Is it better to aspire to greatness or take care of living day by day?

Just as you cannot win a marathon before you learn to walk, you cannot reach “greatness” (whatever that is) until you’ve learned how to manage day-to-day life.

Simply living day-to-day for me is a great accomplishment. I consider myself a success, because I have an apartment that I keep clean and cook myself meals every day. Those aren’t small accomplishments. It’s a big deal to have experienced the life I have and yet to wake up and meet each day with a smile.

What does it mean to be a man? This is an important question. Philosophers in every era from antiquity to the present have tried to answer this question. I think the best answer can be found in some poems and works of music.

A real man is a man with genuine self-confidence and true masculinity. He’s a man who knows his own mind and knows what he’s about in life, and he’s not afraid to stand up for what he believes in.

See how big the universe is? Know how many billions of years it’s been around, and how many more trillions it has left?

“Greatness” is a pathetic, parochial, and laughable human conceit.

There is no “meaning” to the existence of anything. People are evolved to the point of being able to experience various thoughts and feelings, but applying “meaning” to it is a fallacy.

The way things are going now days, I only aspire to wake up breathing every day. I could care less about being Big Man on Campus. As Davy Crockett once said, all I want to be is a kind of “high private”.

Whatever it takes to take care of #1 first.

Why do I want to be great? What’s the benefit to greatness? Seems like it just brings more tzoris and responsibility.

Better that you aspire to be good and contented on your own behalf.

Do both. Aspire to greatness, but until you get there, do what you can to add one more day to your life.
Many people have been bald and paunchy before achieving what they were meant to for the world.
I still think you and I would be near perfect roommates.

Do whatever it is that you feel needs to be done. If you don’t feel the need to challenge yourself or to make the world a better place, that is perfectly fine. You have nobody to account to other than yourself.

It isn’t a binary choice. Take care of day to day living, aspire to greatness in all you do.

Being great is not a matter of recognition from others, it is a matter of satisfaction in what you do, that you have done your best.

Part of daily life should include taking measures to improve your future. The “improve” part is up to you and what you want out of life. If you’re not doing this then you’re not living, you’re just existing.
“Greatness” is a real thing. It’s subjective but very real. It’s not for everyone though. It’s something that requires effort, sacrifice and sometimes risk. Even if it is in the scope of your capability, it’s not always worth it.

Here is a discussion about existentialism that you may find of interest.