# What is the one thing (broadly defined) that you would not want to live without? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 12, 2015, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801 "2015-03-12T03:07:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801/1 "2015-03-12T03:07:28Z")
My sister surprised me with this question on her last visit (well, not a huge surprise, since she had her answer ready, which is her relationship with God), and it caused me to think long and hard. My answer was my ability to think and reason. Of course, if I lost that I might not know that I no longer wanted to live, but that’s the answer I came up with. So what’s yours? Try not to fight the hypothetical so please keep it to one thing. It can be a person, an object, an ability, a relationship, anything. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801/2 "2015-03-12T03:41:34Z")
A car and, more generally, the ability to live independently. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801/3 "2015-03-12T03:42:24Z")
Language. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801/4 "2015-03-12T03:47:37Z")
If you don’t have air, you have nothing. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801/5 "2015-03-12T03:57:27Z")
Empathy. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801/6 "2015-03-12T04:17:52Z")
Cheeseburger with french fries. Sorry that’s two. ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801/7 "2015-03-12T04:18:48Z")
Internet. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801/8 "2015-03-12T05:42:50Z")
Music. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801/9 "2015-03-12T05:45:49Z")
I’d rather go without shoes the rest of my life than give up home computers. And I said that back when I had a Commodore 64. The Information Age in general is the greatest thing I’ve ever known. I used to have to spend hours in the library, to find stuff that I can get, now, in seconds on Wikipedia. How did we ever get by, talking about movies, before IMDB? Easily prepared food is also way up on my list. I’d go mad having to do real cooking. Microwave pasta, and canned ravioli, may be dull cuisine, but they’re easy and quick. Toilet paper. ---
**Author:** ![48Willys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/db5fbb/32.png) [@48Willys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/48Willys)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801/10 "2015-03-12T06:18:29Z")
For me, it is easy to answer this question. My wife! She trulely completes me & I, her. I do not have the ability to explain this well. Others have done a much better job of explaining this than I can ever hope to. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801/11 "2015-03-12T07:02:26Z")
As a Christian, relationship with God, but also I’m really scared of losing my eyesight. Blindness is a phobia for me. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801/12 "2015-03-12T08:10:26Z")
Is “my family” one thing or many? That would be my answer. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801/13 "2015-03-12T10:31:08Z")
My mind. My father died from Alzheimer’s, so I know what it means to lose it. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801/14 "2015-03-12T12:02:56Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > My mind. Hmm. My answer is “mind altering substances”, but I’m unsettled posting mine right after yours. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801/15 "2015-03-12T12:07:13Z")
Birds. ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801/16 "2015-03-12T12:14:48Z")
Music ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801/17 "2015-03-12T12:25:33Z")
Civilization ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801/18 "2015-03-12T12:29:23Z")
Broadly? Art: music, literature, graphic arts, etc. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801/19 "2015-03-12T15:39:12Z")
Sex ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801/20 "2015-03-12T15:53:50Z")
Hope. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-one-thing-broadly-defined-that-you-would-not-want-to-live-without/714801.md?page=2)