Buffy's Philosophy

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

In "Welcome to the Hellmouth", Buffy explains to Willow what her philosophy is:

Buffy: Well, my philosophy "“ do you want to hear my philosophy?
Willow: Yeah, I do.
Buffy: Life is short.
Willow: Life is short.
Buffy: Not original, I'll grant you, but it's true. You know, why waste time being all shy and why worried about some guy and if he's gonna laugh at you? Seize the moment "˜cause tomorrow you might be dead.
Willow: Oh, that's nice.

In contrast, consiter Spike's "philosophy" (told to her 6 years later):

Life isn't bliss, like is just this, it's living.

These are two very different worldviews.

My question is; As Buffy matured, do you think she stuck to her philosophy? Why or why not? Do you think that she became more jaded as she matured? Do you agree with her philosophy?

 

[white avenger]

At the end of Season 6 we pretty much see Buffy have her epiphany, finally losing her death wish and self loathing, so I would say that she has come closer to Spike's philosophy and abandoned the "life is short" one.

 

[Tueuse de Vampires]

Actually, I think Buffy's philosophy wasn't really what she lived after most of the time (of course there were exceptions, liek the whole Parker deal...didn't they have a conversation about that). Also, I think it was pretty naive and in later seasons (at latest s5, with 'death is your gift') she outgrew it.
I don't really think JW even really intended her to live after this philosophy. It just fit very well as a philosophy considering how Buffy died at the end of s1 and her general rather dangerous lifestlye. But after that? Meh.

 

[LizzieRainbow]

i do think over the years buffys philosiphy would ahve changed but not due to her being more mature but due to the experiences she had, that includes dying and the death of loved ones. By season six i really think she was more careful than live for teh day because she knew teh consequences of that.

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

To me, it was obvious how depressed and jaded Buffy became as the show progressed. I mean, if you see enough people die around you - it makes you pretty careful. She was only reckless, I think, with herself. She can't really "seize the day" because she has so much responsibility. There's too much at stake. The sexual relationship she had with Spike was indulgent and reckless - and despite that being what she loved about it, she believed it was wrong, to indulge in anything for herself. Her duty was to protect the world, and too protect Dawn.

We all have a image of ourselves we are constantly trying to live up too. Instead, I see her "philosophy" in "Welcome to the Hellmouth" as what she wants to be - not what she really is. She wants to be careless, take risks, and live fast, die hard - essencelly, "seize the day".

After she comes back from the dead in S6, I see her as really indentifying with Spike's "philosophy". To her, life is just this. She's just waking up every morning, living, and trying to get through her life. Life has no meaning to her beyond just surviving and getting through the day. She's depressed. Spike has been around so long, he's seen pretty much everything, so what I think he means by this is that nothing really excites or surprises him anymore.

Hope this made sense. Just my comments.

 

[definition of insane]

It makes a lot of sense that Buffy's initial philosophy is "seize the day". She knew of her short life expenctancy, and at 16 you know you want to make the most of it. But it is the type of philosophy a young person would have. To be free, to take risks, to grab each moment and so on and so forth. In a way, it's a selfish view.

But it's like how we all get older, and we realise more about what's around us. Going through things like Joyce's death, taking care of Dawn, jobs, college, sex, love... it made her less selfish in someways, she wasn't just living for herself anymore, she was realising what being a mother, sister, leader meant.

So maybe she realised what Spike has come to realise after several years and life experiences is that life is just living. But then I think to Buffy, it's not just living, it's living to take care of the people that matter to her.