What, in your opinion, makes for a good life?

The love between your wife (spouse), children, and pets

 

Hmmm...

I think for me it has varied over time, but some of the 'foundation' ones are:

...being able to easily, and adequately, sustain yourself.

...and everything else I tend to see as a bonus.

For example:

Being healthy (that really is number 1 I suppose, but who cares for form anyway! )

...living in a great climate where you can go swimming just about everyday after work... (check!)

...get to know as many weird people as I can.

...great relationships in general.

There are more, I'm too lazy to type right now.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jared2 @ Jun 12 2006, 02:27 PM) [snapback]270032[/snapback]</div>

Living a purpose-driven life, feeling that I've made a net contribution, rather than just being an observer or, worse, a 'taker'.

Raising my children to be responsible, happy adults who also contribute in life. "Happy" doesn't equate to "giddy"; it equates to self-satisfaction and a deep capacity for joy.

Oh, and that 'deep capacity for joy' goes for me, too!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jared2 @ Jun 12 2006, 02:41 PM) [snapback]270043[/snapback]</div>

In a way, we all have children, don't we?

Those who don't have full, 100% individual, fertilized, children, have, at the very least, 50% of a child in the form of either sperm or egg.

So to answer your rather ambiguous question the best I can, yes, I do have a 50% non-fertilized child component yet to be born.

h34r:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jared2 @ Jun 12 2006, 04:17 PM) [snapback]270099[/snapback]</div>

Wow, I actually sort of totally agree with you on this one!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jared2 @ Jun 12 2006, 11:27 AM) [snapback]270032[/snapback]</div>

A "good" life is sustainable quality, not short-term quantity. Anyone can be caught up in the short-term media hyperbole. This includes fresh, contaminant-free food and water, energy efficient housing, transportation; clean air, freedom from violence and crowding.

 

A good life=providing my son everything he needs to live a good life.

That includes taking care of myself, our household, the environment, the country, the world...

This seems like a simplistic list, and if you'd have asked me 4 years ago, I would've had a totally different response. Being a parent changes everything--for the better.

 

A Twelve Inch Prius! :lol:

 

i think above all health matters most. your own and that of your loved ones. i know from experience that any of these being affected takes a lot out of you. (i'm walking around with dark circles under my eyes... haven't gotten a good night's sleep since DH was diagnosed with sleep apnea)

next is your connections on an emotional level. spouse, parents, siblings, children, friends whoever.

then it's doing what makes you happy for a living. if you don't feel like your job is important or worth the time or doing a damn thing for the community, you tend to ask why you're even there.

being able to support yourself is also up there. money is among the top causes of marital stress. i can vouch for that too. plus, it does suck not knowing if you'll be able to pay the bills for the month.

i think there's much more to the good life than any of us can describe here.

 

Although I'm not really a Buddhist I find that their teachings agree with the values I was born with. I've read many things on the subject and have found the writings of His Holiness, The Dali Lama, the most sensible words I've ever read.

So, no matter WHAT religion you follow, or if you follow non like me, do the world a favor and practice what the Dali Lam preaches.

Dali Lama - Instructions for Life

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R’s:

Respect for self
Respect for others and
Responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.