What gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

[Ex-User (11125)]

see title

 

[Black Rose]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

they need me

 

[Minuend]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Humor

Hmm. Perhaps the hope that things and I will be in a way where I'll be more able to achieve whatever fits my ideals.
Inherit will to live and lack of effective counter
Motivation for change
If I don't, who will
Acceptance

 

[nanook]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

sleep
and lots of bananas.

 

[TheManBeyond]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Music, completing my mission, destroying all opposition and inyect them with my poison. Make them enjoy their extintion as what they were, transformation.

 

[Dalyth]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

I find it very difficult, some days. It's an odd state of affairs for me, in that if I could live forever I definitely would. But with a finite life, I find myself overcome with misery, knowing that my time here is fleeting and everything I work towards, my entire investment in this world, will account to nothing when I die. Sure, the world will go on but I will not be there to see it. Death is the end of my reality. This leads to apathy and depression. I begin to not care if I die or not.

These days things seem a bit easier. Mostly it feels like there's an abyss in my heart and mind, beckoning and whispering enticingly but it's coming from down a long corridor. Ever present but also faint. To manage myself and to keep it at bay, I distract myself. I don't need to know about what I mean to the universe when I'm fixated on learning it. When I'm engaged with it. So, I study. Accumulate knowledge and devote all of my efforts into pretending that that knowledge is somehow useful. If nothing else, know thy enemy.

I don't think that this phase can last indefinitely but it's working for now so I'll take it.

 

[Sinny91]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Weed & Music.

 

[peoplesuck]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

empathy for those close

 

[Bogart]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Curiosity. I tell anyone who ever asks if I have suicidal thoughts that I'm to curious to want to die.

 

[Sinny91]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Me too Bogart...

What ever is behind the veil, surely it's better than this?!

 

[Bogart]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Me to Bogart...

What ever is behind the veil, surely it's better than this?!

I see what's under the veil (at least my version of it) and it isn't pretty.

 

[Sinny91]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

That's always a possibility too..

In some vampire lore, the vampire wishes to maintain their immortality because what awaits them on the other side is far worse than what we encounter in our earthly realm...

Who was enquiring about vampires? I found a few things to share..

 

[Yellow]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Pride.

When I go, I don't want there to be any flaws coming to light after I'm dead. So I have to get everything perfect before I kick the bucket or move on to another phase in my life. If I leave chaos or mistakes in my wake, I'll be remembered poorly.

Jesus Christ I sound like a monster when I spell it out like that. Oh well, it is what it is.

 

[Sinny91]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Yes, now you've got me curious, what could you possibly leave in your wake that is so fearful for you?

 

[QuickTwist]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Sometimes I really don't know.

 

[Polaris]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Sheer stubbornness. I started long distance running when I was a kid and it taught me that there is a threshold that can be overcome when you think you have no more to give. I have always had a sort of silly positivity at my core that drives me forward when things go south, and a relentless curiosity that keeps me wanting to find out what is beyond the mountains ahead of me.

If I can keep my brain busy I am contented - just working for money can be hell if I'm not challenged in a way where I can put my mind to use. So my goal is to keep my brain busy, and the only way to do that is to keep learning and exploring.

How I am going to be able to do that consistently is the challenge.

 

[Irukanji]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

My car. It loves unconditionally and needs me to keep it alive. The feels when I sold the last one :/

Basically if I had no car, I'd just go on a rampage until I died/got caught. Not much point living when you already know how the story ends

 

[onesteptwostep]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

I think the next moment, and my family. Then there's love, visions for the future and general wanting to garner more experiences. When I'm at a low point in life I usually hold onto hope, and trying to melt into my sleep. The morning peace is the best at times like those.

 

[Happy]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

The little victories.

 

[Yellow]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Yes, now you've got me curious, what could you possibly leave in your wake that is so fearful for you?

Simple imperfections. I don't know why, but I feel this inhuman drive to appear perfect. Not in a material sense. I don't give a gosh-darn about status symbols or anything. But at all times, I must appear poised, unflappable, disciplined, proactive, and the very best at everything that's associated with my competencies. I must simultaneously appear as if this happens effortlessly and without any offensive motives, like competitiveness or superiority. I have to seem perfectly unaware of my perfection, lest someone see that as a character flaw in itself.

I think it's my only real neuroticism. I can't bear the thought of being measured and found wanting. It's okay to admit past flaws when they are over and dealt with. That just adds to the grand picture. But right here and now, I must appear as though everything is under control and better than fine.

As I said, it's just ridiculous, pathological pride.

 

[Perfectly Normal Beast]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTb4q8DnV1A

 

[Latte]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Companionship
Dank memes (humor)
Stimulating challenges that aren't too scary, and sometimes scary ones too.
Food
Sex
Novelty
Emotional highs
To a lesser and lesser degree, hopes about a brighter future (whether reliance on this has been reduced with increased enjoyment of how things are, or if the causality goes in the other direction, is hard to know).

Spoiler

also, escapism

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Everything that is positive is the incentive.
Willpower and strength can be crafted and refined.

