What is your ideal life?

[issy2]

I'd like to do a job that's fulfilling and inspiring and relates to other people. I know this sounds really pretentious but I wouldn't actually want a high paying job, just one that I really enjoy. I'd live quite close to the centre of the city in a ramshackle house with a big garden, a big family and a retriever. Ideally I'd have lots of hobbies, my actual job would be journalism or a columnist for a national newspaper... although that's a really competitve field and I'd have to work my socks off for it.

[vladmoney]

[hide=]A repost of a thread I started on my school's Planning 10 discussion forum.

 

 

 

Most people would say their ideal life entails a large salary, a big house, and a loving family. Why?

 

 

 

In my experience, a large salary demands hard work for long hours. A big house comes with a mortgage or rent, not to mention bills. A loving family generally has a large amount of dysfunction. All around me I see people with what modern western society defines as nice, enjoyable lives. And all around me I see people whose lives involve living to work and working to live. I don't want to live like that.

 

 

 

I don't want to need an excess of stuff to be happy. I want to live for fun and enjoyment. Why bother with a high paying job? They're stressful. Why not a lower paying job? Living on $1000 a month isn't hard - you don't have to pay taxes on that little, I believe - if you don't mind getting roommates.

 

 

 

You may wonder how one can enjoy life, when their annual income is $12k. In fact, those living in the $50k range wonder the same thing in regards to those in the $30k range. And those in the $100k range wonder the same thing about those in the $50k range. And those in the $250k range wonder the same thing about those in the $100k range. And so on. You just get less useless stuff. You find your fun elsewhere.

 

 

 

Where can someone find that fun? It depends on the person. Allow me to be the guinea pig for this post. I could live happily with a comfortable bed, a decent computer, a fast Internet connection, and a gram of cannabis a week. I would require a cheap place to live, a mediocre job, and a nearby grocery store, computer hardware store, and dealer.

 

 

 

Does that sound like an awful life? Me, a stoner in his small house with his mundane job, in another world when he isn't working to finance said elsewhere? And yet, I'd be enjoying myself, wouldn't I? I wouldn't stress over affording that new plasma TV, or that fancy car, or those ridiculous clothes. (Okay, well, that's not true: A plasma TV, The Matrix, The Wizard of Oz, and the Star Wars series in HD would be constant objects of desire. As would an insanely comfy fleece sweater. And a giant matriarchcarnalising beanbag. But I digress.) So why is my enjoyment inferior to yours?

 

 

 

I don't mean to imply that psychosis-inducing drugs are the only way to live a simple life - they are simply one example of a way to do so. This, of course, leads to the entirely separate point of acceptable vs. unacceptable drug use. Please, save those comments for another time. This isn't a discussion about drug use, it's a discussion about lifestyles.

 

 

 

tl;dr: What is your ideal life? Why? Do you really need all the stuff you want? Is there a way you can cut the stress and worrying and anxiety out of your life?

 

 

 

Bonus points for picking up on 'matriarchcarnalising'.[/hide]

 

It seems like an ideal life now, but when you grow older you will realize that your life has been wasted doing nothing but smoking and sitting on the computer. You will look back and realize that one day was no different then the next. What is the point of living that life if the next day will be the same as the others before?

 

 

 

In my opinion, any good life requires one to live with a purpose and goals. There should never be a time when you are settled, and feel like this is it, this is my whole life. If there are no goals, whats the purpose? Going with that, that is why I think everyone should have a job that lets them accomplish more then just punching in to survive, and why family is so important.

[Lenticular_J]

I want to live fast, die young, see the world, you know.

 

 

 

If I don't die while I travel the world (ideally until I'm 25 or so) I plan on joining the military. Probably a pilot for the Marines, but my eyesight isn't the best.

 

 

 

And then I'll lead the survivors of the zombie invasion.

[fgfuyfyuiuy0]

I want to find a girl who loves me for me and I love her for her, live in a middle class house, not rich but not poor, can afford yearly vacations, 3 kids, job I love, fix computers on the side, teach my kids lessons and help them try to be respectful adults, couple grand kids, retire, and live my finals days with my wife and my video games ;)

 

 

 

That would be the perfect life :

[m0nkeym0j030]

After reading the posts, my dream life has changed. I'd like a middle class life. I'd want to spend my life with the girl I'm with right now.. I would really like to become a neighborhood hero and be able to help kids with all their problems. (Then again, I'm only 11) but this is for when I'm older. Not now that'd be awkward o_O

[dsavi]

An 11 year old with good grammar? I thought I'd never see it happen. Keep it up man, and you'll realize how much more respect people give you if you don't use netspeak.

 

 

 

On topic: I don't really know, other than that personally, a rich, stereotypically American lifestyle never has appealed to me, I would feel guilty to have life so good while people starve, but worst of all, be so *shudder*... capitalist/republican...

[1_man_army]

Career wise, I'd love to direct films. Not even big Hollywood style films, I'd be content making smaller independent films and just being comfortable financially. I can't see it ever happening to be honest though.

 

 

 

Other than that I'd just like to be happy in a purely conventional way - enough money to live comfortably, a wife, a few kids etc.

[Laura]

My Ideal Life:

 

Have a house where the entire applications are made out of stainless steel.(cabinets, dressers, excluding tables) The exterior having stone, and a layer of sound proof glass. Sofa, chairs, etc, fold out from the ground to allow custom designs as needed. Multiple TV's that wirelessly sync DVR recordings. The floors with have touch screen so to speak, that can track anyone in the house as needed. Get an intercom enabled so I wouldn't have to yell for the kids. Have touchscreen smart boards in each of the bedrooms, that alert you of family messages and allow you to wirelessly transfer written messages on the board to another board in the house. Window panes that have inferred lasers on either side, that travel through the glass medium. If that connection is broken, it sends a signal to each of the doorways that allow you access to that window, and sheets of metal come out of the wall, stopping criminals from entering more than one room. Have a nice guy and maybe two children?

