Priorities

johnny

I'm curious about what people find important in life, I always thought it was silly to try and meet status quo, then I realized that I am doing just that. If I were to look at the time people spend in N.A. on building their fortunes I'd say that money is what people care about most in the end, since it is what enables them to buy cars, houses, cameras, guitars, beer, sheep etc.

What do you find yourself thinking about most? Is it how much your job will pay after you grad? Do we really care about others that are part of our community(the community of humans as a whole), but are not so well off as we are(nobody knows you when you're down" -Eric Clapton).

So what is/are the most important thing(s) of your life? Consider how much of your time/money/thoughts go towards these things, and that should probably give you some indication. Put this list into the order that you think are your priorities and add other categories that fit.

-Things along with wealth(computers, m/c's etc.)
-Friends
-Family
-School
-Fun
-Happiness(different than fun, though many find their happiness in fun)
-People in need(physical needs, psychological, social, etc.)
-Sheep

For me I'd have to admit that money unfortunately has made its way near the top of my list.

Kevin M.

enjoying life and being a good person

Smartso

This is, of course, a difficult question. :angel:
And it's a two parter; "what is most important (to you) in life", and "what do you find yourself thinking about most". Now, I see an opportunity for great divergence here, as there is possibility that the two are diametrically opposed as a result of the current state of society... and civilization in general... although the understanding of this will naturally vary from person to person.
You see, someone could value happiness most, (and most people probably do in some form or another, it's just a question of how you achieve your happiness).. but in a capitalistic consumerist society such as ours, this is often linked to our financial department, and hence, we spend a great deal of our time and energy diverting focus from 'being happy', to chasing down the finances to fulfill the desire to actually _be_ happy. It's a vicious cycle; the snake eating it's own tail. There's no denying the fact that we are all slaves, selling our lives, so that we may in turn have a life that feels worth living. Now you have to wonder, who's happier - the guy living in a penthouse condo driving an audacious automobile, juggling 6 figure debt/mortage payments, or the homeless guy living under a bridge being awoken by the warm summer sun?
MANDATORY FIGHT CLUB QUOTE: "The things you own end up owning you".

Now, I guess I don't derive my fun from friends family or fundamentalism, so those are not what matters most to me personally. I will chime in and say that Love itself is a unique form of happiness, and wherever you find it, it will fill you with contentment, and you will be tempted to settle for it. But I often find that love is fleeting, and it burns as while as brightens the internal emotions, but that's a bit of a gamble from day to day, so ultimately, I will not say that is not where 'happiness' lays either, as it can bring misery just as quickly. But if you are lucky enough to win that lottery, you will have little concern for anything else.

Where then, can this elusive 'happiness' be found? hah! It's actually quite easy if you turn a blind eye to everything and adopt the attitude of the ignorant, but alas, conciousness is a true and verifiable disease! "There is only one really serious philosophical question, and that is suicide. Deciding whether or not life is worth living is to answer the fundamental question in philosophy. All other questions follow from that." -Camus

Anyways, to cut this short before I really go off on a tangent and put forth an answer your question:
I value happiness most, but find it fleeting, and frail. I'll find a spot or two here or there for a moment, then it passes. But I try not to concern myself with the trivial details of 'how to be happy', rather, I concern myself with bigger questions like 'how to achieve a disconnection from emotional influence, and not pursue that which can not be obtained'. Happiness, then, flows from giving up and giving in. A state of no-mind... mu-shin; simply react to the moment, and in the void of nothingness, having no attachement to anything, no emotional investment,... happiness is free to come and go as it pleases.

Steven

1) Health
2) Wealth
3) Happiness

It's not exactly what you have up there but those 3 basically sums up everything.

I put the order like that because if you are not healthy, there will be no way to get wealthy. And, being wealthy won't exactly make you happy, but it will certainly help you a lot to be happy!

Insatiable

Smartso;12989 said:

we spend a great deal of our time and energy diverting focus from 'being happy', to chasing down the finances to fulfill the desire to actually _be_ happy. It's a vicious cycle; the snake eating it's own tail. There's no denying the fact that we are all slaves, selling our lives, so that we may in turn have a life that feels worth living. Now you have to wonder, who's happier - the guy living in a penthouse condo driving an audacious automobile, juggling 6 figure debt/mortage payments, or the homeless guy living under a bridge being awoken by the warm summer sun?

Just a sec there chief . . . . .

Do people remain unhappy because they're always "chasing down the finances" to fulfill their desires? Or does this sad state of affairs stem from the fact that it is fucking difficult to get by in a capitalist society?

Sure, some people are materialistic, but in my opinion this number of people is not as great as you think. Many people just end up chasing their finances simply to make ends meet, that's all.