What drives you?

[qwerty]

Simple question, I'm interested in the results. I think Blake sums me up pretty well :)

To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.

I've never been a poetic person and still abhor people who write most of it. Yet those 4 lines have touched me.
The only other quick summery would be a quote by Jonas Salk

"You never have an idea of what you might accomplish,
All you can do is pursue a question and see where it leads."

You don't have to sum yourself up with quotes or poems, I just did it because it's much easier than going in depth. But anyway what is it that you wake up for every morning?

[Guido]

I know that poem from Tomb Raider!! :D

The purpose of life huh? I can't say I've quite figured that out yet. I'll sum it up with a song by Daft Punk:

Work it harder, make it better
Do it faster, makes us stronger
More than ever hour after
Our work is never over

[Rei]

simple...
to have achieved something by the time I die *;D


Talk about ultimate closure...


I guess if I had to add to that I'd say to gather as much random knowledge as I can and be HAPPY!

[lollercancer]

the american dream drives my ass, and it kills me that it does. I've read death of a salesman, i know where it's going to lead me, but i do it anyway.

I want to be famous for my skill, I want to be justified in my actions and i want to have great influence and power. the second i get any, i'll be flaunting it to change the world a bit. /dream

if i didn't have such a crazy goal, i'd probably just be a criminal. the thought enters my mind all the time: "Why do you behave? Why are you such a citizen when you hate your government and authority? Why do you stay near your family, if all they can do is hate on you?"

without a dream, i'd be something scary.

[rwyatt365]

What drives me?

…my desire to be remembered. To know that, after I'm gone, someone somewhere will say (or think), "I remember Roger, he was a pretty good guy." Now, if that means that I have to do something major so that my name will be in lights for years to come (so to speak), or just to be memorable to one person (my son?) – I don’t know.

The dreamer in me says, "Go for it. Be the big dog". The realist in me says, "How possible is that at this point in your live, try something you can achieve."

[Doppelbock]

To create. Why it drives me, I have no idea, but I must be creating something or I'm not happy.

[Vagaran71]

Mine is my overwhelming belief in a better world and the idea that I'm a part of bringing it into being. I personally believe that I'm only as good a person as I help others to be.

[bikerscars]

i am a single father of one boy(10) and two girls(8 and 5)

my drive is to set a good example, provide, educate and prepare them for life

my simple mantra to them is to be good and be happy

[Max T]

To bring an improvement to others. This would either be an invention that people enjoy 50 yrs later, or planting an advancement in thinking in a particular field that others can sit under.

[deicruxified]

"Be fearless and pure; never waver in your determination or your dedication to the spiritual life. Give freely. Be self-controlled, sincere, truthful, loving, and full of the desire to serve...Learn to be detached and to take joy in renunciation. Do not get angry or harm any living creature, but be compassionate and gentle; show good will to all. Cultivate vigor, patience, will, purity; avoid malice and pride. Then, you will achieve your destiny.”

- Krishna, The Bagavhad Gita

"I am not nothing in the sense of emptiness but I am the creative nothing. The nothing out of which I myslef as creator create eveirything."

- Max Stirner, The Ego and Its Own

[Zard Lucifer]

I want to become immortal.

It's stupid. I know.

So I just strive for the next best thing, to leave my mark on the universe.
To prove that I exist, and in the future, that I existed.

[Doppelbock]

I want to become immortal.

It's stupid. I know.

So I just strive for the next best thing, to leave my mark on the universe.
To prove that I exist, and in the future, that I existed.

I don't think it's stupid.

Reminds me of a great Woodie Allen quote, though: "I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve immortality through not dying."

DB ;-)

[chocky]

What drives me? Sense of Impending Doom. What else is there?

Hell, we're three feet from the cliff edge and someone has to turn the lemmings. Won't have the beggars carrying everything beautiful over the edge with them, just 'cos they got a death wish, and no sense of propriety.

[rasoirviolon]

is this weirdly idealistic of me? [smiley=uneasy.gif] what drives me to wake up in the morning and go into the world is my constant desire to remain unknown.

think of it... how "awesome" would it be to walk on without leaving footprints? of course that's utterly unattainable since others will always have some impression of you. but still, if it were a perfect world, my goal would be to reach pure "invisibility." other than that... a most cliche reason... just to seek out as much knowledge as i'm able to.

[chocky]

I can relate to that, and immortality too.

As a child and teenager I wanted just to disappear... to leave no trace... to pass through the world invisible and utterly unchallenged. More than being just invisible I imagined being omnipotent too. Because of course I would use power so much more wisely than those stupid humans, you know.

Add it all up and I guess what drove me was feeling I was a super-powerful immortal ghost bent on saving the earth from humanity, and I could hear the clock ticking. Perhaps it drives me still...

yep. good old Impending Doom. The vision holds.

Just don't tell anyone.