 

 

 

Be a world class neurosurgeon making anywhere from $400-800K a year.

 

Have a hammock that syncs with my music, on a home made island in my back yard. (dig up the ground, fill it with water, then with sand) 8-)

 

 

 

And die quickly, bullet through the head at a ripe age of 80. Then in my will, have them throw a pool party instead of a funeral.

 

 

 

Ah, life is good. :P

[Lenin64]

My ideal life has me seated upon the throne of the greatest Empire in history.

 

 

 

However, in the unlikely event that it never happens, my other ideal life would be to live out in the Siberian wilderness, with only a dog named Chuck Steak as a companion, and live off of hunting bears, wolves, etc. with a WWII rifle. The only problem I can see there is I'm at a complete loss of any way to serve the State.

[RichieMcD]

My realistic outlook on my future life is a middle class job that I'm extremely happy with. I'd rather work for 70-100K a year and be happy than earn 400K a year and be unhappy. I think most likely I'd own a mid size house, a wife I love, 2-3 kids. I could imagine myself as the leader of the neighborhood watch kinda guy, not the one who goes around complaining about petty things but the kinda guy who beats the [cabbage] out of drug dealers and joyriders, keeping the area safe and clean :

[Solidus_77]

Being very wealthy (implied that I have big house etc....), being very healthy and having a perfect girlfriend. In my daily life I am always working towards those 3 things.

[RichieMcD]

Just looking at all these choices tbh, I don't see why wealth is so important, wealth doesn't mean happiness :-w

[dsavi]

I don't want to go too off topic here or offend you laura, but in many cases your description of your house didn't make sense. Oh well, I get more or less what you mean.

[Lenin64]

I don't want to go too off topic here or offend you laura, but in many cases your description of your house didn't make sense. Oh well, I get more or less what you mean.

 

All made sense to me. She wants a futuristic armored fortress to live in with touch screens galore.

[Giordano]

The only reason I would want money is to fall back upon it if need be. With mortage prices high into the clouds and increasing oil prices, it has become pretty costly to like in California. A job that pays the bills and gives me some extra with some reserve money in the bank and I'm good on the wealth-factor. I wouldn't like being extreemly rich, everything is given to you and your items don't have much value in them by the work you put in.

 

Other than the money, I'll like to have a purpose in my life: either teach my students and have a great companion, or write films and have a great companion.

[Returned3]

Being able to live my dream as a proffesional wrestler who wrestles for at least 10 years for the WWE and eventually becomes a respected Legend. Also, to marry the girl I like and have 2 sons + 1 daughter. $10k a month would suit me fine.

 

 

 

Other than that, I would like my parents to be rich and happy while my bro becomes successful.

[Solidus_77]

Just looking at all these choices tbh, I don't see why wealth is so important, wealth doesn't mean happiness :-w

 

 

 

That's a cliche phrase said to people who choose between love and money and go ahead with money. Money does bring happiness (like getting laura's crazy house), as long as you don't have to sacrifice love (or health) in order to get it. Hence why I simply want all 3 of those things so that ways I'll be the happiest man alive.

[tripsis]

My ideal life would be relatively simple. I'd like to live in a small-medium house with my current boyfriend. I'd like to have a large yard or some acreage with a variety of animals including horses and dogs (Saint Bernard, Rottweiler and a few others please!!). All of my dogs will be highly trained by myself and I may even make animal training into a side job of mine.

[dusqi]

- Finish PhD at 25

 

- start my own company at 25

 

- meet girl between 25 and 30

 

- sell company and retire at 30, marry girl and start having kids

 

- 30+ do research for public good and own satisfaction.

 

- see the world, make kids smart, change the world.

 

 

 

(timescales are flexible)

[Star_Fox]

a stable home, a firm internet connection, a tidy bed to sleep in, a good supportive family.

 

 

 

right now, i only live with my mom, using a limited internet, sleeping in a single sheet bed, and my homes rat infested and we got tiles ripped up everywhere. ugh.

[Necrobean]

Music is life. Just as my brother.

[____]

Laura0077 living with me here in Australia

[Agunimon979]

My dream life would be to live in Japan in an apartment in Tokyo. I just love the way they build their houses and apartments. Each apartment/condo/house seems like a piece of artwork, while here in America apartments/condos are pretty nasty. Also, I love the way the Japanese live. They're not as worried about stuff like insurance and bills and tax and mortgage and budgets like we are here. They have a more peaceful and happy life (longer, too). I love japanese food and I love the the way they work, you know, fields or office jobs or food business. I'd also like to marry the love of my life when I get one, and have 3 children.

 

 

 

tl;dr: Japan is my ideal life.

[Zierro]

-Being in a band that plays music which we (the band members) all consider perfect.

 

 

 

-Being able to party with my friends all the time.

 

 

 

-A family of my own.

 

 

 

-A house with a scenic view. I don't care about the house as much as I do the scenery.

 

 

 

I really could care less about money. As long as I can get enough for food and party supplies (yeah, you know what I mean), I'll be happy.

[Lenin64]

^And if you travel, you sleep in a box! :thumbsup: Seriously, those Japanese businessmen hotels are awesome, I want to go to Japan just to sleep in one of those.