 

[Puffy]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Same as Polaris re: long-distance running. I have an inner stubbornness and strong constitution that is unable to surrender. When the pressure overwhelms me, I always seem to hit flow; I've suffered and got through shit before, if I keep a steady pace and strategise well I know I will continue to.

A strong sense of inner purpose and direction -- I'm always looking far into the distance and know that present obstructions and detours do not matter if I can keep sight of my way.

An unshakeable inner belief that in every trying circumstance is a lesson to be assimilated, and that suffering can lead to growth if one treats it with honest detachment and contemplation. In turn, the confidence that the more I can come to learn, understand, and adapt to trials, and through them know myself with greater clarity, the more I will have the ability to make the future mine.

A basic feeling of fascination and awe in the face of existence; it is so immense and my troubles are so tiny.

 

[EditorOne]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

I'm with the folks who cited curiosity.​

​

 

[paradoxparadigm7]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

The basic instinct to keep from dying.

The fear of death and 'disappearing'.

Responsibilities. My children, my aging mother etc...Not that I think I'm irreplaceable but I have a strong reaction that whatever comes my way, it's mine to shoulder.

Next comes the thrill of the unknown future, both positive and negative.

Despite my cynicism, a steely core of optimism, the potential that keeps drawing me.

And my highest aspirations...my relationship with myself. To become. To strive for inner beauty, unsung heroism and firmly take my place in the great unfolding

 

[Lot]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

I'm going to die eventually. I'm in no rush anymore.

My family loves me, my friends love me, and people I haven't met will love me. I can't rob the world of what I will offer it.

There are so many plants for me to plant. So much food for me to eat. So many things to see. Experiences that I would like to have.

Why not live my life till it's over. Yeah, I'm constantly in pain somewhere on my body. I'm not as confident as I'd like to be. I wasted 6 years of my life in a cult. But life goes on. I don't see tigers pouting about deer they didn't kill. Wildebeest might not like their buddies getting eaten, but they still keep running to the next grassy spot. Why should I be any different than any other animal? Life is as meaningless as you let it be.

 

[Pizzabeak]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Death

 

[Jennywocky]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Stubbornness. I seem to be the proverbial cat hanging on by her claws in the storm, and even when I want to let go, I can't. I just keep eking out another second, and then another ...

Sometimes it's also specific characters in stories I want to finish before the end. If I go, they won't get to live as (IMO) they deserve... They feel very real to me and I owe them that much. (Rationally, no; but emotionally, yes.)

 

[J-man]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Life is just too fucking good to want to end it. I used to be suicidal all the time but now it happens rarely. I live for learning Truth. I live for beauty. Making art. Writing. Other people are peripheral, I gave up on relationships a long time ago. It's nice to connect with someone once in a while, and its actually a deeper connection when I do connect with someone because they know I don't care whether they're in my life or not (I don't want anything from them).

"Maybe one day you will understand that I want nothing from you but to sweetly hold your hand." -my favorite line from my favorite Regina Spektor song, Folding Chair.

But to give up relationships isn't to end them, it's just to let life happen however it wants to happen. An outsider looking at me might say I have relationships but it doesn't feel that way. I am an absolutely separate entity who likes to be around people sometimes. "Relationship", then, is more of a description than a status.

I live for the next good thing coming up in my life, but I do have future goals/plans that are very meaningful to me.

 

[Shieru]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

+1 @J-man

Your view and experience of relationships makes a lot of sense to me. I think it is a wise and respectful approach to things. As we journey through life, having the fantasies of 'forever love' shattered as they collide with reality, I think we can eventually come to see the truth of human existence; that the only relationship that lasts 'forever' is that which we have with our self. Related to this thought; if the most permanent (and therefore most important) relationship we have is with our self, then it makes sense for each of us to focus on cultivating that relationship, following the journey that best makes sense for us. I think a fundamental part of genuinely caring for and respecting another person is to let them have their own journey, whether it includes you as a part of it or not. To let reality flow as it will is to allow life to happen without drama, which seems like a noteworthy way of being to me

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What primarily motivates me to live is the desire for completion. I believe that each of us is part of the grand story of humanity. We each represent one set of possibilities - one potential, and we each have a part to play in the drama of human life. I'm largely interested in existing because I feel that my part of the story isn't yet complete, I haven't yet expressed what I would like to say.

 

[Urakro]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

The fact that if I stick to something long enough, no matter how hard it is, I'll eventually adapt to it somehow. I'll join the stubbornness group, though I'm not a runner anymore (used to be a long distance runner when younger).

I noticed the things I avoid and run away from get worse, and those that I torturously endure get better as mastery is gained from it. Some of the hardest challenges I face take a long ass time to succumb to though. But I see improvements.

To help that along, I realize that my state of mind is transient, and at the moment, very skewed. When things get better, I look back and recall the negative state of mind and realize how distorted it was. Or maybe the positive one is distorted, but at that moment I don't really care because I'm happy.

With the stubbornness, I just keep going. I hate the fact that I can't control what's ahead. That there are chances for catastrophe's that are impossible to see coming. But even if I can't even support my own weight, I'll still crawl, even if it's an agonizing inch every minute. Even if I have to take things second by second, I have no other choice but to keep going.