[PhoenixRising]

I would have to say that two things do on different levels... First, I'm a single parent of an 11yo and 5yo and I have to say that they are my single biggest reason for being and doing.. preparing them to be happy, well adjusted and sucessful in life with all the skills and tools thy need as well as providing them with a secure and stable environment in which to learn. The second thing that drives me is the never-ending search for knowlege and spiritual growth so that when this lifetime is over I have learned the lessons that have been presented and am ready to go on to whatever comes next (hoping that I don't have to make a return trip through because I'm not ready ;) ).

[phoenix]

I'm driven to discover. I want to contribute to learning more about how the universe works...scientific inquiry for science's sake.

In grad school I found out how much I hate publishing, so I went into the technical side of discovery. I now help launch satellites that will make huge impacts on how we understand the most basic functions of the universe. While people may never remember my name, they'll all be affected by what I do. I figure that's accomplishment enough.

[jeffersonian]

I just want to get comfortable with my epistemology. From there, things would probably feel a little better.

Unfortunately, I'm bombarded with so much information and so many details that it makes it hard to sift through to what I need to think about.

By the time I hit 50, I hope to have some framework in place to start living effectively.

[brstng4]

hahah impending doom!

I wake up every day wanting 5 more minutes, and to make something out of my life. Ultimately I guess what I'm looking for is happiness and fulfillment, purpose and knowledge. Yeah, knowledge is a biggie.

[blueback]

Well, I think that humans have no purpose. I figure we're just an accidental product of natural, dumb forces. Systems theory tells us that it's entirely possible for functions to emerge at higher levels of complexity that are non-existent (and unpredictable) at lower levels. So, a long time ago something randomly aquired the desire to survive and replicate and it was all down-hill from there.

Since I don't think there is any purpose to this life and no after-life to look forward too, all there is is right now. We get a limited amount of time to be self aware and interact with the world. That actually motivates me to acomplish as much as I possibly can. Since I have no inate purpose, and I haven't aquired one from a superior being, I have to choose what I'm going to do with my life.

I (we) are the direct result of an accident. Me, you, them, the world, etc. Have you ever come across free money? A little bit you just stick in your pocket but if it's a lot you probably can't help feeling like you don't deserve it. Maybe you feel like you have to do something charitable with half of it or try to find the person it belongs to. Well, I think that is the right thing to do. I guess this comes from "INTJ", but all I want to do is improve everything. I can't think of anything more necessary than contributing to the perfection and complexity of the world.

Basically, increasing complexity is a creative process because you have no idea what might emerge at higher system levels. The first form of life lucked into it and we have been steadily building on that one accident ever since. Sentience is simply a function that appeared once our brains reached a certain level of complexity. . .who knows what might appear at even higher levels.

So:
1) Increase the perfection and complexity of the world
2) Be remembered forever
3) Be happy

[INTJohn]

What drive's me? My quest for Truth and what is True- Physics, Philosophy, Psychology; science, art and ones self.

I am obsessed with Reality to learn all I can and to apply it, positively, toward the Advancement of the Human Condition.

INTJohn

[anul]

To be perfect, but since that's not realistic I strive to be the best. I'm also a strong believer in the pursuit of liberty.

[Bossy Mom]

I am driven by keeping my daughter alive. She has had two liver transplants and I work to make sure she has good health insurance and a good standard of living.

Before my daughter was born, I was driven by by my sense of honor and integrity. I believe that each person is responsible for making the most of himself or herself and is responsible for taking care of their loved ones.

It is very simple.

The last few days I have not posted. We live in San Diego and thought we would have to leave our home because the fire was so close. We had the computer boxed up to evacuate if necessary, but things are better now. It is an experience like this that makes a person see what is important in life.

[Chainsaw Dundee]

Simple question, I'm interested in the results. I think Blake sums me up pretty well :)

To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.

Metaphorical symbolisms can be found in everything.

What drives me is accomplishment, and the pride, results, wisdom, and knowledge that accompanies it.

[cielo market]

I am driven by keeping my daughter alive. *She has had two liver transplants and I work to make sure she has good health insurance and a good standard of living.
The last few days I have not posted. *We live in San Diego and thought we would have to leave our home because the fire was so close. *We had the computer boxed up to evacuate if necessary, but things are better now. *It is an experience like this that makes a person see what is important in life.
I wish you and your family the best :)


So, what drives me? God, never wanting to feel like a loser, and of course, cat-wisdom.

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[L30]

I'm not driven by anything.. I've already attained my highest goal, everything seems pretty useless now, most of the time I'm baffled by the stupidity of life in general.

[NephilimAzrael]

Appetitive stimulus?

[Antisocialite]

Well, I don't have a poem with which to convey my answer but I'm driven by the need for power.

