Why do you care?

Still a Youth

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Why do you care about the things you care about? Is it because they fill a void? is it because they're a part of your identity? Is it because you believe it is the right thing to do to care about that particular thing? Is what you care about actually worth caring about? Should you instead be caring about other, more important things? Or should we just care about the things we want to care about? Is following our self interest really the only thing that matters to live a good life? Should you care what others care about? Why do you care?
 
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Reminds me to a song, to be honest i don't find and i don't care about the meaning of things, i used to do it a lot in the past, but i always ended up depressed, now i just act, and surprisingly, it has been working better for me, i feel better than ever.

also based pfp sov batman best batman.
 
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dorgon

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Some things I care about because they can help me in life. Some things I care about because they are pretty funny. Some things I care about because it is simply refreshing to do and puts a smile on my face. Somethings I care about because it is a duty for me to complete them. Some things I care about because it simply makes me feel better. Some things I care about because it is the right thing to do, in my eyes.

But the things I care about most are not things, they are people.
 
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Why do you care about the things you care about? Is it because they fill a void? is it because they're a part of your identity? Is it because you believe it is the right thing to do to care about that particular thing? Is what you care about actually worth caring about? Should you instead be caring about other, more important things? Or should we just care about the things we want to care about? Is following our self interest really the only thing that matters to live a good life? Should you care what others care about? Why do you care?
I care about them for many reasons, but the biggest one that comes to mind is that they're important to me. Simple as that. I can't always explain how or why but I don't even think that it some cases there even needs to be a reason. In many cases also, the caring grows even deeper as I commit to who or what I love. It doesn't even need to have a reward in return, sometimes the act of caring just... is my reward. A snail that I save from being stepped on won't ever give me money or love, but I still will want to take it with me and put it somewhere safe. The cats I would give food to in Kazakhstan, or even just give some love to, often then ran away without even looking back, but I felt happy still. I like drawing things for others or giving them small meaningful gifts, like their favourite flower or a little seashell, because the very thing of giving to them makes me happy, and I don't really think about reciprocity in this case. As a child I was surprised to learn you're supposed to "give back" when someone gives you something, or you were supposed to receive back, but assumed it was true, since, well, kids assume what adults say is true. I spent my teen years seeking reciprocity until in my early 20s I went back to this pleasure of giving without thinking about getting a reward in return.

Makes me think about the Little Prince and his rose. The rose is vain and demanding, but the Prince was still devoted to caring for her. He watered her every day still, put the globe on at night, spent time with her. He did leave his planet because she was being her kinda bitchy self, but she was always his rose regardless. I think this image perfectly sums up why I care. "It's the time you spent on your rose that makes her so important". I've tried to, but I'm unable of being that person who just lives life without caring. I just have this impulse to care, to commit, to devote myself to something or someone, or both. That's why dating culture that revolves around sex, non-committal relationships and 'rugged independence' just kills me to the point I'd rather stay away. I can't be consumeristic, I have to invest.

A story about this: my longest crush was 7 years long on and off from age 12 to 19, and still, I care for the person in question even if we probably won't ever be in contact again. The girl in question, I met her in school when I arrived in the south, didn't know her name initially so referred to her internally as "Raven" (she was dark-skinned, Sri Lankan, and often wore black at the time we met, which triggered in me something about ravens, and it has the irony that then followed a HORRIBLE period of suffering for me, like ravens are said to bring bad luck, although ofc it wasn't related to her at all), and I had the biggest boom in my creativity right after I met her. It's her who was the "revolutionary" of my creativity. She was my muse. That's when I started worldbuilding and playing with symbols for real. I was unfortunately too shy to really approach her and we both moved schools that year, so lost contact until I found her again by chance on social media, when we actually got to know each other but unfortunately she wasn't exactly the brightest bulb in the room, and seemed entirely unaware that love could be same-gender. She didn't act bad to me at all even after I told her I had a little bit of a crush on her, just had no idea what that meant, and while I knew that romantically it wouldn't be possible and that even intellectually I felt like I was dropping 2 points of IQ at every of her posts, I still... I don't know, I cared about her, I still felt this affection inside of me. I comforted her when she was feeling bad, even though she never did it for me, but just this made me happy.

Unfortunately I really drew the line not because of something she did to me, but something she was doing that made me mad. She would film herself driving, and not just alone. I told her it was hella dangerous but she brushed it off, said "oh don't worry I know the road". On the second time she did it, I got really pissed, because she just had NO IDEA how dangerous she was acting to herself, and it was my trigger to delete all my social media.

Still, even today I find myself often thinking about her. I've long moved on, but still... I often wonder how she's doing. Yes, she was dumb as bricks, a typical Instagrammer that got worse with the years, sometimes straight up insufferable, but it won't ever change that I was happy giving to her, just giving, during these 7 years. I don't know if I'll meet her again in this lifetime, but there's that part of me that will still love her in this innocent and unconditional way. And honestly, I don't care whether she realized how much I cared or if she was oblivious to it. It doesn't feel important to me. I'll always remember this underlying sweetness I felt... and that was the best part.

I'd rather care and cry than not care and be a shell of a human being.
 
