Ideals that you struggle to implement in your daily life

[Junket]

Do any of you possess ideals or goals that you have problems living up to?

Where in discussion you can say "this is how it should be!", but lose the fervor once everyone goes home?

This is something that has always troubled me. I have these ideals that I hypocritically cannot bring myself to uphold. Kinda like, "Everyone else should do/be this, but me, I'm the exception."

[Gribble]

No, not really. My ideals are simple, though, so they're easy to uphold. Try not to bring harm to others within reason. Protect your own. That's it.

Live and let die, you could say. If enough people lived that way we wouldn't need to give handouts or have a lot of fancy ideals. Folks would do for themselves or they'd die and make room for the competent.

[Junket]

An example of things I'm conflicted about.

Volunteerism.

I spent almost an entire year living it, but of course, once you need to pay bills and go to work, helping others takes a back seat. This is part of my ideal that American society has become incredibly apathetic towards their neighbors for many reasons that I can't entirely blame them for. That where citizens drop the ball, government will always step in and generally do a lousier job with overpaid, unmotivated, employees and counterproductive bureaucracies.

I also think many modern families have been stretched way too thin to adequately support each other. That the narcissism that consumes the nation has only fueled the expansion of the federal government because people are stubborn about their independence from any kind of communal obligations. But here I am, living in New Orleans, half way across the country from any kind of family, which was severely dysfunctional to start with.

Another thing is children. I don't believe I need to add to the world's population but have at least one biological child would be cool, I think. But I don't want to have any children right now, despite my belief that if I'm going to have children, I would rather have them when I'm younger(ish), because I hate the idea of old 40 year old parents with 10 year old children.

[ecojeanne]

No, not really. My ideals are simple, though, so they're easy to uphold. Try not to bring harm to others within reason. Protect your own. That's it.

Live and let die, you could say. If enough people lived that way we wouldn't need to give handouts or have a lot of fancy ideals. Folks would do for themselves or they'd die and make room for the competent.

while to a certain extent it's true. people are not independent both emotionally and physically, the issue to counteract the point you make comes in when morals and ethics play a role in societies conscience. for instance when some people don't ignore their conscience completely that's when these helpers come in to do the 'right' thing. e.g the mentally retarded don't necessarily in this day and age have to be left to die and therefore are not. survival of the fittest is slightly naive and quite a simplistic way of coping with your conscience

[Gribble]

Coping with my conscience? I tell you something, if I see a healthy man standing on the street begging for money the only thing I feel is a strong desire to give him an excuse for his sorry state. I want to swerve off the road and clip him with my car so the next time I see him begging he'll be leaning on a crutch with his legs twisted beneath him. There's an excuse for homelessness.

As for the mentally handicapped? You know what? I feel sorry for them. Food and shelter should be provided for those who cannot in any way work. However, I also believe in sterilization for anyone incapable of caring for children. Be it someone with mental disabilities or be it someone who, despite an inability to feed his or her current children, insists on having more.

Conscience is not universal, nor is it a solid foundation on which to build your morals and your ethics. Conscience is a construct of experiences and influences. I'm perfectly capable of sleeping at night with a smile on my face as some pathetic sod freezes outside. And so long as someone sweeps the corpse aside before I wake up I'll go about my day just as happy as ever.

[Junket]

Not to help continue the derailing of my thread so soon after it was posted, but, after my car drowned last week and I've been borrowing my g/f's truck, or being dropped off/picked up by her, I began to realize how totally f*cked I would be were she not here to do that. I began to think, well maybe I would just hitch a ride with someone else, or get a cab. But then I began to think about all the other aspects of my financial life were I living by myself in a city without friends or family.

The loss of my car for a week would be debilitating. It's possible to lose my job because of it. Hell, what if I couldn't afford to get it repaired? I can see how some people can get into this downward spiral and lose the motivation to keep trying.

Anyway, Eco has not stated whether or not she possesses ideals that she has trouble living up to.

