4 ms·

This is an incredibly well-written and interesting piece. Is it only me, but what seems to have solved the author's problem is getting back "into the flow", by

by eliben 11y ago

This is an incredibly well-written and interesting piece. Is it only me, but what seems to have solved the author's problem is getting back "into the flow", by finding an area of research she was keenly interested in? Also, this quote is hilarious: > And turning 50 and becoming bisexual and Buddhist did seem far too predictable—a sort of Berkeley bat mitzvah, a standard rite of passage for aging Jewish academic women in Northern California.

sridca 11y ago
> what seems to have solved the author's problem is getting back "into the flow", by finding an area of research she was keenly interested in? The clue is in the final paragraph: "I had found my salvation in the sheer endless curiosity of the human mind—and the sheer endless variety of human experience." After work, love, children - the author found a new purpose that is now worth living for. It seems life becomes worthwhile when there is some purpose to strive towards. But wouldn't life be easier if we didn't rely on such purpose-driven mental states? Is it not possible to simply enjoy doing everyday things -- taking shower, eating, working, walking -- without contingent goals?
- eli_gottlieb 11y ago
  >But wouldn't life be easier if we didn't rely on such purpose-driven mental states? Is it not possible to simply enjoy doing everyday things -- taking shower, eating, working, walking -- without contingent goals? Well yes, but then everyone calls you a loser. http://www.theonion.com/article/unambitious-loser-with-happy-fulfilling-life-still-33233 http://www.theonion.com/article/unambitious-loser-with-happy...
  - sridca 11y ago
    > Well yes, but then everyone calls you a loser. Yes, that is how socialization works in adulthood, even in this supposedly liberalized age and part of the world. However there is a thrill in being (or aiming to be) a carefree loser while everyone else is busy being a solemn winner. This is my single greatest personal goal in life! Not the "money, power, women" corruption[1]. [1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086250/quotes?item=qt0458841 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086250/quotes?item=qt0458841

by eliben 11y ago

sridca 11y ago

> what seems to have solved the author's problem is getting back "into the flow", by finding an area of research she was keenly interested in? The clue is in the final paragraph: "I had found my salvation in the sheer endless curiosity of the human mind—and the sheer endless variety of human experience." After work, love, children - the author found a new purpose that is now worth living for. It seems life becomes worthwhile when there is some purpose to strive towards. But wouldn't life be easier if we didn't rely on such purpose-driven mental states? Is it not possible to simply enjoy doing everyday things -- taking shower, eating, working, walking -- without contingent goals?

eli_gottlieb 11y ago
>But wouldn't life be easier if we didn't rely on such purpose-driven mental states? Is it not possible to simply enjoy doing everyday things -- taking shower, eating, working, walking -- without contingent goals? Well yes, but then everyone calls you a loser. http://www.theonion.com/article/unambitious-loser-with-happy-fulfilling-life-still-33233 http://www.theonion.com/article/unambitious-loser-with-happy...
- sridca 11y ago
  > Well yes, but then everyone calls you a loser. Yes, that is how socialization works in adulthood, even in this supposedly liberalized age and part of the world. However there is a thrill in being (or aiming to be) a carefree loser while everyone else is busy being a solemn winner. This is my single greatest personal goal in life! Not the "money, power, women" corruption[1]. [1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086250/quotes?item=qt0458841 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086250/quotes?item=qt0458841