by zeeshanm on 8/29/16, 3:25 AM with 257 comments
by AndrewKemendo on 8/29/16, 5:33 AM
I didn't know what my Abilities were and how they relate to the others around me such that I can use them effectively.
Not only that I didn't even know what I desire aside from food and sex.
Luckily I was on a career trajectory and had quite a bit of experience ahead of me so I took solace in the idea that world travel, responsibilities etc... would flesh a lot of those abilities and desires things out for me.
It's been 13 years since, and I still have no idea where my Abilities lie or what I Desire aside from food and sex.
I like his suggestion to read Sartre, though I suggest Camus instead.
by giis on 8/29/16, 4:42 AM
I find this is quite new & profound.
by unexistance on 8/29/16, 4:56 AM
Conformity
by oasisbob on 8/29/16, 7:39 AM
Another quote, from the same, which I remember as vividly as (and juxtaposed with) this letter:
"Everybody is looking for someone who can stand up in the wind. It is lonely standing up and crowded lying down. I refuse to be an anchor for other people’s dreams—but then I refuse to anchor mine to anyone else."
* I wish my younger self knew the risk of loaning such a loved and personal book
by fsiefken on 8/29/16, 1:16 PM
* S. Gröblacher, T. Paterek, R. Kaltenbaek, Č. Brukner, M. Żukowski, M. Aspelmeyer, and A. Zeilinger. An experimental test of non-local realism. Nature 446, 871–875 (2007) http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v446/n7138/abs/nature05...
In minute 38 I ask the question if he can describe an example of finding meaning in life. https://youtu.be/D-EeF1quouY?t=2305
In one of his books he says the meaning of life is "about experiencing existence, in all its angles and glory, for the sheer and pure sake of experience itself! We don’t eat a nice meal, make love or travel to beautiful locations just to understand or make sense of something. We do these things because the experiences themselves imbue our lives with a kind of timeless meaning, independent of comprehension." -- Kastrup, Bernardo. More Than Allegory: On Religious Myth, Truth And Belief (p 203). John Hunt Publishing.
Ask yourself the right question in the moment itself, fully aware of your emotions and the things around you, and the answers could rise up automatically - 'the meaning of life' cannot be an armchair intellectual exercise he says. This has been my experience in life as well, it takes practise to get back to the Nexus. As Dr. Soran tells Picard: "They say time is the fire in which we burn. Right now, Captain, my time is running out. We leave so many things unfinished in our lives... I know you understand"
by e15ctr0n on 8/29/16, 6:30 AM
* Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120669/
* The Rum Diary (2011) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0376136/
If you are not already a fan of Johnny Depp, these movies should do it.
by kosei on 8/29/16, 7:44 AM
"a man who procrastinates in his CHOOSING will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance."
So very true.
by losteverything on 8/29/16, 1:08 PM
"And indeed, that IS the question: whether to float with the tide, or to swim for a goal. " is just the choice Thompson postulates.
To me, I now believe the overarching purpose of life is to have children. Two distinct groups: those with children and those to help those with children.
Parenting (becoming a parent) puts a humans heartbeat into perspective like nothing else can
by Tadlos on 8/29/16, 6:32 AM
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone
else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living
with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let
the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner
voice. And most important, have the courage to follow
your heart and intuition.
-- Steve Jobs
by ioda on 8/29/16, 11:10 AM
1. Hated working for others. One day manager refused to grant hike (in salary). Googled for a resignation letter, and mailed him the first one found.
2. Didn't know what to do. Decided to do freelancing. Took up a project that was too big for my mouth (read, implementing an ERP for a small retail chain) . Took away some good 2.5 years of my life, for peanuts. But learned a ton. The project was a failure from client's perspective, but I had my contractual obligations met.
learning - Freelancing is not my cup of tea
3. Started an e commerce company. Was one of the first companies in hyper local space. But had a similar feeling that this is not my cup tea, since it required raising large amount of capital for a poor margin business. Shut it down after 2 years.
Learning- I want to build something organically
4. Finally I stumbled upon a business which I truly love. It is yet to make any money. Have been toiling for the last 2 years. But I enjoyed the journey hell lot. And most importantly I feel I can make this work
5. So I took some 5 years to find that one thing that I really love doing, and that I am reasonably good at. Still the unproven part is whether there is a 'need' for that in the market, to make it economically viable.
6. Was it worth it? It was hell lot of pain. Getting depressed at times. But to me there was no choice. So no regrets. I would have done the same , if I were to go back and do. And hopefully we (me and my co founder) will make it.
Overall learning- You cannot discover yourself without getting lost. And getting lost is painful, at times, very very painful. But some pain are worth it (for some).
Whether to float or to swim is a hard choice. But if you decide to swim, make sure that 'to swim' is the only choice you have. Else you are more likely to 'get' back to 'float'.
by rdtsc on 8/29/16, 3:52 PM
by terryf on 8/29/16, 6:57 AM
by SanderMak on 8/29/16, 7:52 AM
I find myself doing this. Avoiding books that I think might upset my current reality for no apparent gain. It does make me feel intellectually dishonest, though. As in, I should be able to read anything and handle it rationally.
by randomsearch on 8/29/16, 8:40 AM
Understanding how best to live your life is a gradual learning process and is not really so complicated.
The school of life video on it is 60 seconds and covers the basics:
by Paul_S on 8/29/16, 11:33 AM
by SCAQTony on 8/29/16, 6:11 AM
Following your passion[s] may or may not be bad advice but predicting the consequences of doing should be measured. Life has a way of making that self evident.
by sytelus on 8/29/16, 8:10 AM
by louprado on 8/29/16, 4:54 AM
So says every philosopher that ever lived.
by nasakin on 8/30/16, 12:45 PM
by 323454 on 8/29/16, 4:13 PM
by amist on 8/29/16, 5:07 AM
by 3minus1 on 8/29/16, 12:31 PM
by paulpauper on 8/29/16, 3:49 PM
For example, the article on the sidebar about the 'dying man' was copied from Reddit and elsewhere
https://www.google.fr/#q=Powerful+Advice+From+a+Dying+Man
We should try to link to original sources, not aggregation sites.
by size12font on 8/29/16, 4:08 PM
by GoToRO on 8/29/16, 8:56 AM
by blubb-fish on 8/29/16, 11:52 AM
by S_Daedalus on 8/29/16, 4:41 AM
That's on a par with, "Buy the ticket, take the ride." I think.
by ycombinatorMan on 8/29/16, 3:57 PM
by ObeyTheGuts on 8/29/16, 9:25 AM
by chebastian on 8/29/16, 4:59 AM