[IndiReloaded]

Efficiency. I want to be more efficient. I expect it from others. Part of that means I need to get to sleep at a regular time, wake up earlier and exercise more regularly. Stick to my task list. Else I end up having to make stuff up like I am now, at home on a Sunday night and posting here b/c I really don't want to be updating files and references.

Its hard when stuff starts to pile up. Snowball effect.

[Mish]

Yeh, I expect high efficiency at work (primarily from myself), but when I'm given a reason not to do anything or there's no work or no projects available I find it hard to motivate myself to go out looking for them. I get lazy.

[IndiReloaded]

Oh God, not me. If I don't have a project I go crazy. I'm the opposite, I need to stop creating urgency where there is none.

[Yggdrasil]

The loss of my car for a week would be debilitating. It's possible to lose my job because of it. Hell, what if I couldn't afford to get it repaired? I can see how some people can get into this downward spiral and lose the motivation to keep trying.

You don't have an insurance policy which allows you to have a courtesy vehicle?

Do any of you possess ideals or goals that you have problems living up to?

No. I live up to my goals and/or ideals. It's not my 'job' to make others live up to theirs. That's every single individuals responsibility.

I think you may still be a bit 'young and idealistic' Fras. As you get older and 'more seasoned', you'll (hopefully) start understanding that you can't change the world, only yourself

It's all a matter of priorities. Right now, your priorities are work, money, getting settled, etc.

Once you are settled, 5 or 10 years down the road, you may have time (or not), to volunteer several hours a week to a dedicated project. However, first you have to take care of yourself and the ones you love.

As a general rule of thumb: you can't help others, unless you first help yourself. Otherwise it would be a bit like the blind leading the blind.

Hope that makes sense.

[IndiReloaded]

Wow Ygg, you live up to ALL your ideals? Always?

You really are the perfect guy! LOL.

Sorry but your post smells like BS from miles away. You aren't that much older than I am. Don't get me wrong, its optimistic and that is a wonderful thing, but its not from this planet as we know it.

Wait. Did you grow up in a zen monastery? If so, that might explain it.

[Yggdrasil]

Wow Ygg, you live up to ALL your ideals? Always?

You really are the perfect guy! LOL.

Sorry but your post smells like BS from miles away. You aren't that much older than I am. Don't get me wrong, its optimistic and that is a wonderful thing, but its not from this planet as we know it.

Wait. Did you grow up in a zen monastery? If so, that might explain it.

Well, I am absolutely not sorry that I don't live up to YOUR ideals Indi. But I have a great feeling of satisfaction I live up to MINE

[vashti]

I rarely have time to give my patients the care I'd like them to get.

[IndiReloaded]

Well, I am absolutely not sorry that I don't live up to YOUR ideals Indi. But I have a great feeling of satisfaction I live up to MINE

Hey, where did I say you have to live up to mine?

I'm just amazed. I don't know anyone who lives up to their ideals all the time. Maybe I just interact with some really Type A people who are never satisfied.

Of course, it depends on what you mean by ideals. For me, they are guiding principles or goals I aspire to, but never quite reach. Its like shooting for a target that is just out of reach but makes me aim higher than I might otherwise.

Oh, and I want to run a marathon while my body still lets me. Just once, so I can feel what its like. Guess that's not an ideal so much as a life goal.

[Yggdrasil]

Hey, where did I say you have to live up to mine?

I'm just amazed. I don't know anyone who lives up to their ideals all the time. Maybe I just interact with some really Type A people who are never satisfied.

Of course, it depends on what you mean by ideals. For me, they are guiding principles or goals I aspire to, but never quite reach. Its like shooting for a target that is just out of reach but makes me aim higher than I might otherwise.

Oh, and I want to run a marathon while my body still lets me. Just once, so I can feel what its like. Guess that's not an ideal so much as a life goal.

Much better.

Mine are rather simple: be the best I can be, in any given situation, and not let failure to reach my goals divert or discourage me, but let it make me work harder on achieving them.

Like Thomas Edison said after non functioning light bulb 3459: I didn't fail, I found another how not to do it.

A far cry from perfection I'd say. But very realistic in my opinion.

Maybe I'll share some of my wisdom: Aim lower, achieve more?