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Well, most of the thingas I care about can be summed up to two functiom:

  • Caring about some specific things help me to survive (i.e eating food, security etc..)
  • Caring about some activities is a good way to pass time.
 

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Why do you care about the things you care about? Is it because they fill a void? is it because they're a part of your identity? Is it because you believe it is the right thing to do to care about that particular thing? Is what you care about actually worth caring about? Should you instead be caring about other, more important things? Or should we just care about the things we want to care about? Is following our self interest really the only thing that matters to live a good life? Should you care what others care about? Why do you care?
I care about the things I care about because they resonate with my identity I myself formed in my own mind and I don't care what an external's opinion on them might be. Omegalulz
 
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bnuungus

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as interesting as questions like this are, i never understand why people feel the need to ask them. IMO most people would be better off if they stopped trying to psychoanalyze everything that they do and feel and just let themselves be. obviously self reflection is good but psychoanalyzing is more like trying to observe yourself as another person while still actually being the subject of the experiment. it has its uses but most people are too dumb to use it properly
 
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Still a Youth

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as interesting as questions like this are, i never understand why people feel the need to ask them. IMO most people would be better off if they stopped trying to psychoanalyze everything that they do and feel and just let themselves be. obviously self reflection is good but psychoanalyzing is more like trying to observe yourself as another person while still actually being the subject of the experiment. it has its uses but most people are too dumb to use it properly
when you spend so much time reading history, science, or philosophy, even the existentialists who fought so hard to stave off nihilism, one's world view can become very bleak, especially given how little it seems people often care about deep problems of the world. I asked partly because i felt done with things. Done with struggling to survive. Done with people who dont want to better themselves. done with people who just want to watch tv all day. done with social media influencesrs. and done with myself demanding people be better.
sparking conversation on why other people care about what they care about provides a situation where i can not only get other people thinking more deeply about things in a way that would benefit them, but also gets me thinking about what to care about and why.
 
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bnuungus

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when you spend so much time reading history, science, or philosophy, even the existentialists who fought so hard to stave off nihilism, one's world view can become very bleak, especially given how little it seems people often care about deep problems of the world. I asked partly because i felt done with things. Done with struggling to survive. Done with people who dont want to better themselves. done with people who just want to watch tv all day. done with social media influencesrs. and done with myself demanding people be better.
sparking conversation on why other people care about what they care about provides a situation where i can not only get other people thinking more deeply about things in a way that would benefit them, but also gets me thinking about what to care about and why.
I see. Maybe this is bc I don't really like doing philosophy but there are some things that I treat as "they're the way they are simply bc they are" and not really worry too much about it. Certain things to be are so basic that I get annoyed when people take an entire book to argue why basic thing is basic thing when you can just look at basic thing and go "yep, that's basic thing." Probably my engineer brain talking
 
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Still a Youth

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I see. Maybe this is bc I don't really like doing philosophy but there are some things that I treat as "they're the way they are simply bc they are" and not really worry too much about it. Certain things to be are so basic that I get annoyed when people take an entire book to argue why basic thing is basic thing when you can just look at basic thing and go "yep, that's basic thing." Probably my engineer brain talking
thats fair. But the philosophical push back is usually going to be "basic thing is in fact not basic thing. diamond looks like nice shiney basic thing but is actually condensed carbon"
 
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I care about them because they make me feel human. It's only the past two years where I felt as though I wasn't just a vacant puppet running on immediate reactions, and the only reason why I'm no longer like that is because I've begun to care and appreciate them and my own facets of humanity.

And the "things" I care about are my family, stories, and my religion that kicked me out of my "psychological stasis". I think without them, I would've killed myself long ago :(
 

Novem_IX

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I've never really made an attempt to justify my interests, or felt compelled to do so. Some things I care about because it is in my self-interest, some things I deem worthy of my time because they are interesting, other issues I devote energy to on behalf of my conscience.
As a naturally introspective person, I've learned not to paralyze myself with too much self-analysis, ethical quandaries, etc - the mind turned against itself is a terrible thing. I primarily follow my instincts and I'm much happier for it.
 
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I care because I'm desperate to become better. Better in what? Better than whom? I honestly don't know. But caring staves off the lonely and the bitter for me.
Caring for those who don't, hurts. It's a waste of time and makes my life more difficult. But to care and be cared for is what makes me come alive.

I've never really made an attempt to justify my interests, or felt compelled to do so. Some things I care about because it is in my self-interest, some things I deem worthy of my time because they are interesting, other issues I devote energy to on behalf of my conscience.
As a naturally introspective person, I've learned not to paralyze myself with too much self-analysis, ethical quandaries, etc - the mind turned against itself is a terrible thing. I primarily follow my instincts and I'm much happier for it.
Goals honestly. Overthinking makes me lose track of whats important to me. Living instead of surviving.
Delving too deep in my thoughts sabotages my waking life
 
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RisingThumb

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Why do you care about the things you care about? Is it because they fill a void? is it because they're a part of your identity? Is it because you believe it is the right thing to do to care about that particular thing? Is what you care about actually worth caring about? Should you instead be caring about other, more important things? Or should we just care about the things we want to care about? Is following our self interest really the only thing that matters to live a good life? Should you care what others care about? Why do you care?
I share a similar outlook as described here
 
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