[Tocsin]

When it comes to "tilting at windmills," I suppose my raison d'etre comes from a need to publicly defy commonplace foolishness and idiocy, and in the United States these days it is clearly a losing battle.

Hence my moniker, tocsin: the sound of (an) alarm.

[127001]

What drives me?

…my desire to be remembered. To know that, after I'm gone, someone somewhere will say (or think), "I remember Roger, he was a pretty good guy." Now, if that means that I have to do something major so that my name will be in lights for years to come (so to speak), or just to be memorable to one person (my son?) – I don’t know.

The dreamer in me says, "Go for it. Be the big dog". The realist in me says, "How possible is that at this point in your live, try something you can achieve."


I don't get why it matters to you. That person will be dust in another 300 years, as will anyone else alive in that time.

Eventually, everyone and everything is forgotten. A general lack of permanence is one of the major laws of this world.

[Tabemashoo]

Hmm, I'm a lot like Ryuk from Death Note. I don't care if I'm remembered, I don't care if I pass on my genes somehow or not, I don't care about immortality, nor do I care about making the world a better place.

So what drives me? Whatever's interesting.

[White Raven]

We shall not cease in exploration
And the end of our exploring
Shall be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

-T.S. Eliot

[Caucus]

What drives me?
Knowing that I can always improve and always do better. My goals for the future drive me.

I have a mental picture of where I want to be in the next ten years. I see the image in my mind and know that I can "draw" a part of the picture every day until the full picture is complete.

[Dragontongue]

I want to learn. I want to know how to do everything that interests me. I wake up in the morning (well, in the afternoon) in order to study.

(Even if that studying doesn't look like studying. For example, I'll watch anime in order to help me learn Japanese. Of course, that's not all I do to learn Japanese; I have a language course, several dictionaries, and a tutor--but I do watch anime a lot.)

I write music for the harp because the harp interests me. I design clothing when I feel like it. I learned how to fence because I thought it was cool. I write stories when I'm in the mood. I do karate because I want to. The reason I do all these things is because I don't have to. So I suppose I'm driven to do only the things I want to do, and only when no-one is telling me to do them.

I don't really have a plan for the future (how sad)! I just want to do what I find interesting, and I want to do it as well as possible, no matter what.

[Sequoia]

Love of learning is part of what drives me as well. Also, I've never lost that sense of wonder that young children have. I love to explore, and see what I can discover, no matter the topic. I am also driven by a need to nurture, to help others realise their dreams and potentials.

[Mechanical Messiah]

Well, I think that humans have no purpose. I figure we're just an accidental product of natural, dumb forces. Systems theory tells us that it's entirely possible for functions to emerge at higher levels of complexity that are non-existent (and unpredictable) at lower levels. So, a long time ago something randomly aquired the desire to survive and replicate and it was all down-hill from there.

Since I don't think there is any purpose to this life and no after-life to look forward too, all there is is right now. We get a limited amount of time to be self aware and interact with the world. That actually motivates me to acomplish as much as I possibly can. Since I have no inate purpose, and I haven't aquired one from a superior being, I have to choose what I'm going to do with my life.

I (we) are the direct result of an accident. Me, you, them, the world, etc. Have you ever come across free money? A little bit you just stick in your pocket but if it's a lot you probably can't help feeling like you don't deserve it. Maybe you feel like you have to do something charitable with half of it or try to find the person it belongs to. Well, I think that is the right thing to do. I guess this comes from "INTJ", but all I want to do is improve everything. I can't think of anything more necessary than contributing to the perfection and complexity of the world.

Basically, increasing complexity is a creative process because you have no idea what might emerge at higher system levels. The first form of life lucked into it and we have been steadily building on that one accident ever since. Sentience is simply a function that appeared once our brains reached a certain level of complexity. . .who knows what might appear at even higher levels.


the american dream drives my ass, and it kills me that it does. I've read death of a salesman, i know where it's going to lead me, but i do it anyway.

I want to be famous for my skill, I want to be justified in my actions and i want to have great influence and power. the second i get any, i'll be flaunting it to change the world a bit. /dream

if i didn't have such a crazy goal, i'd probably just be a criminal. the thought enters my mind all the time: "Why do you behave? Why are you such a citizen when you hate your government and authority? Why do you stay near your family, if all they can do is hate on you?"

without a dream, i'd be something scary.

Both of these posts apply to me almost word-for-word. Could've been written by me- but with more vulgarity.

I'd say that there are different 'levels' of motivation for me. On the most instinctive level- I'm driven to acquire food and shelter. It's damn important to me.

On a less basic level, I get up in the morning, go to work and school because I want what has all too often been summed up as "the american dream". I want a piece of the earth that my wife and I can call our own. I want some stuff. And some financial $ecurity. Seems like a fairly humble goal... but it'll take decades to build this to my specifications.

