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I find them a bit less depressing than people frantically trying to experience "new" things as an effort to quiet the constant agitation of their souls.

robbrown451 5y ago
I don't think that the reason I've tried Chinese food is to quiet the agitation of my soul. Do you?
- culturestate 5y ago
  I literally moved to China to try and find whatever I was missing at the time; a decade, four other countries, and countless adrenaline-seeking excursions later, some part of me is still searching. It may not apply to everyone, or even a majority of people who go out of their way for something new, but I know exactly what the parent comment means.
  - wombatmobile 5y ago
    > I know exactly what the parent comment means. Well, firstly, there was a misunderstanding in the parent comment, but ignoring that, I understand you are saying that you derive enjoyment from new experiences, which you have actively sought out for at least a decade, and don't enjoy the company of people who are not like that. But do you mean to say that you wouldn't enjoy meeting an old Welsh farmer who is not like anyone else you know? From what you've described about your interests and activities, I imagine you might enjoy the experience, at least for a while. From what you've said, you wouldn't want to be like him, but that's a different thing to the experience of meeting him, isn't it?
    - culturestate 5y ago
      No, it's nothing like that. I was referring to this... > people frantically trying to experience "new" things as an effort to quiet the constant agitation of their souls ...and pointing out that there are different kinds of, I guess, opportunistic openness. One is the normal, well-adjusted kind where you say sure, let's try some Chinese food or hey, I've never been to Wales, should we go to Cardiff this weekend? It's the Michael Palin version. The other, darker one - the one I had and which the grandparent was referring to - is the kind where you're constantly looking for the next thing or place or whatever that will make you feel content with life. It's not about experience for experience's sake, it's about trying to find something, anything, that will soothe your soul. This is the Anthony Bourdain version. It's not that I wouldn't want to go to Wales or meet the farmer; I would, of course. The difference is in the motivation and the satisfaction I would derive from it.
      - gabaix 5y ago
        Calling it the Anthony Bourdain version resonates so well with me. He was someone I admired and pity at the same time. Looking back you can see the deep sorrow in his documentaries.
      - wombatmobile 5y ago
        OK. I used to be in Anthony Bourdain mode. In that time, Michael Palin mode seemed a world away - non-resonant and unobtainable. Eventually I changed into Michael Palin!
  - humanafterall 5y ago
    “Sehnsucht” in German. Seek-search. Finding what you’re even looking for.
- isoskeles 5y ago
  No, I don't think that about trying new foods. But I do think that trying new foods is on a more trivial level of openness to new experiences. When you've done it enough, it's all the same experience. I don't mean the food all tastes the same, but rather, you've adapted to the idea of trying unfamiliar foods. At this point, every new food you try has a risk-reward where you could feel somewhere between extreme disgust or delight on either end. And people who are more open to trying new foods just weigh the reward higher than the risk. Conversely, less open people will weigh the risk higher, or they just might not care. Maybe they think, "Food doesn't move me that much. It doesn't make me nearly as happy as my sheep." (Of course, maybe they don't know because they've never tried sesame chicken.)
koonsolo 5y ago
I think that people who achieve great things definitely have some kind of unrest inside them. "quiet the constant agitation of their souls" is a clear description of that. I like to call it "feeding the little monster inside you" I'm not making a judgement call to what is better, being at peace where you are, or never be at peace and always wanting more. It reminds me of when some interviewer asked Elon Musk: "How can people be more like you?", to which he answered "You don't want to be me... I'm not sure I want to be me". My theory is that you have 2 things inside you: the individual and the DNA. The individual can be at peace, but it will be at the expense of the survival of the DNA. The DNA pushes you to be the best and find the best partner to reproduce. The DNA makes sure you are always at unrest and want to achieve more, get better, etc. I think this story illustrates it well, because he is a peace even though he never married, and so will not give his DNA setup to a next generation.

robbrown451 5y ago

I don't think that the reason I've tried Chinese food is to quiet the agitation of my soul. Do you?

culturestate 5y ago
I literally moved to China to try and find whatever I was missing at the time; a decade, four other countries, and countless adrenaline-seeking excursions later, some part of me is still searching. It may not apply to everyone, or even a majority of people who go out of their way for something new, but I know exactly what the parent comment means.
- wombatmobile 5y ago
  > I know exactly what the parent comment means. Well, firstly, there was a misunderstanding in the parent comment, but ignoring that, I understand you are saying that you derive enjoyment from new experiences, which you have actively sought out for at least a decade, and don't enjoy the company of people who are not like that. But do you mean to say that you wouldn't enjoy meeting an old Welsh farmer who is not like anyone else you know? From what you've described about your interests and activities, I imagine you might enjoy the experience, at least for a while. From what you've said, you wouldn't want to be like him, but that's a different thing to the experience of meeting him, isn't it?
  - culturestate 5y ago
    No, it's nothing like that. I was referring to this... > people frantically trying to experience "new" things as an effort to quiet the constant agitation of their souls ...and pointing out that there are different kinds of, I guess, opportunistic openness. One is the normal, well-adjusted kind where you say sure, let's try some Chinese food or hey, I've never been to Wales, should we go to Cardiff this weekend? It's the Michael Palin version. The other, darker one - the one I had and which the grandparent was referring to - is the kind where you're constantly looking for the next thing or place or whatever that will make you feel content with life. It's not about experience for experience's sake, it's about trying to find something, anything, that will soothe your soul. This is the Anthony Bourdain version. It's not that I wouldn't want to go to Wales or meet the farmer; I would, of course. The difference is in the motivation and the satisfaction I would derive from it.
    - gabaix 5y ago
      Calling it the Anthony Bourdain version resonates so well with me. He was someone I admired and pity at the same time. Looking back you can see the deep sorrow in his documentaries.
    - wombatmobile 5y ago
      OK. I used to be in Anthony Bourdain mode. In that time, Michael Palin mode seemed a world away - non-resonant and unobtainable. Eventually I changed into Michael Palin!
- humanafterall 5y ago
  “Sehnsucht” in German. Seek-search. Finding what you’re even looking for.
isoskeles 5y ago
No, I don't think that about trying new foods. But I do think that trying new foods is on a more trivial level of openness to new experiences. When you've done it enough, it's all the same experience. I don't mean the food all tastes the same, but rather, you've adapted to the idea of trying unfamiliar foods. At this point, every new food you try has a risk-reward where you could feel somewhere between extreme disgust or delight on either end. And people who are more open to trying new foods just weigh the reward higher than the risk. Conversely, less open people will weigh the risk higher, or they just might not care. Maybe they think, "Food doesn't move me that much. It doesn't make me nearly as happy as my sheep." (Of course, maybe they don't know because they've never tried sesame chicken.)

koonsolo 5y ago

I think that people who achieve great things definitely have some kind of unrest inside them. "quiet the constant agitation of their souls" is a clear description of that. I like to call it "feeding the little monster inside you" I'm not making a judgement call to what is better, being at peace where you are, or never be at peace and always wanting more. It reminds me of when some interviewer asked Elon Musk: "How can people be more like you?", to which he answered "You don't want to be me... I'm not sure I want to be me". My theory is that you have 2 things inside you: the individual and the DNA. The individual can be at peace, but it will be at the expense of the survival of the DNA. The DNA pushes you to be the best and find the best partner to reproduce. The DNA makes sure you are always at unrest and want to achieve more, get better, etc. I think this story illustrates it well, because he is a peace even though he never married, and so will not give his DNA setup to a next generation.