Most important decision in life

[trihero]

My teacher said it is who you decide to marry. What do you guys think? I’m not married or anything, but wondering what everyone thinks here, married or no.

Personally, I don’t think it’s the most important decision in your life. I see it a more important decision as to what you do with your life - deciding to go to school and get a degree, what job you pick, what you do you in your free time, if you decide to work towards improvement or just become stale. Deciding who you live with and who you have children with is a consequence of your actions - it does not define your life.

I’m not here to say that marriage isn’t important. I’m here to say it isn’t the most important decision in one’s life.

[Guest]

There are a lot of important decisions in someones life.  From what job you decide to have, to what you choose to eat.

[MauserBob]

Well, from a Christian point of view, my conviction is that the most important decision one could ever make is to accept that one needs to get right with one’s Creator and one’s Saviour. Nothing else comes close, because to a Christian, Life is only a grain of sand in the hourglass of time, and all the stuff you have to face and endure in this life will pass all too soon.

However, that’s not to say that we should just ignore all the day to day stuff, mind you. Even Christians have to be careful of who they choose to marry. Marriage is something that can be so wonderful……and it can also be hell on earth if we pick the wrong mate. For a non-Christian who has another point of view on life, marriage is probably the next most important choice we face. Other than potentially life-threatening choices, nothing else impacts so many facets of life like marriage does, IMHO. I think choosing ot have or not to have children comes a close second. Children sure can turn your world upside down in many ways both good and bad (hopefully mostly good), but I think choosing who to marry (and when) has more potential for destroying your life if not chosen wisely. Everything from finances to friendships to personal health, mental stability, neighborhood reputation, and so much more can all be either enhanced or ruined depending on who you choose to marry. It’s certainly nothing to go into unprepared. And that’s not to say it’s a negative by any means. It can also change your life for the better in so many ways you never even considered if you choose the right mate.

Rob.

[Jennifer]

The most important decision in life is the one that you have to make that has not yet been made.  All decisions you have made are no longer important and all those you do not yet know of are similarly unimportant.

[Imperious Leader]

Stay single and childless. Ideas and dreams last longer than people anyway….man forges his creative impulse, while woman brings man back to earthly pleasures. The only real satisfaction comes when you achieve something larger than yourself. It takes training and a partner is only in support as it pertains to her needs.

Once you have it it can be wiped out in a divorce. Why build for a short term life? The only thing thats for sure is you are committed to yourself and can bring about change in your life.

I’m sure you’ll marry anyway because its easier to fall into a trap and gain something to get something else of value… companionship. Thats what a permenant girlfriend is for. She can have her own Career and not be bothering you every 5 minutes like some crybaby.

Bottom line: Your “will” to forge ahead  must remain pure.

Read Freuds:  “civilization and its discontents” for further info. That book is so true words cannot explain how true.

[Guest]

I have to say that there is a strong argument for that “who to marry” thing.  Your partner has an impact on everything about your life.

For those who said job choice:  Jobs matter little if your life partner is spending money faster than you make it.
I do agree with the having children thing.  And if you made a bad decision on the marriage front, adding a decision to have children can set up a real hell on earth scenario.

A close second behind who to marry has to be who to divorce!  I gotta tell ya, if you make a wrong decision on who to marry, that divorce decision is one that can truly save your life.

And yes, this is coming form someone who DID an 8 year sentence in a bad marriage , fortunately with no children.  Despite inheritances, being the primary wage earner nearly every year of that marriage, and keeping the household financially supported while my Ex got 2 additional degrees after her first college graduation, i came out of that marriage having to borrow the $700 for the seperation papers from my father!

But a GOOD marriage is definitely the best decision in life.  Financial stability, enjoying every day and the person you share it with, or what i just did… wake up next to someone you really love.  If you have that, a lot of the other decisions are far less important… and far easier to make :-)

[AgentOrange]

It all depends on your circumstances.  Some cases are universal, such as getting married and/or having kids, but other cases are based on your situation at the time.

For example, some important (as far as pivotal) decisions that I have made would be, in this order:
Not trying very hard in school
Moving to New Mexico
Smoking pot
Moving back to Pittsburgh
Joining the Navy

All those are the most influential events/time periods I can think of that have shaped who I am today.  I haven’t yet gotten married, nor do I have any kids (that I know of) but those will definitely add to the list.  :-)

[Jermofoot]

The most important decision in life is what you decide to do in life.  That, or whether you get out of bed each morning.

Defining your goals is the most important decision because it dictates how you will operate until your goals change.

Marriage is not the number one decision because marriage isn’t a given for everybody.  Just like going to college, or having kids.  Personally, I don’t feel the need to get married, except for the social pressure, and marriage isn’t what matters in a relationship.  Some don’t want kids and focus on career.  More power to them, but I think children are pretty cool, especially if they are your own.

Let me reinforce my answer.  I’ve been a drifter in life for a few years now, mainly because I don’t know what I want to do.  I could do anything, but because I haven’t decided, not much is happening.  My best advice is to find what you love, you dream, then do it.