On a more philosophical level... I'm driven to see the rest of the story (of humanity) and to contribute to it. I want to watch us humans go forth and multiply- and spread out pestilence throughout the universe. If history is any indicator, it'll be a horrid mess- but damn interesting.

And I want immortality. PHYSICAL immortality- I ain't bullshitting. Technology is advancing at an exponential rate. Soon our ability to extend lifespan may be increasing faster than we are aging- I really believe that this could be approaching. Of course, like any other emerging technology- it'll be available only to the wealthy... which is why one of my goals is to have lots of money. I'm not saying that I want to live forever- I just want to live for however long I feel like.

[Monte314]

I want to make the most of every gift I have, because someday I'll stand before the one who gave them to give an account.

I want to learn to love people, because that's what my Master loves.

I want to be a blessing to my wife and children, to the people I serve, and to the people I touch every day (such as those on this Forum).

I want on my last day to look back over a life well-spent, and hear Him call, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

[bricklayer]

You are wonderful Monte. I wish my "drive" was as noble as yours. Right now I'm just using my talents for God and trying to have some fun.

[maabus1999]

To truly make a difference that if I die tomorrow, I would feel complete. Of course, even after I have made a difference, I just keep upping the ante.

Combine this with my perfectionist drive of mind, body, and soul/spirit/metaphysical. Makes me constantly trying to become better and better.

[zibber]

Mitochondriae? Not trying to be funny. I'm driven to go on by the fact that going on is my natural state and to stop going on would require violent action (or lethargy leading to slow death, even less appealing).

Until a few years ago, I might have said something like "the quest for increasingly sophisticated knowledge of reality", but now that I'm a nihilist, I realise that's done me very, very little good. I wish I had a drive like Monte's. (Excepting the "my Master" part, perhaps.)

[Colette]

Nothing much is driving me at the moment...I'm auto-piloting my way through life. It's a worry :)

[Dave C C]

My brain and my heart have not figured out how to shut down yet, so I just keep prodding along.

[Fredi]

...to achieve greatness, reach enlightment and fundamentally change the world.

[ghettochraka]

Family.
True love.
Music.
Self-Actualization.
Learning.
Knowing death is inevitable is good motivation.
Feeling of accomplishment after I've completed a goal I've struggled for.
Anything that feeds my soul...and ego.

[void]

Gatorade. It's got electrolytes.

[Double Victory]

I'm driven by hope, and excitement. Maybe anticipation. I want to explore and have adventures. I want more experiences, and I want more knowledge. And, sort of secretly, I want to travel the world in the hopes that I might find someone I'm drawn to enough that I might actually fall in love. Really, I just want to live my life to the absolute fullest. If I do that, then I don't really care if I've made a difference, or if I've left anything behind.

[Terian]

Fascination.

[notoppings]

Fear drives me.

I fear everything it doesn't overwhelm me but it motivates me enough to strive.
I fear for my survival so I attain housing and sustenance.
I fear for my future so I save for that rainy day.
I fear to be forgotten, so I do as much good as possible so that others will remember me through my contributions.
I fear for the Earth and all it's creatures so I attempt to have as little impact as possible.
I fear pain, so I don't inflict it and avoid it as much as possible.
I fear losing my mind or memories, so I live today as if it may be my last conscious thought.

I guess the only thing I don't fear is death, it is an end to story, a closing of the book and all good stories must come to an end, so they can be savored.

[Synamon]

Fear drives me.

I fear everything it doesn't overwhelm me but it motivates me enough to strive.
I fear for my survival so I attain housing and sustenance.
I fear for my future so I save for that rainy day.
I fear to be forgotten, so I do as much good as possible so that others will remember me through my contributions.
I fear for the Earth and all it's creatures so I attempt to have as little impact as possible.
I fear pain, so I don't inflict it and avoid it as much as possible.
I fear losing my mind or memories, so I live today as if it may be my last conscious thought.

I guess the only thing I don't fear is death, it is an end to story, a closing of the book and all good stories must come to an end, so they can be savored.

Wow, powerful words. Hope you don't mind but I'm sending this to a friend who is having a rough time at the moment.

[notoppings]

Feel free, and thanks.

[enWTFp]

Creation. And things like this:
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[Nihilum]

Surviving. Being competent. Staying who I am and not losing myself. Having closure.

[Tishy]

I'm for BBQing scared cows of society.
Being a voice of dissidence against idiocy.
I want to help people aim higher and go further.

Keep alive until I feel like I've achieved some of this.

[void]

Primarily, fascination. Related to this is the remote possibility of attaining complete understanding of my observations with nothing more than my feeble mush of grey goop and the ability to manipulate equations.

[Reganon]

I am driven by possibility

[Zombicide]

The drive to exterminate as many zombies as possible. I have little if anything else to live for

[probity]

I'm driven by vision. I've seen what I'm supposed to do with my life and I refuse to die or slack off until I've accomplished it.