Surviving and Living
Moog wrote:
sunshower wrote:
I'm mainly surviving because I'm constantly pushing myself beyond my limits to achieve more than I would otherwise. I don't mind it so much though, as it's my personality and a part of who I am.
That's funny, I call that living. Surviving to me is when you never bother to try and grow at all.
I wouldn't agree with that. It depends on how you define "surviving" and "living," of course. I am engaged daily in trying to grow, but I also am surviving more than I'm living. I go about my daily tasks because they are the things required to continue surviving, not because I enjoy them or they make me feel alive. Even the things I do for the purpose of enjoyment or living, I often do in order to improve my survival (I will find it easier to survive if there is joy in my life). Perhaps it is because of this that I put such a high value on personal growth: Life may be not very alive-feeling, but at least I can find some value in it this way.
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"A flower falls, even though we love it; and a weed grows, even though we do not love it."