What is the true trophy?

When I first heard the oft used quote from the venerable Mahatma Gandhi which states, "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win..." I believed it wholeheartedly, but as I learned more about my personal missions I thought it would be easier to believe Master Gandhi if there was actually something to win at the end of the game. My goals include wisdom and humility and neither of which come with a trophy.

It certainly makes you think...

What are we truly seeking in life if we cannot take it with us in the end?

And here is where I pass the gauntlet to you.

Enlighten me...

Nothing
Embrace Nihilism

Or: The sonum bonum

I think we are seeking growth which leads to enlightenment. And what do you need exactly to take with you?

Originally posted by American-philosopher
I think we are seeking growth which leads to enlightenment. And what do you need exactly to take with you?

A nice pair of shoes
& a cold beer

What if where your going the beer gets warm before you can drink it?? just joking.

reply to post by Tapped In


the problem is that there is no single trophy. if you follow mr. gandhi's quote what youll see is that what you win is only temporary. it all needs maintenance. peace is a constant battle against ignorance. everything degrades over time.

Originally posted by American-philosopher
What if where your going the beer gets warm before you can drink it?? just joking.

I hear they provide alcohol there.
I was just figuring on walking aimlessly into oblivion.

reply to post by Tapped In


Wisdom and humility are trophies beyond a simple acknowledgement. They are tools which continue to reward on a personal and spiritual level but they are not the goal, they are the journey.

Everything rusts.

Getting biblical (hope you don't mind)

These are the words of the Quester, David's son and king in Jerusalem
Smoke, nothing but smoke. [That's what the Quester says.] There's nothing to anything—it's all smoke. What's there to show for a lifetime of work,
a lifetime of working your fingers to the bone?
One generation goes its way, the next one arrives,
but nothing changes—it's business as usual for old planet earth.
The sun comes up and the sun goes down,
then does it again, and again—the same old round.
The wind blows south, the wind blows north.
Around and around and around it blows,
blowing this way, then that—the whirling, erratic wind.
All the rivers flow into the sea,
but the sea never fills up.
The rivers keep flowing to the same old place,
and then start all over and do it again.
Everything's boring, utterly boring—
no one can find any meaning in it.
Boring to the eye,
boring to the ear.
What was will be again,
what happened will happen again.
There's nothing new on this earth.
Year after year it's the same old thing.
Does someone call out, "Hey, this is new"?
Don't get excited—it's the same old story.
Nobody remembers what happened yesterday.
And the things that will happen tomorrow?
Nobody'll remember them either.
Don't count on being remembered. I've Seen It All
Call me "the Quester." I've been king over Israel in Jerusalem. I looked most carefully into everything, searched out all that is done on this earth. And let me tell you, there's not much to write home about. God hasn't made it easy for us. I've seen it all and it's nothing but smoke—smoke, and spitting into the wind.
Life's a corkscrew that can't be straightened,
A minus that won't add up.
I said to myself, "I know more and I'm wiser than anyone before me in Jerusalem. I've stockpiled wisdom and knowledge." What I've finally concluded is that so-called wisdom and knowledge are mindless and witless—nothing but spitting into the wind.
Much learning earns you much trouble.
The more you know, the more you hurt.

Ecclesiastes 1:1-18 from "The Message" version.

You've already won, the trophy is your life. Now enjoy it while it lasts!

reply to post by Tapped In

You finished up your OP with exactly what you should seek and CAN find.

"Enlighten me..."

Enlightenment, in other words, spiritual enlighenment. (But it is a do-it-yourself thing and takes a bit of work. Someone just can't whisper in your ear or send you an U2U.)