I get angry, and pissed off, alot of times at something not even tangible. Whatever it is that continually seems to try to beat you down, and with one step ahead, blockades you with obstacles, don't stop in defeat. Give it a face and get angry with it. When I do that, I find myself doing something about it, then realizing later that I get some sense of pride for getting myself over another challenging 'hump' of my life.

 

[Puffy]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

The knowledge that this thread is at the top of the boards on Christmas. Begins to redeem this place in my eyes.

 

[Ex-User (11125)]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Merry Christmas intpf ♡

 

[Shieru]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Merry Christmas intpf ♡

[bimgx=180]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ygmglxa4KzI/UMnK9htOhEI/AAAAAAAAAGk/92Lvzx92T6Y/s1600/bah+humbug.png[/bimgx]​

 

[onesteptwostep]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

merry christmas

 

[Absurdity]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

I've thought for a few days about how to answer this, but I can't think of a better way to put it than to pretentiously use this quote/former signature of mine:

Enigma, positive confusion (delirium), problematic, pain, whatever we want to call it; the torment of the philosophers in any case, is the stimulus to ecstatic creation, to an interminable ‘resolution’ into the enhanced provocations of art. What the philosophers have never understood is this: it is the unintelligibility of the world alone that gives it worth.​

 

[Tannhauser]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

When not driven by organic inspiration, it's mostly an act of rebellion.

 

[JPS]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Some bastard concoction of intense curiosity, misguided love, and listless habit.

 

[Ex-User (11125)]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

What do you mean misguided love?

 

[DocHolliday]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Rust Cohle: I tell myself I bear witness,
but the real answer is that it’s obviously my programming,
and I lack the constitution for suicide.

 

[Sinny91]

Re: whhat gives you the incentive/willpower/strength to keep going and stay "alive"?

Rust Cohle: I tell myself I bear witness,
but the real answer is that it’s obviously my programming,
and I lack the constitution for suicide.

Thats cool.

 

[bvanevery]

I have a vision of how people can live differently than they do now, differently than the timid and hierarchical patterns that dominate most people's lives in industrial societies. I think I have to be the kind of person who realizes that vision, to show to others what is possible. I think only by these small movements forwards in our evolution, will humanity ever amount to anything. On the stable, squabbling trajectories, we will live mostly in a state of mass deprivation until resources are exhausted and we inevitably destroy ourselves. Long before the universe itself woudl get around to erasing us.

I'm not willing to live in an ordinary way. It is at times disconcerting to see whatever patterns of my life are ordinary, just like those of many others. It makes me wonder at times, who am I kidding, that much of anyone else will live in any new way.

I am atheist and nothing but dust awaits me when my life is over. So I will do what I can with it, while I have it.

 

[Reluctantly]

Anger at anything that can put me in a position to want to die. I've debated if that makes me insane or not, but I kind of don't give a shit anymore.

 

[Call Me Fishmael]

It's easier than the alternative.

 

[Intolerable]

The only thing keeping me breathing is the desire to figure out what brought me to this point. Seems kinda like a dog chasing his own tail but there it is.

 

[Anling]

When even my native insaitiable curiosity and desire to understand life, the universe, and everything was not enough to keep me motivated, the thought of the trauma I would cause my family was enough to keep me from following through on my suicidal tendencies. The thought of my little sister or my mom finding me bled out in the bathroom was generally enough to keep me from doing something stupid. Even when I hate myself and think the world, my family, etc. would be better off if I just didn't exist, I could not do such a thing to my loved ones, to leave trauma and guilt in my wake. Plus, for some reason my subconscious was always coming up with rather grusome ways I could off myself. It would really suck to have to die from gutting myself. If my mind came up with less painful and lingering ways it would probably have been more tempting, though no less horrible for my family and whoever would be unlucky enough to find my body. I suppose I've never felt spiteful enough to commit suicide when I can't help but also think of the consequences of my actions.

 

[bvanevery]

Heh, Anling, isn't it good that you didn't grow up in a samurai seppuku culture, with all sorts of tightly wound notions about honor and shame and how it's a really good idea to off yourself in a gruesome manner if you cock it up? I've occasionally experienced that societal restraint you talked about, not wanting to traumatize the family, although I would not call it one of my pressing reasons and it's been a rare thought for me. I'm just saying, if your family was actually egging you on about how you really really should be slitting your belly open right about now, well, that would suck.

 

[rainman312]

Self-preservation instinct, if you want to get really literal. On top of that, I enjoy a considerable number of life's aspects, things which I wouldn't get to enjoy were I no longer alive. I find the world to be utterly amazing and interesting, and I think the short ~80 years we have here aren't nearly enough to figure everything (or much of anything) out. Therefore, I have no real desire to cut it shorter.

 

[Patroclaws]

It's easier than the alternative.

This is true. Your body wants to live, and instinct eventually overcomes intentions.

I don't think I have an incentive to live, per say, but I don't have an incentive to die. So I remain in the default state of being alive.