Is chasing your dreams worth it?

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Jello
On the flip side, men like Emerson and Thoreau were following their dreams as well, but not for glory or sanctification. They did it for personal satisfaction.

What if my dream is too lead a simple, uncomplicated life free from the trappings of stress and worry that most of society finds itself overwhelmed by? Is that dream any less worthy than that of those who seek fortune and fame from theirs? Is it in any way less legitimate?
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Jello, did you hack my home server and download the personal manifesto I wrote some years ago? I swear that the phrase "uncomplicated life" appears no less than five times in it. When I was a young man I was struck with the realization that people cause the vast majority of their own misery and suffering, and I resolved to accept responsibility for my quality of life right then. Sure, it requires some sacrifice and some very honest introspection, but once you stop seeing happiness as something you have to work for and start seeing it as something you can choose to find in your own surroundings, I think it becomes a great deal more omnipresent in one's life.
 
Scholar, at the risk of sounding too self-assured I honestly think people like you and me have figured out that elusive "secret to life".

I see it all around me with my friends and associates constantly piling on more and more, taking on more and more, all in silent quest to fulfill some imaginary scoreboard. Sure, most of those people would scoff at my beliefs and the way I live my life, but again I find that I am happier and more satisfied than practically all of them.
 
When life devolves into an endless cycle of obligations, I'm not sure you are really getting as much out of it as you may think.
 
InTheHole
MUDCAT..I've been meaning to address this with you for a couple of years. I too have a problem with my coffee pot spout...how are you handling that situation?
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Ah, strange thing - it corrected itself.

I assume you are referring to one of my old rants in the Private Zone at S-faggot-R - and I remember the situation with my coffee pot dribbling on the counter all the time - but it doesn't happen now.

Makes no sense at all when you think about it. It's not like the glass can reshape itself or something.

But it pours fine now and has for a long time.

:dunno:
 
My coffee pot spout resolved itself as well, but it didn't conclude as a mystery. It goes back to how I wash dishes (I eschew dishwashers, I prefer the peace of mind that comes with washing all my dishes by hand) and the temperature water I use. I like relatively lukewarm showers, so I have my water heater turned almost all the way down, and in order to get the level of cleanliness I require on dishes, I just boil water on the stove in which to soak everything in the sink before I get to work. Apparently the temperature was too much for the plastic lid/handle assembly and it unseated itself from the glass carafe. One frosty morning I was emptying the old coffee outside and I actually felt the glass snap back into its channel, and it hasn't leaked a drop since.
 
Jello
What if my dream is too lead a simple, uncomplicated life free from the trappings of stress and worry that most of society finds itself overwhelmed by? Is that dream any less worthy than that of those who seek fortune and fame from theirs? Is it in any way less legitimate?
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Right. I agree with what you and RS have been saying about this. I do not want that life of quiet desperation.

In my case, my near-compulsive life dream relates directly to that. A fundamental force behind my desire to be a writer was to be in complete control of my time. The writing itself is very important too and I want the pats on the back, sure. But just as much, I always hated school and jobs - and I really just wanted to be self-employed.

In that sense, I am living a dream-come-true life right now. Or at least a dream-half-come-true.

But I'm sure many people with life dreams are not so wise as us. They dream of fame without even stopping to think about what it means.
 
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