Day by day, we make our way down the continual stream of life that leads us to the unknown. The endless probabilities make it impossible for us to always make the right choices. Mistakes are inevitable, and the unrelenting march of time pushes us forward despite our errors. What is the real motivation that keeps us going in life? 

As a society, the first thing that we’d think of is love. Love is a feeling that transcends its technical chemical nature. It is able to drive people past the point of rationality, for better or worse. Take Siddhartha for example. At first when he finds Kamala, along his journey to enlightenment, he became tempted, and strayed away from his path. In some sense, it may have been necessary for Siddhartha to learn about the troubles of love and lust for self elimination. Even though Siddhartha was being led astray, he still found motivation through the emphasis of love.

Some work purely for themselves, whether this is conscious or not. Working to better oneself helps strengthen one’s ego. While the word “ego” is generally seen as negative, it simply refers to one’s perceived self. Having healthy self-esteem allows us to believe that we can survive through tough times. Those that aspire to be the best versions of themselves every day are motivated by a belief in the sense of ego.

Although ego can help fulfill one mentally, physical sustenance is still required for humans to function. In our society, almost everything can be purchased with money. Material wealth has the ability to significantly enrich one’s life. Food and shelter, which help to sustain life, are put up with price tags. Many will work to their wit’s end to be able to acquire money, as their quality of life depends on it. History shows us the power of money. During the Great Depression, which was caused by a crash in the stock market, thousands of Americans became homeless and unemployed. As the price of food went up, many also starved. In order to keep going in life, working for money is imperative for survival.

At first, you’d think that you know your real motivation for moving on in life. If you just took a second to recollect your actions and think about why you did them, is it still as clear as before? As we grow older, we find new ideas or things that become significant to us. Some of them being a one time thing, and the others becoming core memories that keep us going.