[U-505]

I would say the most important decision in your life is when you decide what kind of person you are or will be. There are probably going to be multiple times in your life when you will have the opportunity to take advantage of a complete stranger and at other times to help one. What you do in situations like those define you. Where you live, what job you decide to do, how much money you make are irrelevant. Marriage and children are big decisions, but know yourself first.

The second most important decision is whether to buy 4 TP’s or 2 TP’s and an IC with your $32 on J1.

[Guest]

It is 2 TRN, 1 IC, and you only get $31, the rest goes to Germany :-P

[trihero]

3 tran 2 inf, don’t take any bid with Japan  :mrgreen:

4 tran is nice though. That’s all the tran you have to build in one go.

[Jennifer]

SINGLE:  Stay Intoxicated Nightly, Get Laid Everyday!

And who cares who you marry?  You’re probably going to just divorce him or her in a few years over something trivial.

[U-505]

I tried to divorce myself from reality. Does that count? I’m all better now though. The medication seems to be working.  :-P  :lol: And I’m still single but I did all of my heavy drinking in my mid 20’s. Now it gives me heartburn something fierce. And when exactly will I arrive at the getting laid nightly part again. Been a while since those days, too.

Sorry about hijacking your thread with the Japanese dilemma, Tri. But, never underestimate the power of 4 transports to deter the US from going into the Pacific.

[Jennifer]

@U-505:

I tried to divorce myself from reality. Does that count? I’m all better now though. The medication seems to be working.  :-P  :lol: And I’m still single but I did all of my heavy drinking in my mid 20’s. Now it gives me heartburn something fierce. And when exactly will I arrive at the getting laid nightly part again. Been a while since those days, too.

Sorry about hijacking your thread with the Japanese dilemma, Tri. But, never underestimate the power of 4 transports to deter the US from going into the Pacific.

Why would America waste the time?

[Imperious Leader]

Drinking and smoking is a waste of time!

[balungaloaf]

get married and have many many many kids il…
they are the natural purpose of life and only think of the ways of every other animal in nature.

[Zooey72]

Life is a waste of time.  Sure, it may be all you have… but most ppl never become more sentient than a rock, or at best a machine.  By the age of 14 most people have sold out what little indivuality they have for the mall and diet coke.  After that they really aren’t alive any more than a computer program… and contrary to popular belief everyone is not a unique snowflake.  They are more akin to cattle being prodded along.  Knowing this chosing to try to be an individual is the most important decision you can make.  Sadly, most people have made up their minds to be drones.

For those of you who have read Dragonlance I like a quote from it:

“So what you are saying is there is no hope?”

“Hope is like the carrot dangled in front of the donkey encouraging it to go further even though it will never reach its goal”.

“So you think we should just give up?”

“No, I say removie the carrot and walk forward of your own will”.

Most people prefer to have the carrot.

[AgentOrange]

I like that quote!  I feel like that is the point-of-view that the Navy uses sometimes to prod it’s people along.  But all sailor pessimism aside, I do think it is a very valid way to put it.  8-)

[Imperious Leader]

Getting married and having children is what society pushes people into doing. Its an unwanted influence used to :

1. Control income
2. Avoid stagnation of homogeneous population
3. Tie people down into little boxes so they can be controlled as a vehicle to sell them a lifestyle where business can sell them things to keep the economy going.
4. Provide social stability for weak minded types who would “get into trouble” if they didn’t have a family to “use as a walking stick”
5. government support of families makes it cheaper in the long run for the government to “pay out” during retirement, because they have additional support at home.

These influences have supported the very laws that make divorce so costly: They ( sic government) wont allow people to keep their wealth, because they want to spread wealth and avoid paying money to support the person who didnt make any. Its just another method of destroying wealth. They hate the idea of somebody having lots of money growing and not being spent. That stagnates the economy because its not being exchanged. And that amoung many other reasons is why you should never marry.

[Jennifer]

@Imperious:

Getting married and having children is what society pushes people into doing. Its an unwanted influence used to :

1. Control income
2. Avoid stagnation of homogeneous population
3. Tie people down into little boxes so they can be controlled as a vehicle to sell them a lifestyle where business can sell them things to keep the economy going.
4. Provide social stability for weak minded types who would “get into trouble” if they didn’t have a family to “use as a walking stick”
5. government support of families makes it cheaper in the long run for the government to “pay out” during retirement, because they have additional support at home.

These influences have supported the very laws that make divorce so costly: They ( sic government) wont allow people to keep their wealth, because they want to spread wealth and avoid paying money to support the person who didnt make any. Its just another method of destroying wealth. They hate the idea of somebody having lots of money growing and not being spent. That stagnates the economy because its not being exchanged. And that amoung many other reasons is why you should never marry.

And yet, they havn’t figured out that it’s much better to tax wealth then the creation of wealth.  In that way you hit those guys living on Grand-Uber Pappy’s fortune and don’t steal food money out of the mouths of babies and single mothers!