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Sure, let them eat cake. >It can make it seem like sinking time and effort to make meaningful changes is just futile because of how many things are messed up.

Sure, let them eat cake. >It can make it seem like sinking time and effort to make meaningful changes is just futile because of how many things are messed up. And that kind of mindset saps happiness in a hurry.

amelius 11y ago
Emphasis on "seem".
- deleted 11y ago
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- unprepare 11y ago
  So youre saying smart people should ignore the information and feedback they are receiving and blindly follow an ambition to meaningfully change the world, even though their intelligence tells them this will not work? So smart people should be dumber?
  - Jtsummers 11y ago
    They should work smarter. Individual ability to effect change is negligible in the global scheme. Aggregate ability is what matters. People who seem able to effect global (or large-scale) change are better (or more successful) at combining the abilities of others. Any individual doctor in Doctors without Borders is ineffectual. The combined actions of their organization have real, positive, impact. So instead of wasting their time on individual efforts that go nowhere or have no lasting effect, smart people should contribute their resources to a collective organization. Either by assembling such an organization and managing it, or by being a part of such an organization and providing skills/competency to it.
Jtsummers 11y ago
A parallel to analysis paralysis. Sometimes being less familiar with all the options is best. Instead of having to make a decision on what to work on, you have a task and you have a tool and you use the tool to complete the task. If you're aware of all the problems in the world, of all the places that have issues, how do you decide which one to apply your time and talent to?
- WalterSear 11y ago
  Or maybe it's actually the truth, and maybe smart individuals are more aware of their very small amount of power to change things for unworkable opportunity costs.
deleted 11y ago
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amelius 11y ago

Emphasis on "seem".

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
unprepare 11y ago
So youre saying smart people should ignore the information and feedback they are receiving and blindly follow an ambition to meaningfully change the world, even though their intelligence tells them this will not work? So smart people should be dumber?
- Jtsummers 11y ago
  They should work smarter. Individual ability to effect change is negligible in the global scheme. Aggregate ability is what matters. People who seem able to effect global (or large-scale) change are better (or more successful) at combining the abilities of others. Any individual doctor in Doctors without Borders is ineffectual. The combined actions of their organization have real, positive, impact. So instead of wasting their time on individual efforts that go nowhere or have no lasting effect, smart people should contribute their resources to a collective organization. Either by assembling such an organization and managing it, or by being a part of such an organization and providing skills/competency to it.

Jtsummers 11y ago

A parallel to analysis paralysis. Sometimes being less familiar with all the options is best. Instead of having to make a decision on what to work on, you have a task and you have a tool and you use the tool to complete the task. If you're aware of all the problems in the world, of all the places that have issues, how do you decide which one to apply your time and talent to?

WalterSear 11y ago
Or maybe it's actually the truth, and maybe smart individuals are more aware of their very small amount of power to change things for unworkable opportunity costs.

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