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I care about other people but I care about my family more. I couldn’t tell you why, I just do, it’s my instinct. I don’t believe in utopias nor do I commit myse

I care about other people but I care about my family more. I couldn’t tell you why, I just do, it’s my instinct. I don’t believe in utopias nor do I commit myself to what other people consider “worthy” goals, this is not a popularity contest for me, it’s about survival.

anotha1 5y ago
Like cancer, individual (cell) reproduction without consideration for the group (organism). We all know how cancer ends... Hopefully, you'll soon recognize the value (and even beauty) of senescence (Steve Jobs did) and not commit our future generations to a slow painful death. If not, your kids might also appreciate an opportunity to prove themselves, and just not ride your coattails. Even if not, after you're gone no one will praise them without an asterisk. But hey, who doesn't still envy the life of a trust fund kid. Smoking weed and buying Supreme® crap your whole life doesn't seem that bad?
- CyberRabbi 5y ago
  My descendants will never need to be preoccupied with proving themselves to anyone, especially people who might otherwise compare them to cancer cells. Praise from others serves no useful or necessary function when they prosper regardless.
- altusbrown 5y ago
  Pretty impressive projection and pompousness you have there. Fundamentally, society is a mutual agreement of individuals. Those individuals have needs. If someone feels a need to provide for their children - which could include perhaps being able to afford a good education without putting themselves in debt - and they're willing to work and save for it (which is fundamentally where most inheritances come from at some level) rather than blow it on cocaine or give it away to strangers, why not?
userulluipeste 5y ago
"I care about my family more. I couldn’t tell you why, I just do, it’s my instinct." Let me rationalize that for you. In order to keep yourself at a functioning level you have to see some good in yourself, to be able to respect yourself, and in that line of thinking - to trust that your physical base has enough value to be preserved long term in the genetic pool. You also have to see the same kind of value in the person you associated yourself with (i.e. your wife), and consequently - in the resulting lineage. Anything less is just prone to higher risk in the natural selection game. "I don’t believe in utopias nor do I commit myself to what other people consider «worthy» goals, this is not a popularity contest for me, it’s about survival." Not believing in utopia is one thing but, unless you're a nihilist or think we're at the end of times, you surely have to believe that the world can be made better and maybe do something about it. That's part of caring for the same descendants that will have to live in the world you'll leave them to. In consequence, the fact that you say you don't commit to other people's goals could mean that (A) it's because you don't share any views with other people out there on what would make the world better, which is very unlikely, or (B) you care and can afford to contribute but you just rely on the fact that others' effort will be enough and you can focus on more personal gains (which attracts contempt, and rightly so), or (C) you share the concerns and maybe even the goals for common problems but can not afford to do anything due to some limits in your life, like if you're in a war zone and can care only for physiological (Maslow scale) needs. It's hard to believe that you'd be in condition C, but then you actually say that it's about survival...
- CyberRabbi 5y ago
  > Not believing in utopia is one thing but, unless you're a nihilist or think we're at the end of times, you surely have to believe that the world can be made better and maybe do something about it. I’m not entirely sure about the three options you presented. I reject the premise that the world needs to be made better. It seems roughly good enough to me. I’m free to work on whatever I want. I’m free to have as many children as I want. I’m not sure how it could be made better outside of the government taking less of the fruits of my labor. If that makes me a nihilist, so be it, just leave me free to build my life how I want it. I can manage the rest, don’t need anyone to “fix” the “world” for me.
  - userulluipeste 5y ago
    I'm referring to the general sense of leaving a legacy to next generation(s), which may include improvement of the world we're commonly living in, however one may imagine such improvement. (I'm not getting more specific than that, as that is the origin of all politics.) Personally I don't reckon the lack of desire for something better in the world to be necessarily nihilistic (that's more like "the end of times" option, in the "all improvement has already been achieved" sense), but I must say, it's a bit funny that you see the world "good enough", considering the current pandemic if nothing else.
    - CyberRabbi 5y ago
      > it's a bit funny that you see the world "good enough", considering the current pandemic if nothing else. Pandemics will inevitably occur, however rarely, as long as humans exist. Similarly computers will be exploited, no matter how secure they are. That’s just the reality of complex systems. Natural market forces have already deployed people toward decreasing the probability of future pandemics, which were already rare. Seems good enough to me, if not ideal. What else can be done?
  - nicoburns 5y ago
    > I reject the premise that the world needs to be made better. It seems roughly good enough to me. I’m free to work on whatever I want. I’m free to have as many children as I want. I’m not sure how it could be made better outside of the government taking less of the fruits of my labor. If that makes me a nihilist, so be it, just leave me free to build my life how I want it. I can manage the rest, don’t need anyone to “fix” the “world” for me. Again, this seems pretty self-centred. The world is good enough to for you. you have the freedom to work on whatever you want. Don't you care that most people don't have that freedom?

