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No, I don't think you can. But most people get enjoyment out of life without doing anything deeply. Sometimes you can look down your nose at them (eg people who
by raffraffraff 6y ago
No, I don't think you can. But most people get enjoyment out of life without doing anything deeply. Sometimes you can look down your nose at them (eg people who get their science "facts" from Scientific American or /r/ifuckinglovescience and love to quote amazing bullshit at you). But sometimes it makes sense to take a shallow interest in things because, as you say, you can't go deep in everything, but that shouldn't stop you from singing badly, failing at some side project, gardening badly and doing high-effort low-quality DIY at the weekend.
The contrast reminds me of a fad among 20-something's back in the 90s, spending a year "roughing it" on a grand tour of some third-world country. They'd come back with a tattoo, weighing 60kg, tanned and full of derision for "...your first world addiction to consumerism, man", and laughing at people who take their jobs seriously. Telling stories of dysentry, dangerous situations, psychedelics, corrupt police, bribing border guards, and living on pennies a day. "You get to see the real <wherever>". But while they certainly got closer to 'grit', they never really blended in with the locals for the same reason that they couldn't appreciate poverty. It was because they knew they had an exit strategy. They were fake, like Carla in Fight Club, going to terminal cancer support groups. Like the rich girl in Pulp's song, Common People, hanging out in a rough neighborhood, renting a flat above a shop, getting a shitty job and pretending she never went to school. But she never gets it right because she knows she can call her Daddy any time and he'll rescue her. And true enough, every man-Jack of those 20-something's had a car and a career within months of their return, and they're rightfully embarrassed about the enlightened crap they gave everyone when they first got back. Maybe a 2 week holiday to see the scenery is just as good after all?