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This quote comes from Blaise Pascal's Pensées, accessible here. "That is why we like noise and activity so much. That is why imprisonment is such a horrific pu

This quote comes from Blaise Pascal's Pensées, accessible here. "That is why we like noise and activity so much. That is why imprisonment is such a horrific punishment. That is why the pleasure of being alone is incomprehensible. That is, in fact, the main joy of the condition of kingship, because people are constantly trying to amuse kings and provide them with all sorts of distraction.—The king is surrounded by people whose only thought is to entertain him and prevent him from thinking about himself. King though he may be, he is unhappy if he thinks about it" https://books.google.com/books?id=KezeDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA45&lpg=PA45&dq=%22That+is+why+we+like+noise+and+activity+so+much%22&source=bl&ots=BjK6_hRqDS&sig=ACfU3U07izDVBmacTRZRV8ekwlnByVyOaA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj1i6yMwNvtAhWyds0KHQ3MD3AQ6AEwA3oECAYQAg#v=onepage&q=%22That%20is%20why%20we%20like%20noise%20and%20activity%20so%20much%22&f=false https://books.google.com/books?id=KezeDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA45&lpg=P...

pmoriarty 6y ago
Just a bit more on why Pascal thought even a king is unhappy when he thinks about himself: Whatever condition we picture to ourselves, if we muster all the good things which it is possible to possess, royalty is the finest position in the world. Yet, when we imagine a king attended with every pleasure he can feel, if he be without diversion, and be left to consider and reflect on what he is, this feeble happiness will not sustain him; he will necessarily fall into forebodings of dangers, of revolutions which may happen, and, finally, of death and inevitable disease; so that if he be without what is called diversion, he is unhappy, and more unhappy than the least of his subjects who plays and diverts himself. Hence it comes that play and the society of women, war, and high posts, are so sought after. Not that there is in fact any happiness in them, or that men imagine true bliss to consist in money won at play, or in the hare which they hunt; we would not take these as a gift. We do not seek that easy and peaceful lot which permits us to think of our unhappy condition, nor the dangers of war, nor the labour of office, but the bustle which averts these thoughts of ours, and amuses us. Reasons why we like the chase better than the quarry. Hence it comes that men so much love noise and stir; hence it comes that the prison is so horrible a punishment; hence it comes that the pleasure of solitude is a thing incomprehensible. And it is in fact the greatest source of happiness in the condition of kings, that men try incessantly to divert them, and to procure for them all kinds of pleasures. The king is surrounded by persons whose only thought is to divert the king, and to prevent his thinking of self. For he is unhappy, king though he be, if he think of himself. This is all that men have been able to discover to make themselves happy. And those who philosophise on the matter, and who think men unreasonable for spending a whole day in chasing a hare which they would not have bought, scarce know our nature. The hare in itself would not screen us from the sight of death and calamities; but the chase which turns away our attention from these, does screen us.
- op03 6y ago
  Does this apply to Ants and Amoebas? They don't seem to enjoy sitting quite either.
  - chordalkeyboard 6y ago
    This is an insightful question and likely points towards several fruitful modes of analysis. Why are ants and amoebas always moving? Their biological drives continue to give them orders and so they are never satiated.
    - 3D4y0 6y ago
      Perhaps thats is because ants and amoebas have to find food in a bid to continue thier existence. Its safe to asume that for them to be satiated (not just resting) is to die.
      - chordalkeyboard 6y ago
        Yes! So one wonders if aboriginal foraging humans have a concept of enlightenment.
        hbarka 6y ago
        Nevermind humans working for a paycheck.
        chordalkeyboard 6y ago
        "before enlightenment: chop wood, carry water. after enlightenment: chop wood, carry water"
        discreteevent 6y ago
        Indeed. I read a book called The Songlines which was about Australian aboriginals and nomadism in general. It qouted Pascal and proposed that the solution is to walk and to wander. That's what we are made for. The solution to the problem of sitting in a room is not to sit in a room!
claudiawerner 6y ago
>The king is surrounded by people whose only thought is to entertain him and prevent him from thinking about himself. This is really interesting from a modern perspective. I'm an audiophile - I've spent countless hours just sitting in a chair in front of a stereo system I've spent a couple thousand on. If I ever lapse into non-attention to the music, I try and get back to the music. It's like mindfulness meditation, but unlike the monk, my mind is focusing on a sense, not emptying itself. On the other hand, I can't lie in bed for more than two minutes without deep introspection - my morality, arguments for and against all positions, what projects I want to work on, the papers I've read, etc. But before writing some comments on this website and elsewhere, I'll have a deep think about what I'm arguing, and why. Other times I'll just jump at it for the engagement, the thrill of refreshing in the morning to check the Hacker News Engagement Number, whatever else. I've tried to make an effort to not read outrage-bait on Reddit, I've deleted my Twitter account years ago, I've done countless things. This i my third HN account. The best part of my day, after work and my energy is exhausted? Gaming. I only play one game - online and multi-player, with an Icelandic man I've never met. It's all a distraction. Why continue learning piano, Japanese, philosophy, literature, introspection, when I have this pleasure right here? Where will I be in 30 years? 20 years? Even writing this comment sadness comes over me. To think that in the 19th century, there were men being compared to Hegel and Feuerbach at age 21. What the hell am I doing?
- mensetmanusman 6y ago
  I just read Ecclesiastes, it’s amazing what universal perspective can do for the spirit.
- polishdude20 6y ago
  What game is it? I've been looking for something to play in the last few days. I've got my mind just racing with ideas for projects and things and I'm always feeling bad about not getting into it and then I'm not able to truly relax.
  - philwelch 6y ago
    Not who you replied to, but in my experience, if you play Factorio, your mind will be racing with ideas for projects and things you can do in Factorio.
wpietri 6y ago
That has a lot of resonance for me. In this modern age, we are all kings, and there are vast industries to save us from ever being alone from our thoughts. For December, I quit sugar, social media, and video games. It's been really interesting to notice what state I'm in when I go to reach for those things. Sometimes it's just habit, but often it's because I'm uncomfortable or in distress and want to avoid those feelings. But indulging in those things often just kicks the problem down the road. Indeed, breaking my social media habits reminds me of Oscar Wilde talking about cigarettes: "A cigarette is the perfect type of a perfect pleasure. It is exquisite, and it leaves one unsatisfied. What more can one want?" The same for me is definitely true with Twitter and Facebook. An infinite feed of shiny, entertaining, funny, and outraging things, but almost nothing that's ever satisfying.
- colechristensen 6y ago
  Have you noticed any changes?
  - wpietri 6y ago
    Definitely, but they're commingled with the other change I made: minimum 10k steps per day. My mood and energy levels have been much better. I also find myself getting more done, because instead of turning to some disposable distraction, I'll get usefully bored. E.g., things around me are cleaner, I've read more long-form stuff, and I've called more friends on the phone than I otherwise have lately.
- maggotbrain 6y ago
  If you are commenting here, you haven't really quit "social media".
  - Shared404 6y ago
    While I agree, I personally give HN a pass due to the fact that conversation is typically better here and the fact that it's technically focused.
EGreg 6y ago
You should instead quote about him chasing the rabbit. It is even far more relevant. Someone can paste it here after googling.
- tomcam 6y ago
  “Men spend their time in following a ball or a hare; it is the pleasure even of kings.“
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

