lived ....really lived ...



posted on Apr, 27 2009 @ 02:26 AM
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Thank you for this thread. We can not touch the future and we can not re-capture the past. This moment is all we have. Embrace it and breathe. Living in the present is one of the keys to being content. The journey is what matters, not the destination, so travel well. My two cents. Peace.



posted on Apr, 27 2009 @ 02:46 AM
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This is a topic I thought about a lot.

The thing is, people make up excuses: I dont have time, need to work, well.. the kids, ya know? I have no money for that, etc, etc..

I've seen it happen many times, and experienced for myself:
We always say 'I want to do this or that, if I had time, etc... but then comes a moment when you do have time, for ex you loose your job, a perfect oppertunity to do something else... and we STILL don't do what we wanted to do.

I think most people just have no clue about what they want from life, and I mean besides 'being happy'. What do you really want? What's the thing you where born to do and you would do with all the dedication in the world? Most don't know and that creates the feeling of being trapped.
(imho)



posted on Apr, 27 2009 @ 03:08 AM
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Truly living is all about doing what makes you happy and discovering what really matters to you. The worst thing to get over is living your life by the constant “established” order of things. While I was young and most of the younger people around me felt like they were immortal I realized I have a short time on this earth and immediately began figuring things out for myself without trusting in all of the useless systems we put our energy into adhering to.

So, I’m living right now, I’ve been living. Life gets tough, it’s never been easy for me, going against the conventional way of things, but at least I’m living.



posted on Apr, 27 2009 @ 03:56 AM
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If being Rich makes you happy, then just by being happy, you evaporate the need for Riches.

I just saved you 30 years, 2 divorces, a house full of junk and a heart bypass.



posted on Apr, 27 2009 @ 04:02 AM
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reply to post by serbsta
 


I don't get this at all - live in the now That is what we all do. And living in the now does not involve thinking/wishing/hoping- just living.




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