Meaning Or Pleasure

[nailit]

What gives your life more 'juice'?
Been reading some philosophical type stuff recently and just doing a straw survey here.
What gives your life its energy? Is it pursuing a hedonistic type of existence or is it seeking out a more meaningful lifestyle?
Does it change as you get older?

I know that when I was younger, pleasure was everything (sex, drink/drugs experiences etc) Now I'm older, having some kind of meaning to the things I do seems so much more important.

Thanks.

[pixie374]

Not ganging up, nailit :-). Just clarifying... so duty or pleasure?

[Tilly2]

Ok, one by one.

1. What gives your life its energy? Me.

2. Is it pursuing a hedonistic type of existence or is it seeking out a more meaningful lifestyle? The latter, I'm not a hedonist.

3.Does it change as you get older? Only in that I have more time and resources to do what I really want to do.

[Islay]

Its a shame that you could only get pleasure from drink and drugs when you were young!

My meaning of life and pleasure is the same now as it was when I was young. Work to give me meaning and the ability to gather pleasure from my friends and pets and other small luxuries.

[pixie374]

I would say the same, Islay, but could also swap them over.

[Tilly2]

Nailit's gone quiet.

Wakey, wakeeeeeey!

[Islay]

Maybe he's gaining some pleasure!!!

[shoota]

Tillivation....

[-SharonA-]

Lol Islay!! ;-)

[david small]

He was only asking an innocent question. No need to dissect it minutely. When younger never did drugs, drank my share but did not find pleasure in it, except after a hard days manual labour, a nice pint to wash the dust down. Possessions or the struggle to acquire certain things. For years I wanted a new set of Encyclopedia Britannica, when I eventually achieved it I was thrilled.
I find meaning and serenity in the breathtaking beauty of nature. A photographer friend showed me an exquisite picture of a flower he had took, it moved me to tears, I felt and looked foolish. As I age, I reflect more upon things, appreciate the shortness of our existence, and try to do no harm.

[Elina]

Most things when young are fleeting and superficial. As we age, we require more depth & meaning to life. I find beauty in my grandaughter, in music, in reading.

[Baldric]

“The best things in life make you sweaty.”

[Dahlia_Lama]

Hedonistic to a degree , I do take the 'easy' route at times. I've lost people at a young age so I have to admit taking an eff it route at times.I call it respite.

My pleasure nowadays is planning for our future ... who'd have thought I'd have a future to plan . Ageing pains me but not half as much as the people who are of similar age who don't have that 'pleasure' ... it's that time for me and it's come to me in heaps lately . So in answer Nailit , it's not prophetic, but it's heartfelt , I'm enjoying being here and seeing my family, it's the simple stuff for me now

[RATTER15]

My line of work (working with people with advanced dementia) gives me great pleasure and meaning. I also take pleasure from walking with my good lady and are three great hounds in town and seeing the looks on peoples faces when they see them, especially the very old and the very young, its great to see faces light up with smiles!!

[RATTER15]

* our not are*

[tamborine]

The ...kin phone energises me & makes me work to pay my way & the chancellor. Any leftovers go to kids as am not a saver. Sex/drink/drugs are memories. My pleasures are my pets, especially this no-name cat thats determined to suffocate me.

[Hypognosis]

@Naillit

I don't even understand why my life needs to have a meaning, nor life in general. This isn't the first time you've explored the concept that life 'must' have meaning. Last I recall, you all but had the religious types tell you either that the meaning of life is "to worship [deity]" or that worship "gives meaning" to your existence (an unspoken, yet tacit, assumption that your life is worthless (as far as they are concerned) if you do not join in with them.

The latter is similar to some types of advertising, which appears to say "your life is sad and inadequate without this product".

Eroding a person's sense of self-worth before offering a "solution" to their sense of emptiness is, of course, how many cults go about reducing their resistance to recruitment. It's really quite sinister.

[tamborine]

After seeing a 4car pile up on the motorway earlier, death & injuries with police cars & ambulances flashing, sirens blaring to the rescue. Dont waste time pondering the meaning of life. Fulfil yourself while you can by being of service to others.

[mibn2cweus]

I've always sought meaning, however elusive, in all my endeavours, regarding sex or doing drugs if anything even more so. For me, finding my pursuits meaningful has always been essential to maintaining interest in them. In fact, one of my central purposes in life has been an exploration into and investigation of what it means to mean something. I suppose it's fair to say I'm pretty much a philosophical junky. The only reason I can imagine to do otherwise is to occasionally give my mind a much needed and well deserved break.

[nailit]

Thanks for replies, sorry i disappeared last night, had some friends call around. Thanks again.

[Zacs-Master]

Getting a balance between hedonism and more cerebral pursuits.