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When you read about the Classics (stories that have stood the test of time because of how well they convey human truths), it's as if you are living a thousand d
by agomez314 6y ago
When you read about the Classics (stories that have stood the test of time because of how well they convey human truths), it's as if you are living a thousand different lives instead of living just one. As a humanities major working in tech, I observe daily how the miopia of living with the experience of the present only can have negative effects on the products it produces. For a distillation of this thought I recommend reading this short story (15min) by Anton Chekhov: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Bet.shtml http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Bet.shtml
- behnamoh 6y agoHow about just read reddit and learn about real experiences of real people?
- mellosouls 6y agoIt takes longer to sift through the dreck of reddit curated by popular vote of random people on the internet (who might be expert in a sub's subject or might just like funny pictures) to get to stuff worth reading than it does browsing through a list curated into a canon by civilisation over millenia. Signal, noise, etc.
- cambalache 6y agoYeah the timeless universal appeal of white ,15-25,male, nerdy American sub-urbanites. They are like 0.001% of humanity at best (talking historically)
- jfk13 6y agoAnd that's before you consider that much of what appears on reddit isn't "real experiences of real people" anyway, it's self-indulgent, exaggerated or downright made-up rubbish posted for meaningless "karma".
- cambalache 6y agoThat is a very good point I didnt even mention, but you are totally correct. That demographic must have actual interesting stories and POV , but they will not appear on reddit without being grossly transformed.
- loblollyboy 6y agoThis isn’t 2010. There are now female and middle aged redditors as well
- cambalache 6y agoThere are Christians in Iraq too, the Pope will be visiting this week. Stay tuned.
- jweir 6y agoIt is impossible to understand what has been lost and gained by looking at the current moment.
- zozbot234 6y ago"Real lived experience" is heavily overrated nowadays, in all sorts of domains. A bunch of individual anecdotes is not data - at least not before people have taken the time to tally them up properly, which usually happens on generation-level timescales.
- BLKNSLVR 6y agoThe comment you replied to already answered your question: "I observe daily how the miopia of living with the experience of the present only can have negative effects on the products it produces."
- DC1350 6y agoRedditors are not real people
- trendoid 6y ago>As a humanities major working in tech, I observe daily how the miopia of living with the experience of the present only can have negative effects on the products it produces. Interesting. Is it possible to elaborate on this? I enjoyed the short story you linked (thank you) but still would like to understand your unique perspective.