Surviving and Living

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Hello everybody,

After the discussion about my self-proposed Survival Mode Theory (link) it got me thinking about what I was doing more? Was I really more trying to keep myself standing or am I more in really enjoying my life?

So I would like to ask you people: Of the two, what are you doing primairly?

Surviving:
1. To remain alive or in existence.
2. To carry on despite hardships or trauma; persevere: families that were surviving in tents after the flood.
3. To remain functional or usable: I dropped the radio, but it survived.
v.tr.
1. To live longer than; outlive: She survived her husband by five years.
2. To live, persist, or remain usable through: plants that can survive frosts; a clock that survived a fall.
3. To cope with (a trauma or setback); persevere after: survived child abuse.
(Source)

Living:
"Personal life is the course of an individual's life, especially when viewed as the sum of personal choices contributing to one's personal identity."
(Source)

I'm not saying it's the one or the other and that there is overlapse, as in enjoying life by your coping pratices but there is a difference in necessary (surviving) and voluntary (living).
Living might not be the entirely right word, but you know what I mean (I hope)

Cheerfully,
Wallourdes

For me I'd say it's a bit of both. 85% surviving, 15% living. Most of my time and energy is spent on surviving and the little that's left I can use on actually living.

And the third option is giving up, which is really not an option as long as a person is alive.

To me living is being content with the moment you are in, regardless of who you are, what you do, or what you have.

Surviving is the struggle to live.

I think both are required; if we can balance the two we are doing well.

A cat that gets to go outside and inside seems to be the grandmaster of balance. This kind of cat takes advantage of the comforts of home, but doesn't forget his nature.

I'm existing. thats all, living accompanies some kind of good time you are having. like having a partner and going to the movies, neither of wich I do. The rules sociaty has set up for me are very difficult to live by, so I'm shure people think i'm bizzare

I'm the only liver so far, how sad. I'd love a kidney to keep me company.

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.

I like to think I can use my time constructively by (A) publishing novel works/research on the internet and (B) Trying to improve the world by chipping away at the some of the ignorance in certain segments of the human race (in my own small way). Occasionally I do some living as well, let's say 5% living, 95% existing.

Further, although I'm not religious there are aspects of buddhist philosophy that appeal to me, with respect to this forum topic I find the notion of reincarnation relevant; This I believe to be a deeply misunderstood concept by many - reincarnation should not be interpreted literally, think of it more as doing work now to reduce the overall suffering of people being born in the future. You aren't transfered into one of those people literally of course, but you can consider yourself to be part of future generations in a more metaphysical/spritual way. I've never found a good way of explaining this with language (evidently!).

It seems like the normal purpose of life and survival is to reproduce. Not to say that it is a specific autistic trait, but it seems like some people come into world without a strong desire to do this. I'd like to think that nature's purpose for those individuals is as noble as the desire to pass on their genes in a biological way.

The times in my life when I was working to help others were the best living years of my life. The times in my life when I was in a power position were the years that seemed like I was mostly just surviving.

I do what I enjoy, so I'd say I live my life.

(*Bump*)

I dont know. I really dont care for life anymore. I just get up and pray that people will leave me alone for the whole day.

I'm doing the things that make m happy, so I'm living for today in my present.

(*Bump*)