Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Doing what I want

I think about some dialogue from the movie "Gladiator" when either I find in life, or in World of Warcraft, either I am not doing what I want to do, or people criticize me for not doing what I don't want to do. Maximus asks his servant, "Do you ever find it difficult to do your job?" and his servant replies, "Sometimes I do what I want. The rest of the time I do what I have to." (sorry the words may not be exact).
When I find in life that all I am doing is things I HAVE to do, and not what I want to do, I remember this, so that I can be content with a very small amount of time doing what I want, that makes up for all the time I am doing what I don't want to do. However, a major part of my philosophy in life, and World of Warcraft, is structuring and planning so I can modify that philosophy to make my life better. My personal philosophy is "Most of the time I do what I want, but some of the time I do what I have to.".
This is why I do not join guilds in World of Warcraft. I find that when I do, although I do not ask others to give their time helping me get what I want, that I am often asked to do what I don't want to do. I understand that if you want a lot of great equipment, everybody has to work together and often do what they don't want to do, so that everybody benefits. But I personally do not think getting great gear is the most fun thing to do. Only once in a while do I want to spend my day trying to do this. So I mostly do what I want to do, which means I do not join a guild. However, most other people do not see it that way, because they value other things than I do. You've got your good things, and I've got mine.
In life, I have made similar decisions. I do not have children. There are people who love taking care of children and have a great life because they have children. There are also people who hate their lives because they have had children. It is not politically correct to admit this, but for many, it is true, and I hear it all the time. I do not want to become one of those people, not just for my own happiness, but it is unfair to your children if you grow to resent them. They do not ask to be brought into this world. I would like to be married some day, but only if it is with somebody who sees things the way I do. I do enjoy children SOMETIMES, which works out perfectly because my sister has 3 children and I will be able to see them now and then throughout my life. There is a saying "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth". Sometimes, you are in the perfect situation but people will tell you otherwise. You have to know yourself and trust your instincts. And that is what I have done.

3 comments:

  1. I am rather shocked that I posted this over a year ago. It seems like only a few months. It is amazing that with only 100 or less years in our whole lives, how quickly one of them comes and goes away. I wish they would slow down.

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I'm getting old but I don't want to grow up. I love coffee but it screws me up. I am a morning person. I value silliness and honesty.