A limited number of life goals

[jacob]

In order to build yet another theory of everything, I want to summarize the number of life goals one can have
1) Fame

2) Power

3) Money

4) Luxuries

5) ?
Anything that does not fall under these? (Skill?) I'm particular interested to know if these derive from a greater principle (individualism?) and/or whether other goals existed in other times or exist in other cultures.
I want to restrict the focus to the self-actualization goals after basic needs are satisfied.

[George the original one]

Security!
Skill is an element of Fame (and, to a lesser extent, Power).
Is there much difference between money and luxury?

[JasonR]

o

[jacob]

Instead of Skill I might generalize it and say Mastery. There are lots of people plugging away of their guitars or doing tai chi or whatever without the goal of being famous. They just want to improve.
Money can to some extent be exchanged for luxuries (or fame or power), but some accumulate money for its own sake.
"Goal" is probably the wrong word. Think "Motivation".

[MichaelAndrewLo]

I think everything can be summed under expression.

[mikeBOS]

Virtue
Serenity/Nirvana
Piety
Building a large family/social circle
Knowledge (though that might amount to power, either over others or over nature)

[Maus]

tranquility or otium (in the Roman sense of peaceful repose) [though could be subsumed under liesure, as a luxury]
a good death (free of guilt or pain)
a sense of indifference to circumstances (the Greek adiaphora, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adiaphora)
wisdom, in the sense of knowing and doing the appropriate thing at the appropriate time

[Bendoza]

I agree with MikeBOS, I think Knowledge is a good catchall for the achievement of self-defined or self-imposed goals (e.g. learning guitar, getting a PhD, speaking a language fluently). Is craftsmanship a subset of knowledge or its own thing?
I'd maybe think about changing luxuries to "Stuff" or "Things" as luxury implies some kind of judgement on the quality or value of the stuff.

[Bendoza]

And what about Freedom? How could we forget that?

[jacob]

Curses! This is getting complicated

[tuixiuren]

Respect.

[C40]

Love? Happiness?

[paxprobellum]

>> Building a large family/social circle
This is understated in this thread. A lot (majority?) of people's life goals start and end with "earn wages so as to have a family".
Also, you could probably separate out the "social circle" part -- think [party crowd/bar scene] folks.

[Marius]

- Making the world a better place
- Health

[KevinW]

"Agency," perhaps defined as the ability to make your immediate environment conform to your wishes? Agency might be pursued through monetary wealth, popularity, practical skills, ...
Irvine used the word "tranquility" to summarize the stoic ideal...
There's also the Buddhist goal of enlightenment which paradoxically is the state of having no goals...

[JasonR]

o

[hickchick]

@George TOO - "Skill is an element of Fame."
Where have you been living that you have avoided all mention of Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian? HOW DO I GET THERE???

[George the original one]

@hickchick - LOL, I didn't even think about those "examples"! I had sports figures, scientists, & engineers in mind when I wrote that...

[dragoncar]

JasonR, I think we are focusing on the self-actualization goals.
Honestly, I'm not sure I believe in self-actualization as a real level. Perhaps that is because I am around the "esteem" level. I'm hoping to understand the concept better through this thread.

[sky]

The quest to solve a difficult puzzle...
whether that be logic, math, philosophy, engineering