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> People by nature are also very diverse characters and as such can't be generalized in such a way. Some people need external motivation to live, others see liv

by cbanek 9y ago

> People by nature are also very diverse characters and as such can't be generalized in such a way. Some people need external motivation to live, others see living itself as motivation enough and loathe a high octane lifestyle focused on chasing some external motivation in the form of fulfilling arbitrary productivity quotas to measure their "progress in life". Of course, this is part of our culture. I don't mean to generalize that all people are hugely driven, but that everyone pretty much has a base line level of external motivation in that we need shelter, food, etc. While not everyone likes a high octane atmosphere (and I wasn't implying they do), suddenly being able to do nothing is not typically a situation most people find themselves in. There's usually school, or a job, or something. There's a definite link between what we do, and our identity and how we see ourselves, and our value. It's easy for people to get depressed and isolated when they do nothing. It's easier for negative habits to set in with fewer checks. As for a "happy ending," we all have the same ending - we die. I think it's not so bad, personally. I meant this more like Warren Buffett's "internal scorecard". There have been studies about what people regret most when they are old, and most of those are losing touch with friends, and regretting not doing things when they had the chance. I wonder how that would change if we were challenged less. Or would we simply challenge ourselves more? (I hope the latter) And just like you think that "there" would be a millionaire, I say it's just being at the end of life, and not having too many regrets.

freeflight 9y ago
>suddenly being able to do nothing is not typically a situation most people find themselves in And when people do find themselves in that situation they have everybody and the world yelling at them to do something "useful" with their time because as you say this has a lot to do with culture. Maybe doing nothing is perfectly fine? I don't see other animals constantly hustling to look "busy" for the sake of looking busy. Let's also keep in mind that most people usually don't just "do nothing", if they have an actual choice then they tend to do things they enjoy which is at least something. >There's a definite link between what we do, and our identity and how we see ourselves, and our value. It's easy for people to get depressed and isolated when they do nothing. It's easier for negative habits to set in with fewer checks. Of course, there is and it is a very simple link: People often excel at the things they enjoy doing, force them to perform tasks they don't enjoy/see a purpose in and you usually make people miserable regardless of the monetary compensation they receive. That's the only way work functions as a "check" to keep people happy if they see an actual purpose/value in it and don't experience it as "working for work's sake" because that might just as well be considered crypto-slavery. In 2013 David Graeber wrote a pretty good piece about this Phenomenon calling it "bullshit jobs" [0]. >And just like you think that "there" would be a millionaire, I say it's just being at the end of life, and not having too many regrets. Sorry I might have misunderstood your point there because I interpreted that part as the usual "American dream" story of "everybody can do it if they just put in the work" which I consider BS not just in the US but pretty much everywhere. >I wonder how that would change if we were challenged less. Or would we simply challenge ourselves more? Keeping up in the rat race takes a lot of time and energy that's why (imho) many people would challenge themselves more once they are freed up from cultural expectations aka the challenges forced on them by society. [0]http://web.archive.org/web/20130818200653/http://strikemag.org/bullshit-jobs/ http://web.archive.org/web/20130818200653/http://strikemag.o...

by cbanek 9y ago

freeflight 9y ago

>suddenly being able to do nothing is not typically a situation most people find themselves in And when people do find themselves in that situation they have everybody and the world yelling at them to do something "useful" with their time because as you say this has a lot to do with culture. Maybe doing nothing is perfectly fine? I don't see other animals constantly hustling to look "busy" for the sake of looking busy. Let's also keep in mind that most people usually don't just "do nothing", if they have an actual choice then they tend to do things they enjoy which is at least something. >There's a definite link between what we do, and our identity and how we see ourselves, and our value. It's easy for people to get depressed and isolated when they do nothing. It's easier for negative habits to set in with fewer checks. Of course, there is and it is a very simple link: People often excel at the things they enjoy doing, force them to perform tasks they don't enjoy/see a purpose in and you usually make people miserable regardless of the monetary compensation they receive. That's the only way work functions as a "check" to keep people happy if they see an actual purpose/value in it and don't experience it as "working for work's sake" because that might just as well be considered crypto-slavery. In 2013 David Graeber wrote a pretty good piece about this Phenomenon calling it "bullshit jobs" [0]. >And just like you think that "there" would be a millionaire, I say it's just being at the end of life, and not having too many regrets. Sorry I might have misunderstood your point there because I interpreted that part as the usual "American dream" story of "everybody can do it if they just put in the work" which I consider BS not just in the US but pretty much everywhere. >I wonder how that would change if we were challenged less. Or would we simply challenge ourselves more? Keeping up in the rat race takes a lot of time and energy that's why (imho) many people would challenge themselves more once they are freed up from cultural expectations aka the challenges forced on them by society. [0]http://web.archive.org/web/20130818200653/http://strikemag.org/bullshit-jobs/ http://web.archive.org/web/20130818200653/http://strikemag.o...