Laughing like that makes life worth living... =)

This makes life worth living. Throw your prozac in the trash and watch only talking boat videos.

"Imagine having to make a decision to put down your 19 year old son or daughter. That's probably pretty close to how the guy feels about his dog"

No. It. Is. Not.

As for the other responses, the "will to live/eat" argument, I call bullshit. Every living thing has survival instincts, thats why they exist in the first place. But dogs do not on a human level understand the connection between eating and surviving, they do not stop eating because they've "lost the will to live". That is us, humans, antropomorphising the dogs brain. They dont have that same cognitive future-predicting brain we do. They dont make that kind of connection. Whatever triggers the "i'm gonna stop eating and go die" behaviour is probably connected with dogs and wolves pack behaviour, which would be triggered because the dog "knows" that its would slow down the pack, and thus decides to leave. This would however not be knowledge, but evolved pack behaviour, and is unreliable to determine whether the dog has a worthy life. This behaviour could also be triggered in false alarm cases, such as hormones during or after mating seasons and so forth, one week later and the dog is happy as ever.

What is clear, is that this dog, in the video, cannot run anymore, it cannot fetch, search or do anything that stimulates its brain anymore. A dog thats being fed by an owner every day do not have the evolutionary history, nor the brains, to decide that this isnt a life worth living. Which is excactly were the dogs owners brain is supposed to come in: The dog eats because its hungry, it drinks because its thirsty. In more aspects than ever, its being artificially kept alive , as most dogs are most of their life, because they are domesticated and are thus useless hunters/scavengers, but they can still be happy and pain free, but in cases like this, it is literally being kept alive in pain, which is due to the owners emotional commitment.

And thats really all there is to it, if the living creature in front of you is in constant pain, constant agonizing pain, and you are keeping it alive on the basis of your personal feelings, you are hurting that animal. Every day. And those are sad, painful days for that animal. We do the same thing to some humans, even when they express their desire to die, which is a separate issue, but also sad, but atleast most humans can express such desires, and understand what it means to die and escape the pain, but dogs cant. Which is why we should make the hard decision and let them go, even if that hurts so, so much (again, yes I DO know, and yes I have had enough dogs in my life to know).

Genji,

I appreciate your words, Ezra, thank you. Let's say that you're right, that my life is meaningless, and that I am the one who determines what is true. Do you know what I would determine to do? What I would determine to do is to do the same things I am doing right now. Even if I knew Jesus Christ was not God, I would still determine to follow His blueprint for the ideal person, because following that blueprint has radically transformed my life for the better. There are many who aren't Christians who feel the same way, that Jesus got it right. If I wasn't a Christian, I would follow the ideal He set forth, summed up in the great commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself. To turn swords into plowshares. To pray for your enemies and hold banquets for the homeless. To walk two miles when someone asked you to walk one. To give the shirt off your back to someone else who needs it. To love everyone unconditionally, and see every person as fundamentally worthy of my respect. That is what my life about it, and I wouldn't consider that to be a wasted life, even if I was wrong.

I've also lived the alternative. Contrary to what you say, I was never really afraid of death. I can't say I liked the idea of death, but I accepted it; and so I was resigned to triviality, and meaninglessness. I was also content to go to the grave with those beliefs. Like everyone else, I got by on my dreams, my relationships, and whatever gratification I could get out of the moment; I indulged in the pleasures of sin freely, and felt little shame.

So I didn't come to be a Christian out of fear, or a need to be comforted. I came to be a Christian because God touched my life and shook me from my agnosticism. He showed me I wasn't quite as smart as I thought I was. He showed me that the material reality is but a thin veil covering a much greater truth. He showed me that the truth was always staring me right in the eyes, but I was too blind to see it. What He showed me was that He had always been there, my entire life, and that many of the things I wrote off as coincidence really were not.

You see, it is perfectly reasonable and rational for me to believe there is a God. He has simply given me too much evidence to deny it. It's not a convenient belief that fills in all the scary things about life; rather, it is my reason for being, my logos. It is also my eternal gratitude to the Creator for rescuing me and loving me even though I don't deserve it. To know God is to know truth, to know who you are, and why you're here. To know God is to have hope for your future, and an ever present peace and contentment. You believe I am fooling myself, but I say that even if you're right, it is a life worth living, a life well enjoyed, a life that hopefully will touch many others in positive ways. If that is the only meaning I die with, its worth it to me.

>> ^GenjiKilpatrick:

Shiny.
Accept it. You're an ape.
You're a conglomeration of amoeba.
Your life is a just a blip in the twinkling of the universe.
There is probably no god or gods.
There's probably no purpose or reason for your existence.
You are the being that gives purpose or meaning to your life.
When you realize that.
When you realize that there's not supernatural sky daddy to hold you when you're scared or confused..
You'll understand that you've been talking all this nonsensical religious babble in order to establish that purpose.
That the only reason you and jihadist are so adamant about your own personal interpretation of the essence of the abyss..
Is to distract yourself from the fact that your life is just another series of events in this long chain of entropy, chaos, disorder.
The only reason you're so religious is because you're an ape that's too scared to accept your death and the triviality of your existence.
One day, I hope you'll realize this.
On that day, you'll be "born again" just like you were when you accepted "Jesus Christ" and Christian doctrinal teachings.
On that day, you may become self-actualized..
And from then on, understand that we homo sapiens are very lucky.
For we, among few other animals, are able to choose their life's meaning and purpose.
Please don't waste yours.. being a religious troll on the interwebs.
Your brother,
Ezra.

-The lesson: Life is good and this beat-down is 'proof that a life worth living draws blood!