anotha1 5y ago

Like cancer, individual (cell) reproduction without consideration for the group (organism). We all know how cancer ends... Hopefully, you'll soon recognize the value (and even beauty) of senescence (Steve Jobs did) and not commit our future generations to a slow painful death. If not, your kids might also appreciate an opportunity to prove themselves, and just not ride your coattails. Even if not, after you're gone no one will praise them without an asterisk. But hey, who doesn't still envy the life of a trust fund kid. Smoking weed and buying Supreme® crap your whole life doesn't seem that bad?

CyberRabbi 5y ago
My descendants will never need to be preoccupied with proving themselves to anyone, especially people who might otherwise compare them to cancer cells. Praise from others serves no useful or necessary function when they prosper regardless.
altusbrown 5y ago
Pretty impressive projection and pompousness you have there. Fundamentally, society is a mutual agreement of individuals. Those individuals have needs. If someone feels a need to provide for their children - which could include perhaps being able to afford a good education without putting themselves in debt - and they're willing to work and save for it (which is fundamentally where most inheritances come from at some level) rather than blow it on cocaine or give it away to strangers, why not?

userulluipeste 5y ago

"I care about my family more. I couldn’t tell you why, I just do, it’s my instinct." Let me rationalize that for you. In order to keep yourself at a functioning level you have to see some good in yourself, to be able to respect yourself, and in that line of thinking - to trust that your physical base has enough value to be preserved long term in the genetic pool. You also have to see the same kind of value in the person you associated yourself with (i.e. your wife), and consequently - in the resulting lineage. Anything less is just prone to higher risk in the natural selection game. "I don’t believe in utopias nor do I commit myself to what other people consider «worthy» goals, this is not a popularity contest for me, it’s about survival." Not believing in utopia is one thing but, unless you're a nihilist or think we're at the end of times, you surely have to believe that the world can be made better and maybe do something about it. That's part of caring for the same descendants that will have to live in the world you'll leave them to. In consequence, the fact that you say you don't commit to other people's goals could mean that (A) it's because you don't share any views with other people out there on what would make the world better, which is very unlikely, or (B) you care and can afford to contribute but you just rely on the fact that others' effort will be enough and you can focus on more personal gains (which attracts contempt, and rightly so), or (C) you share the concerns and maybe even the goals for common problems but can not afford to do anything due to some limits in your life, like if you're in a war zone and can care only for physiological (Maslow scale) needs. It's hard to believe that you'd be in condition C, but then you actually say that it's about survival...

CyberRabbi 5y ago
> Not believing in utopia is one thing but, unless you're a nihilist or think we're at the end of times, you surely have to believe that the world can be made better and maybe do something about it. I’m not entirely sure about the three options you presented. I reject the premise that the world needs to be made better. It seems roughly good enough to me. I’m free to work on whatever I want. I’m free to have as many children as I want. I’m not sure how it could be made better outside of the government taking less of the fruits of my labor. If that makes me a nihilist, so be it, just leave me free to build my life how I want it. I can manage the rest, don’t need anyone to “fix” the “world” for me.
- userulluipeste 5y ago
  I'm referring to the general sense of leaving a legacy to next generation(s), which may include improvement of the world we're commonly living in, however one may imagine such improvement. (I'm not getting more specific than that, as that is the origin of all politics.) Personally I don't reckon the lack of desire for something better in the world to be necessarily nihilistic (that's more like "the end of times" option, in the "all improvement has already been achieved" sense), but I must say, it's a bit funny that you see the world "good enough", considering the current pandemic if nothing else.
  - CyberRabbi 5y ago
    > it's a bit funny that you see the world "good enough", considering the current pandemic if nothing else. Pandemics will inevitably occur, however rarely, as long as humans exist. Similarly computers will be exploited, no matter how secure they are. That’s just the reality of complex systems. Natural market forces have already deployed people toward decreasing the probability of future pandemics, which were already rare. Seems good enough to me, if not ideal. What else can be done?
- nicoburns 5y ago
  > I reject the premise that the world needs to be made better. It seems roughly good enough to me. I’m free to work on whatever I want. I’m free to have as many children as I want. I’m not sure how it could be made better outside of the government taking less of the fruits of my labor. If that makes me a nihilist, so be it, just leave me free to build my life how I want it. I can manage the rest, don’t need anyone to “fix” the “world” for me. Again, this seems pretty self-centred. The world is good enough to for you. you have the freedom to work on whatever you want. Don't you care that most people don't have that freedom?