What Is Most Important To You?
If you had to pick just one topic that's so important that you'd die for the cause, what would it be? Family? Religion? Politics? Advance tickets to the next Star Wars film? What makes it so important to you?
It's hard for me to think of an abstract concept I'd be willing to die for. It makes much more sense for me to surrender if I have no other choice and live to fight another day. Concrete, physical things are much easier to imagine such as my family. If I had to give my life so that my loved ones would live I would do so. I can't say I'd do so without hesitation because I'd still want to figure out a way to protect them while still preserving my life, but if I had no other choice then there's no question that their lives would have to take precedence over mine.
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Humans by nature are notoriously selfish beings as self preservation is literally programmed into our instinctual mind. We don't look at the future in the thousands of years because we don't live thousands of years, so the only actions we care about are the ones that effect us and those we know here and in the immediate future. I personally cherish the life I have on this planet and take considerable effort in preventive measures to assure I don't die an untimely death. As for sacrificing myself for some greater good, well, this isn't something I have given much thought... So lets see...
I can with great certainty say that family and friends are the most important thing in my life, so if an event happened where I had to make a split second decision to risk injury or death to save the ones I love I would jump at the chance (of course to a degree, because again, I'm no hero and my self preservation instincts are my worst enemy at that point).
Having said that, my instinct for self preservation is strong, and thus any type of premeditated action would be virtually impossible just because the instinct that keeps me from jumping off a cliff will keep me from doing anything suicidal. I'm being brutally honest here, I'm not a coward, I just cherish that I'm alive, that I think, that I see and feel and experience anything, because anything beats nothing.
I agree that it's easy to get caught up in how we would like to see ourselves while ignoring how we would truly react if such an opportunity presented itself.
Well that was deep.
Not getting in the way of others. It's honestly been the only thing I've ever done in my life consistently - I stayed out of other people's way. Tried really hard to get a job because I didn't want to rely on my parents. I hate depending on anyone.
I need to mention - I was not aware that I was actively doing this until a few years ago. I feel like I really got to know who I am and accept the way I act in certain situations. I won't be changing any time soon.
That sounds more like avoiding trouble than anything else.
I'd trade my life away without too much thought if I could walk the earth as a ghost, observing people without having them notice i'm there. I'd gladly take a beating if I deserve it.
I don't know if not getting in the way of others implies that I'm avoiding trouble or not, but it is definitely not self-protection I'm after.
Whether you're avoiding trouble for yourself or others, you're essentially trying to avoid trouble. If that's how you want to live your life I'm certainly not going to judge.
Wow. Deep topic for a Tuesday, ain't it, dude? ;)
Let me chew on this for a few hours. Not something I am aware of right off the top of my head.
Weighty thoughts don't always have the courtesy to wait for weekends. ;)
I sympathize. It's hard for me to come up with much, either. It's easier to do in the heat of the moment, like when you're fighting for a cause and right then it seems important enough to die for. But when you're cold and sober, removed from any particular battleground? It's harder to say.
Agreed. Definitely difficult to make such a decision when you have time to think it all over. Also, there really is no way to know how we are going to react until a scenario like this presents itself naturally.
Dying for a cause is one thing; living for a cause is something completely different :) So, I'll answer your question, and you could think about mine: what is so important to you that you're willing to dedicate your life (or a very sizeable chunk of your life) to it?
Willing to die to save other people's lives, family and friends first, children second... or maybe it's the other way... Actually, if I'm told that as soon as I die and because of my death humanity is getting a cure for cancer, I'd go willingly.
A lot of people live on inertia. They keep living and keep going because it's familiar and easier than dying. But what's worth striving for? Oh, so many things. Again there's family, and many people include religion and politics. Some people strive for money and position while others strive for justice.
I think if I make the world even a little better than how I found it, my life will not have been a waste.