You can look at it any way you want. I'm considered "middle-class" by all terms. I have super cheap rent in one of the most expensive places in the US, that is of my own accord. But I sure as hell can't afford anything. I take public transit, ride my bike, I still eat the best organics in the nation and have the best friends I could have ever met.

I've had many jobs where I've done the work of the higher-ups and seen what they do while making 5X the amount of money I do. I know they know they're lucky, but, I've also seen how they choose to make financial decisions for their own gain - one of those being getting others to do their work for them. Corrupt fucks.

One of my main influences for being more "socially" inclined was my father. A CEO, he wasn't a scumbag or anything - at least not to my knowledge (he did help build prisons) but just the thought of people putting profit before their own lives & family is sickening.

To his credit, he grew up in Philly with a mother who lost her husband (an olympic athelete) early on. She grew up during the depression and only had a 4th grade education. She was one of those cuties that saved huge tin foil balls. I know my father worked hard and felt obligated to but I think and will always think he cared too much about making profit.

He still touts that. Now that I am nearly an old man he admitted while we sipped on some bourbon and smoked a cigar that, "All I ever wanted was to make money." My reply was "yeah." I looked him in his empty eyes and saw a robot. Sure he has a super nice house on a lake system, an amazing wife, nice cars, a speed boat, a golf course... hardly any friends, kids that don't appreciate him... but he has shitloads of money. Good for him! That's amazing. Money really informs people what life is truly about, keeps people focused on what is really important. Paying your taxes, keeping your yard and hair well groomed, going to stiff social events and working. Man, that is just not a life worth living in my opinion.

On the opposite side of the spectrum their are jobs where everyone is paid nearly the same, they buy into their businesses and co-own their businesses and everyone comes out a winner with 30k+ bonuses at the end of the year. The only people that may not think they're winners are people that are greedy fucks that require too much. But, at the same time these people are able to live regular lives that promote interaction, activity & family. Not that I believe in having a family, but when you do not have to take your bullshit job home with you or work many many extra hours the better it is for everyone.

>> ^quantumushroom:

You fellows are buying into something you don't seem to have thought all the way through. If you spread all wealth equally across the board, in a month things would look about the same as they do now, as foolhardy choices were made and the inexperienced gambled their "profits" away.
Communism attempted to eliminate the profit motive. It's been a disaster everywhere it's been tried.
Socialist countries are not only less competitive than capitalist ones, many of them across Europe are now in serious trouble.
You do know most of the American "poor" are well fed, own their own homes, have two vehicles, 3 TVs, cable, computers, appliances, etc?
One other thing. I do not believe for one second that if any of you "revolutionaries" won the lottery, you wouldn't immediately put together a legal team to rival Mr. Burns' on The Simpsons and proceed to exploit every tax shelter and loophole possible.

>> ^NetRunner:

I didn't mean for it to come across hostile -- I probably shouldn't have used "I" and "you" in the examples.
I agree with your last paragraph, it's a societal problem. Most of us are enslaved by the need to work in order to have the things that let us have a life worth living.
In any case, my main point was that Target is obviously, and clumsily forcing propaganda on their employees. I think there's something more wrong with that than the usual "follow the corporate policies or you're fired" coercion.


Much better

@Lawdeedaw, I didn't mean for it to come across hostile -- I probably shouldn't have used "I" and "you" in the examples.

I agree with your last paragraph, it's a societal problem. Most of us are enslaved by the need to work in order to have the things that let us have a life worth living.

In any case, my main point was that Target is obviously, and clumsily forcing propaganda on their employees. I think there's something more wrong with that than the usual "follow the corporate policies or you're fired" coercion.

>> ^jmd:

retards... best game ever? Jesus are you that droned out on baseball that some dork runs onto the field and you now find something in life worth living for?
Not knocking baseball or anything, but these fans who get excited over THIS have got serious issues with their boring little lives.
And no, He didn't escape.


U mad bro?

You sure told us Donnie Downer McBuzzkill. Looked like a crowd of people out with their friends having a good time. You should look into it sometime...and going outside to yell at the kids on your lawn does't count.>> ^jmd:

retards... best game ever? Jesus are you that droned out on baseball that some dork runs onto the field and you now find something in life worth living for?
Not knocking baseball or anything, but these fans who get excited over THIS have got serious issues with their boring little lives.
And no, He didn't escape.

retards... best game ever? Jesus are you that droned out on baseball that some dork runs onto the field and you now find something in life worth living for?

Not knocking baseball or anything, but these fans who get excited over THIS have got serious issues with their boring little lives.

And no, He didn't escape.

>> ^joedirt:

protip: the internet isn't like your library or your church or your grocery store.
Look at all the lemonparty and pr0n and trolls. THey were here before you so GTFO. The simple rule is don't feed the trolls. This post is soooo fucking awesome, it makes trolling worth it for thousands of people. This might be a mecca for trolls to come and read and make life worth living again.
Any troll on the internet who is getting bored should come and read this post and be reborn anew. Thank you danny m seriously tasty tasty tears.


No tears from me - troll away, just don't try to take the moral high ground by excusing it. Get some balls and take responsibility.

But i'm not sure you're qualified to take part in this conversation if you didn't understand that.

protip: the internet isn't like your library or your church or your grocery store.

Look at all the lemonparty and pr0n and trolls. THey were here before you so GTFO. The simple rule is don't feed the trolls. This post is soooo fucking awesome, it makes trolling worth it for thousands of people. This might be a mecca for trolls to come and read and make life worth living again.

Any troll on the internet who is getting bored should come and read this post and be reborn anew. Thank you danny m seriously tasty tasty tears.

Was there any doubt? Anyway, pay particular attention to the ever-so-helpful little quiz they compassionately titled, "What makes life worth living?" Now - keep in mind this is a government document.

Seeing this video is one of the things that makes life worth living.