i once heard that all people should strive for balance in all things. i liked that a lot.  what else should all people strive for in their lives?

please try not to make it about religion per se.  thanks.

Greater awareness. Of how things are interlinked, of how seemingly unlinked actions lead to far-reaching consequences, how what we do now can cause suffering decades down the line to people half-way around the world.

~Simone.

I think everyone should strive to get to know themselves. when you know yourself, you gain wisdom and you'll realize how you treat the world around you. i think once you know yourself you can work to be a better you, and if everyone does this, the world can be a better place.
i also want to add that once you know yourself and become a better person, you gain respect from other, and you can give respect to others.
^
i don't know if i make any sense- but i just woken up, a bit fuzzy still. (-^.^-)

I once heard that everyone really has two goals in their lives. 

(1) To live and grow and prosper. 
(2) To make the world a better place.

It's a good enough answer for me.

Be happy.  What's any of it worth if you are miserable?  Self-enlightened misery is still misery.  Like what you do, and do what you like. 

Quote from: offthesidewalk on July 13, 2008, 07:13:26 AM
I think everyone should strive to get to know themselves. when you know yourself, you gain wisdom and you'll realize how you treat the world around you. i think once you know yourself you can work to be a better you, and if everyone does this, the world can be a better place.
i also want to add that once you know yourself and become a better person, you gain respect from other, and you can give respect to others.
^
i don't know if i make any sense- but i just woken up, a bit fuzzy still. (-^.^-)

I agree.

Quote from: Lisbeth on July 13, 2008, 07:21:23 AM
I once heard that everyone really has two goals in their lives. 

(1) To live and grow and prosper. 
(2) To make the world a better place.

It's a good enough answer for me.

That has always been my philosophy.

We all seek meaning.  That is what makes religion and spirituality so appealing.  We've been forced out of the womb and into this obscure, confusing world with no reliable guide.  We don't know what we are here to do.  If you play The Sims, you eventually feel there is a lack of an overall goal.  I have often wondered if there is any value in happiness.  If truth does not exist, and all purpose is purely subjective, happiness is the meaning of life.  If we can find a solid, undeniable truth upon which to base our actions, we will have found meaning.  Since that has not happened, I take responsibility for nothing unless I have freely chosen to engage in that activity. 

Quote from: Lisbeth on July 13, 2008, 07:21:23 AM
I once heard that everyone really has two goals in their lives. 

(1) To live and grow and prosper. 
(2) To make the world a better place.

It's a good enough answer for me.

That works for me too!

Z

I'd have to agree with Simone: self-awareness.

As we have lived many lives, most unrecalled, we tend to grow in awareness, or failing that we remain more or less in the same grade for "continuing education."

I think as I develop more self-awareness, become more able to speak and know the truth about myself that I also become better able to know and speak the truth about others, appreciate them as all being part of Indra's Net. All a part of a Universe that Mother holds dear and bids me do the same.

Nichole

I think we should strive to be the best person we can be.  Not in regards to money or fame or anything else.  Rather, to grow the person and reach beyond what we thought possible about ourselves.

Second, I think we also need to stive and leave the Earth a little sweeter than when we entered.  Dry a tear.  Help someone up who is feeling crushed by life's burdens.  To stand up for what is right.

Compassion.

I don't know about anyone else, but my goal is to reach my peak potential. Right now, this manifests as education, for me. After all the nervous breakdowns, sleepless nights, blowing off partying to study, new information, infuriating peers/professors, accomplishments, [relative] failures, and lessons [not just academic] learned, I will be a better person, if only for the fact that I will have done something of which I can truly be proud. I strive for excellence of mind and (to a lesser extent) body. Then again, I've always been a perfectionist.

Happiness and peace.

I think we should all strive for happiness, but at the same time not get in the way of anyone else's happiness.

1 Word
FREEDOM