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How about not trying to use the intellect to stop the suffering that comes from trying and using the intellect? There is a long story a buddhist monk tells abo

How about not trying to use the intellect to stop the suffering that comes from trying and using the intellect? There is a long story a buddhist monk tells about a professor on a ship who has learned all about the constellations, cetations and land formations, and looks down on the sailors who "don't think" about that stuff. The ship sinks and the professor drowns because he didn't learn how to swim. The point is to that there's things to learn first, absolutely before anything else - which is how to get find the pleasure in life and not feel too much pain due to the negatives, how to not cause yourself suffering by your thinking. Foster Wallace is a guy who couldn't figure out the first thing.

Slow_Hand 6y ago
Perhaps you can both be right. I don’t see why these goals need to be mutually exclusive: Find the pleasure in life first, but then also make the effort to refine your worldview and gain control over how thoughts enter your head and which thoughts. Whether or not DFW had a fatal tendency to over-intellectualize he can still be correct in his assessment and aims as described in his speech. Failing to meet your first criteria (find the pleasure and don’t lose sight of it) doesn’t make his goal any less worthwhile if you can maintain a balance in all things.
marttt 6y ago
This is a tale told by S.N. Goenka in the Vipassana meditation discourses. The whole story: ---- "Once a young professor had made a long journey by sailing. He got an excellent degree, but he had no real experience. Also, there was an elderly, illiterate sailor on the same ship he was sailing in. Every day, the sailor will come to the professor and listen to his lecture on different subjects. The old sailor was intrigued by the young professor’s talk. One day the sailor was about to leave after listening to the professor’s talk, then the professor said, “You old man, have you studied geology?” The old man responded, “No sir, I’ve never been to school or college, and I’ve never studied anything. What’s the geology?”. The young professor answered, “In Geology we study about the earth. Elderly man, if you haven’t learned geology, you’ve wasted a quarter of your life.” “If such an intelligent individual suggests so, it will be accurate that I’ve lost a quarter of my existence”, the old man thinks and leaves. The next day after listening to the professor’s speech the sailor was about to leave, the young professor asked, “Reply me you old sailor, have you studied meteorology?”. The old man responded, “No sir, What’s the meteorology?” The professor responded, “Meteorology is the science related to the wind; the study of the wind. Poor guy, you’ve wasted half of your career.” “As this qualified young guy claims that I’ve wasted half of my life and has to be true”, the old man says to himself and leaves. Again the next day, as the sailor was preparing to leave after listening to the professor’s speech, the professor inquired, “Tell me, old sailor, did you study oceanography?” The old man responded, “I already told you I have never been to school or college and studied nothing. What’s oceanography?”. The young professor answered, “In Oceanography, we study about the ocean. Poor old man, you’ve wasted half of your career.” “Half my life had to have been lost as this deeply educated young man says,” said the old man to himself and left. Then the next day, the old sailor comes rushing to the young professor and calls out, “Professor Sir, have you learned swimology?”. “Swimology, what’s that?” the professor asked surprisingly. I was questioning, “Can you swim, Sir?”. “No, I don’t know how to swim. Yet why is that?” the professor questions again. “You young man, sir, can’t swim. The ship has hit a wide rock and is sinking. Those who can swim can swim to the nearby shore, but those who can’t swim may drown. I’m so sad, you’ve lost your whole life.” ---- Source: https://enlighteningsummary.com/swimology-story-of-learning-the-art-of-doing/ https://enlighteningsummary.com/swimology-story-of-learning-...
- passivate 6y ago
  Maybe I'm just super dense (I tend to overthink things :)), but I didn't understand the point of the story. Practical survival skills are important?

Slow_Hand 6y ago

Perhaps you can both be right. I don’t see why these goals need to be mutually exclusive: Find the pleasure in life first, but then also make the effort to refine your worldview and gain control over how thoughts enter your head and which thoughts. Whether or not DFW had a fatal tendency to over-intellectualize he can still be correct in his assessment and aims as described in his speech. Failing to meet your first criteria (find the pleasure and don’t lose sight of it) doesn’t make his goal any less worthwhile if you can maintain a balance in all things.

marttt 6y ago

This is a tale told by S.N. Goenka in the Vipassana meditation discourses. The whole story: ---- "Once a young professor had made a long journey by sailing. He got an excellent degree, but he had no real experience. Also, there was an elderly, illiterate sailor on the same ship he was sailing in. Every day, the sailor will come to the professor and listen to his lecture on different subjects. The old sailor was intrigued by the young professor’s talk. One day the sailor was about to leave after listening to the professor’s talk, then the professor said, “You old man, have you studied geology?” The old man responded, “No sir, I’ve never been to school or college, and I’ve never studied anything. What’s the geology?”. The young professor answered, “In Geology we study about the earth. Elderly man, if you haven’t learned geology, you’ve wasted a quarter of your life.” “If such an intelligent individual suggests so, it will be accurate that I’ve lost a quarter of my existence”, the old man thinks and leaves. The next day after listening to the professor’s speech the sailor was about to leave, the young professor asked, “Reply me you old sailor, have you studied meteorology?”. The old man responded, “No sir, What’s the meteorology?” The professor responded, “Meteorology is the science related to the wind; the study of the wind. Poor guy, you’ve wasted half of your career.” “As this qualified young guy claims that I’ve wasted half of my life and has to be true”, the old man says to himself and leaves. Again the next day, as the sailor was preparing to leave after listening to the professor’s speech, the professor inquired, “Tell me, old sailor, did you study oceanography?” The old man responded, “I already told you I have never been to school or college and studied nothing. What’s oceanography?”. The young professor answered, “In Oceanography, we study about the ocean. Poor old man, you’ve wasted half of your career.” “Half my life had to have been lost as this deeply educated young man says,” said the old man to himself and left. Then the next day, the old sailor comes rushing to the young professor and calls out, “Professor Sir, have you learned swimology?”. “Swimology, what’s that?” the professor asked surprisingly. I was questioning, “Can you swim, Sir?”. “No, I don’t know how to swim. Yet why is that?” the professor questions again. “You young man, sir, can’t swim. The ship has hit a wide rock and is sinking. Those who can swim can swim to the nearby shore, but those who can’t swim may drown. I’m so sad, you’ve lost your whole life.” ---- Source: https://enlighteningsummary.com/swimology-story-of-learning-the-art-of-doing/ https://enlighteningsummary.com/swimology-story-of-learning-...

passivate 6y ago
Maybe I'm just super dense (I tend to overthink things :)), but I didn't understand the point of the story. Practical survival skills are important?