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Yeah this guy seems so full of it. Why is climbing a mountain not a fake achievement?

by rortian 17y ago

electromagnetic 17y ago
Agreed, climbing a mountain serves no purpose other than to say you've climbed a mountain. I climbed aboard a plane and got much higher than any mountain climber did on land, and I did it at a far more economical price. If you believe sitting in a cubicle is meaningless, then don't sit in a fucking cubicle, it's common sense. I can't stand office work, it's just something I cannot do because it feels like a laborious chore, rather I choose to work outside in construction because despite working the same hours as anyone else, it doesn't feel like I'm forcing myself to do it. However, I'm certain lots of people don't enjoy moving equipment that weighs hundreds of pounds, so to each their own. In my life I work my job so that I can afford a nice home to live with my wife, to spend time with family, to travel to foreign cultures and to take care of animals. This is what I like, and this is what I do. My life fulfils me, that's why I live it this way, if someone ignorantly wants to believe that my actions are not real achievements then so be it. Obviously their grand achievement in life will be of wasting time caring about what other people are thinking and doing.
- rortian 17y ago
  I think that is well put. It is fairly trivial to project (in the mathematical sense) most any human activity in a way that makes it seem useless or worse than. Strangely these projections tend leave the projector in a still elevated position.
- blubb 17y ago
  Exactly right. Life is in fact devoid of meaning except for the meaning you choose to apply to it yourself. This includes playing computer games, spending time on facebook, climbing mountains or a career ladder and having a wife, children and a happy dog.
  - wallflower 17y ago
    "What is the meaning of life? It's up to you to define it."
cynicalkane 17y ago
Because it's a test of fitness, physical ability, and a lot of other skills that are extremely valuable to the human organism?
- rortian 17y ago
  Lot's of things are tests of and do improve those things. I got really high is sort of a silly statement.
- kevinh 17y ago
  Physical fitness/ability aren't valuable to most people anymore. Those aren't the major selection forces acting on humans in first world countries.
  - cynicalkane 17y ago
    One, they've been of less value in first world countries for the past sixty years. Call me a pessimist, but I'm not sure if this trend will continue. Two, fitness signals health, which is valuable. Three, even if fitness isn't valuable, we think it is, which makes it valuable for at least selfish reasons. Through most of history, fitness and ability have correlated strongly to attractive and charisma. Nobody's gonna give you social status or bear your children for getting all the achievements in Fable 2. (OK, some people might, but not very many.)
blubb 17y ago
It's up to you to decide. Go climb a mountain, or go play WoW. In my view the guy's not full of it, he only wants people to be aware of, and make conscious decisions about how they spend their. Some people do, but many people don't. Including me, which is why I'm here at HN writing this comment. :)

Yeah this guy seems so full of it. Why is climbing a mountain not a fake achievement?

by rortian 17y ago

Yeah this guy seems so full of it. Why is climbing a mountain not a fake achievement?

Agreed, climbing a mountain serves no purpose other than to say you've climbed a mountain. I climbed aboard a plane and got much higher than any mountain climber did on land, and I did it at a far more economical price. If you believe sitting in a cubicle is meaningless, then don't sit in a fucking cubicle, it's common sense. I can't stand office work, it's just something I cannot do because it feels like a laborious chore, rather I choose to work outside in construction because despite working the same hours as anyone else, it doesn't feel like I'm forcing myself to do it. However, I'm certain lots of people don't enjoy moving equipment that weighs hundreds of pounds, so to each their own. In my life I work my job so that I can afford a nice home to live with my wife, to spend time with family, to travel to foreign cultures and to take care of animals. This is what I like, and this is what I do. My life fulfils me, that's why I live it this way, if someone ignorantly wants to believe that my actions are not real achievements then so be it. Obviously their grand achievement in life will be of wasting time caring about what other people are thinking and doing.

rortian 17y ago
I think that is well put. It is fairly trivial to project (in the mathematical sense) most any human activity in a way that makes it seem useless or worse than. Strangely these projections tend leave the projector in a still elevated position.
blubb 17y ago
Exactly right. Life is in fact devoid of meaning except for the meaning you choose to apply to it yourself. This includes playing computer games, spending time on facebook, climbing mountains or a career ladder and having a wife, children and a happy dog.
- wallflower 17y ago
  "What is the meaning of life? It's up to you to define it."

cynicalkane 17y ago

Because it's a test of fitness, physical ability, and a lot of other skills that are extremely valuable to the human organism?

rortian 17y ago
Lot's of things are tests of and do improve those things. I got really high is sort of a silly statement.
kevinh 17y ago
Physical fitness/ability aren't valuable to most people anymore. Those aren't the major selection forces acting on humans in first world countries.
- cynicalkane 17y ago
  One, they've been of less value in first world countries for the past sixty years. Call me a pessimist, but I'm not sure if this trend will continue. Two, fitness signals health, which is valuable. Three, even if fitness isn't valuable, we think it is, which makes it valuable for at least selfish reasons. Through most of history, fitness and ability have correlated strongly to attractive and charisma. Nobody's gonna give you social status or bear your children for getting all the achievements in Fable 2. (OK, some people might, but not very many.)

blubb 17y ago

It's up to you to decide. Go climb a mountain, or go play WoW. In my view the guy's not full of it, he only wants people to be aware of, and make conscious decisions about how they spend their. Some people do, but many people don't. Including me, which is why I'm here at HN writing this comment. :)