pmoriarty 6y ago

Just a bit more on why Pascal thought even a king is unhappy when he thinks about himself: Whatever condition we picture to ourselves, if we muster all the good things which it is possible to possess, royalty is the finest position in the world. Yet, when we imagine a king attended with every pleasure he can feel, if he be without diversion, and be left to consider and reflect on what he is, this feeble happiness will not sustain him; he will necessarily fall into forebodings of dangers, of revolutions which may happen, and, finally, of death and inevitable disease; so that if he be without what is called diversion, he is unhappy, and more unhappy than the least of his subjects who plays and diverts himself. Hence it comes that play and the society of women, war, and high posts, are so sought after. Not that there is in fact any happiness in them, or that men imagine true bliss to consist in money won at play, or in the hare which they hunt; we would not take these as a gift. We do not seek that easy and peaceful lot which permits us to think of our unhappy condition, nor the dangers of war, nor the labour of office, but the bustle which averts these thoughts of ours, and amuses us. Reasons why we like the chase better than the quarry. Hence it comes that men so much love noise and stir; hence it comes that the prison is so horrible a punishment; hence it comes that the pleasure of solitude is a thing incomprehensible. And it is in fact the greatest source of happiness in the condition of kings, that men try incessantly to divert them, and to procure for them all kinds of pleasures. The king is surrounded by persons whose only thought is to divert the king, and to prevent his thinking of self. For he is unhappy, king though he be, if he think of himself. This is all that men have been able to discover to make themselves happy. And those who philosophise on the matter, and who think men unreasonable for spending a whole day in chasing a hare which they would not have bought, scarce know our nature. The hare in itself would not screen us from the sight of death and calamities; but the chase which turns away our attention from these, does screen us.

