4 ms·
At least in the cases described by the author, the comedowns weren't because the world didn't care about if they won or lost - or if they got the release or not
by icegreentea2 5y ago
At least in the cases described by the author, the comedowns weren't because the world didn't care about if they won or lost - or if they got the release or not (or monetary reward).
The comedown was about the loss of structure, degree of control, and clarity of goals.
It's analogous to what I hear from many people (including in my head) when you finally get out of school into the real world. It's also (based on what I've read and heard - I certainly have no first hand experience), analogous to something that many veterans feel going into the "real world".
The structure, clarity of purpose, knowing that everyone has more or less the same goals, knowing that you have non-trivial control to advance yourself towards your goal (winning gold, getting the grade, surviving the deployment, etc) which you know no-one will question.
We live our normal lives never quite sure if we're trying to do aim for the right things, and never quite sure if we're doing it the right way. We spend our whole adult lives coping (and perhaps thriving) with that uncertainty. Some of us fantasize about "more simple" lives, ultimately because the reduction in choices and things to consider mean we can (hopefully) go about our lives with greater clarity.
I don't know if "the real world" could be any other way. But perhaps on some level, we keep pushing people along this "bad career" (I don't think it's bad really... but that's a different discussion) because we all on some level want to believe that that idyllic, focused life can exist.
- sjg007 5y agoThe only constant in life is change. The sooner you embrace uncertainty the sooner you move on and thrive.
- alexanderdmitri 5y agoWorth noting, calculus and differentiation help alleviate some of the uncertainty around determining the rate and effects of change.
- temp0826 5y agoI hope I can get my doctor to prescribe some
- alexanderdmitri 5y agoI'm not sure I've ever heard of a doctor prescribing calculus. They usually prescribe medicine, a regimen, or some other combination of things. Calculus helps here too: https://nmmra.org/calculus-and-its-use-in-medicine/ https://nmmra.org/calculus-and-its-use-in-medicine/
- golemotron 5y agoHaving known some veterans I can't cry for gold medalists.
- feoren 5y agoCan we be OK with comparing things without assuming they're being equated? GP never said gold medalists have it as hard as veterans. Comparison != equation. Taking someone's comparison and elevating it to an equation is a strawman. (This fallacy is so common it deserves its own name. Is there one?)
- golemotron 5y agoThis isn't about argumentative logic, it's about proportion and perspective. When we feel we have it rough recognizing that others may have it rougher lends a perspective that leads to gratitude and less self-centeredness. People who suffer often find release from their suffering when they help others. A program where ex-Olympians volunteer to help veterans might do both some good.
- Retric 5y agoIt’s not about suffering. Olympians, Students, Soldiers, Prisoners, Widows, Retirees, and anyone else who goes from regimented patterns to increased freedoms are all to a greater or lesser degree cast adrift. It’s rare for people to only be facing a single issue, and the degree that any one issue is impacting them can very wildly. Still, dismissing similarities because of differences in intensity is counter productive. Grief counseling often involves encouraging people to go through their daily rituals, but all of those transitions can benefit from similar advice.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- scott_s 5y ago> When we feel we have it rough recognizing that others may have it rougher lends a perspective that leads to gratitude and less self-centeredness. Sometimes, for some people. For some people, when they express their feelings, and the response they are met points out that others have it worse, they sometimes feel worse. It can sometimes feel like a dismissal, invalidating their feelings and experiences. I'm using qualifiers here, but I personally think most people want to feel validated.