Some of you may question the title of this latest entry. Incase you're wondering, "What makes you tick?" is an English expression (idiom) that loosely translates to mean, "What's your reason for living? What gives you motivation to wake up in the morning? What's your true passion in life and why?".
If the question were literally translated, I'd be writing about pre digital age mechanical clocks that make a "tick tock" sound. Honestly, and as far as I know, there's no antiquated time pieces that chose to join EC and become participating members of this site here. So, think deeply before responding. Yes, I wouldn't dream of posting a serious question without first sharing a few thoughts of my own. There's another old saying in my language that states, "You only get what you give". Before attempting to prompt your response, it's only polite to share "what makes me tick". I'll present it in a cliché like format that's been well used by more than one American writer and late night television comedian in my country. It's known as "THE TOP TEN LIST"...Honestly, my own list is written in no particular order according to personal preference. Some of what's listed may be conceived as being positive and inspiring to some, while others see it as a negative. That's where we as members of English Club must decide upon what we read and how it suits our own opinions, tastes, and cultural values.
So without further ado, here's the top ten reasons for (or what makes me tick) why I choose to wake up in the morning and deal with what life has to offer on this rocky little planet called Earth.
# 1 SPIRITUALITY
Some may confuse religion with spirituality at times. They're often intertwined. To me, spirituality goes well beyond what the religion of your choice dictates and how you should behave according to it's dogmatic and often all powerful "suggestions". It's about who you are, the level of compassion felt for the person sitting next to you at any given moment, and how you deal with the interaction that may or may not come to the fruition based upon your own biasness. Either way, agreeing to disagree with someone who doesn't share your lifestyle, opinion, religious views, socio economic status, etc., while celebrating what you do have in common is absolutely priceless and worth more than it's weight in gold. If you don't believe what I've just written, do a bit of your own experimentation with an open mind while existing beyond the boundaries of your own neighborhood. The experience you encounter while following my suggestion may change your life profoundly.
# 2 FAMILY
I'm not quite sure what the horses or ex- wife (to my right) were thinking and it really didn't matter. What mattered is that the mother of my child and I came together (despite our irreconcilable differences) to support our daughter while she rode that pony and did her best.
# 3 COUNTRY
Yeah, I admit it. That's a rather outdated image of "Old Slick Willy" (Bill Clinton) doing what he seemed to do very well during his regime while encountering a lapse in personal judgment. Americans can't resist a celebratory chuckle when seeing our elected officials endure a moment of personal weakness . In the years that followed, George Junior and the guy who can't seem to figure out what country he was born in (Obama) have made similar mistakes. To summarize, politicians from the U.S.A are scrutinized and closely watched by the public eye. Yet, the men and women in power are still human beings in their own right who've agreed to take the job while enduring it's occupational hazards.
Regardless of our elected officials and their all too human flaws, America is a great country. It's citizens enjoy a great deal of freedom and personal liberties. I could go on explaining the blessings and occasional burdens of what the previous sentence entailed. In the interests of brevity, that'll be saved for a future posting. Please realize that America is a wonderful melting pot of many different cultures and ideas. Somehow, we've managed to exist and thrive for more than two centuries and I'm proud to call myself American.
# 4 A SENSE OF HUMOR
Opinions on humor will vary according to your local region, cultural boundaries, religious beliefs, and personal preference. Yet, laughter is essential to ones psychological health and well being. Even Sigmund Freud recognized this fact and had the ability to laugh.
We all wake up in the morning with a head full of plans or well thought out ideas on how our day should go. The more ambitious amongst us will jot down a few notes or make a list of our priorities. No matter how hard we try, "someone messes with our plan" during some point in our day. When that happens, are you able to laugh about it while recognizing that humanity is flawed? Or, do you take it far too seriously? I may have mentioned this infamous quotation to a few of you in previous commentary. But, to prove a point, I'll happily repeat it..."If you wish to make God laugh, make plans... If you want to make him hysterical, do your best to plan the outcome of the plans you've just made." No matter how serious or dark your current situation may seem, there's always room for humor. As far as I know, our creator didn't design us for constant misery. Laughing in the face of adversity is not always a good decision. Sometimes, personal issues require a serious attitude. Yet, when they don't (and someone is just trying to "JERK YOUR CHAIN"), finding a way to grow beyond your own selfish and idealistic pettiness while laughing, is priceless.
# 5 HUMANITY
We're a divided lot at times. Often, what's happening "in our own neck of the woods" can take precedent over people half way around the globe and what's occurring in their lives. Thanks to social media (English Club included), we've been given the ability to reach out and meet people from around the world when our hectic schedules allow the time. Yet, when the clouds finally part in our own personal life and the moment allows, we get online. We choose to participate in main chat (or not), compliment a prolific blogger like Noaslspls, Dimas, etc. etc., learn English, experience others opinions, and grow as human beings. No matter what, humanity and all of it's splendor is fantastic.
#6...MYSTERY
Sorry, I lied. It wasn't really a top ten list. You've just received five reasons to write with a little fluff thrown on the end of it all (#6)... If you have the guts and courage to complete the prompt I've just presented, "my hat is off to you". What makes you tick? Can you write about or even express your feelings in plain English? If you can, please help me solve this mystery within the moral and ethical boundaries of this site. If I was forced to complete the list, I might mention food, music, work, local ambition, sex, etc. etc.
Comments
An interesting article. My view about what makes people tick relates more deeply to the personal traits, gifts and attributes with which they were born and their upbringing.
Myers Briggs, in their title "Gifts Differing" covers the range of different psychological types of which most of us are at least one ... sometimes we share more than one. Every individual is the result of their life's experience and people can change over time.
So, the question then becomes, "what makes you tick now?"
its an intelligent thought that you have given Eric , honestly speaking i consider myself no better than anyone else at understanding what makes me tick, so may i add "NOTHING" in that list ? :)
Good question! Thoughtful post - typical of Eric, a native American English speaker. I really enjoyed his unique style of writing, which is hard to imitate if you're not from the region of the world.
Of the question, I'm afraid I'm not sure if I really know why I keep living. It seems we all have a good reason to live. You still have so many things to do and you just want to keep things going. There are always things that lure you, or there are always things you want to do. Sometimes you are just so curious about the uncertainty of the future - you never know. Sometimes, though, you just can't find the reason to stop, or you just don't feel like suiciding:))
1. My family, including watching kids growing up
2. My hobbies. Without hobbies I would die of stereotype!
For me, as an Asian woman, family is one of the most important aspects of my life. This really motivates me, to be a better person to their eyes, especially my Mom.
I am not sure whereas I am doing a mistake or not!...But, I want to say...the urge of learning a foreign language ticks me. Not only a language, I want to learn a lot of things which I don't know. And, this attitude (positive of course) makes me happy that till now, I want to learn. I do believe, people should try to learn up to his/her last breath! And, I adore them who want to learn, correct themselves who have that courage to say, ''yes, in spite of my lacking, I want to march forward''!