op03 6y ago
Does this apply to Ants and Amoebas? They don't seem to enjoy sitting quite either.
- chordalkeyboard 6y ago
  This is an insightful question and likely points towards several fruitful modes of analysis. Why are ants and amoebas always moving? Their biological drives continue to give them orders and so they are never satiated.
  - 3D4y0 6y ago
    Perhaps thats is because ants and amoebas have to find food in a bid to continue thier existence. Its safe to asume that for them to be satiated (not just resting) is to die.
    - chordalkeyboard 6y ago
      Yes! So one wonders if aboriginal foraging humans have a concept of enlightenment.
      - hbarka 6y ago
        Nevermind humans working for a paycheck.
        chordalkeyboard 6y ago
        "before enlightenment: chop wood, carry water. after enlightenment: chop wood, carry water"
      - discreteevent 6y ago
        Indeed. I read a book called The Songlines which was about Australian aboriginals and nomadism in general. It qouted Pascal and proposed that the solution is to walk and to wander. That's what we are made for. The solution to the problem of sitting in a room is not to sit in a room!

claudiawerner 6y ago

>The king is surrounded by people whose only thought is to entertain him and prevent him from thinking about himself. This is really interesting from a modern perspective. I'm an audiophile - I've spent countless hours just sitting in a chair in front of a stereo system I've spent a couple thousand on. If I ever lapse into non-attention to the music, I try and get back to the music. It's like mindfulness meditation, but unlike the monk, my mind is focusing on a sense, not emptying itself. On the other hand, I can't lie in bed for more than two minutes without deep introspection - my morality, arguments for and against all positions, what projects I want to work on, the papers I've read, etc. But before writing some comments on this website and elsewhere, I'll have a deep think about what I'm arguing, and why. Other times I'll just jump at it for the engagement, the thrill of refreshing in the morning to check the Hacker News Engagement Number, whatever else. I've tried to make an effort to not read outrage-bait on Reddit, I've deleted my Twitter account years ago, I've done countless things. This i my third HN account. The best part of my day, after work and my energy is exhausted? Gaming. I only play one game - online and multi-player, with an Icelandic man I've never met. It's all a distraction. Why continue learning piano, Japanese, philosophy, literature, introspection, when I have this pleasure right here? Where will I be in 30 years? 20 years? Even writing this comment sadness comes over me. To think that in the 19th century, there were men being compared to Hegel and Feuerbach at age 21. What the hell am I doing?

mensetmanusman 6y ago
I just read Ecclesiastes, it’s amazing what universal perspective can do for the spirit.
polishdude20 6y ago
What game is it? I've been looking for something to play in the last few days. I've got my mind just racing with ideas for projects and things and I'm always feeling bad about not getting into it and then I'm not able to truly relax.
- philwelch 6y ago
  Not who you replied to, but in my experience, if you play Factorio, your mind will be racing with ideas for projects and things you can do in Factorio.

wpietri 6y ago

That has a lot of resonance for me. In this modern age, we are all kings, and there are vast industries to save us from ever being alone from our thoughts. For December, I quit sugar, social media, and video games. It's been really interesting to notice what state I'm in when I go to reach for those things. Sometimes it's just habit, but often it's because I'm uncomfortable or in distress and want to avoid those feelings. But indulging in those things often just kicks the problem down the road. Indeed, breaking my social media habits reminds me of Oscar Wilde talking about cigarettes: "A cigarette is the perfect type of a perfect pleasure. It is exquisite, and it leaves one unsatisfied. What more can one want?" The same for me is definitely true with Twitter and Facebook. An infinite feed of shiny, entertaining, funny, and outraging things, but almost nothing that's ever satisfying.

colechristensen 6y ago
Have you noticed any changes?
- wpietri 6y ago
  Definitely, but they're commingled with the other change I made: minimum 10k steps per day. My mood and energy levels have been much better. I also find myself getting more done, because instead of turning to some disposable distraction, I'll get usefully bored. E.g., things around me are cleaner, I've read more long-form stuff, and I've called more friends on the phone than I otherwise have lately.
maggotbrain 6y ago
If you are commenting here, you haven't really quit "social media".
- Shared404 6y ago
  While I agree, I personally give HN a pass due to the fact that conversation is typically better here and the fact that it's technically focused.

EGreg 6y ago

You should instead quote about him chasing the rabbit. It is even far more relevant. Someone can paste it here after googling.

tomcam 6y ago
“Men spend their time in following a ball or a hare; it is the pleasure even of kings.“

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]