4 ms·

I don't know anything about this topic, or who any of these people are. But I do know that often those seeking 'inspiration' will become so enamored with their

I don't know anything about this topic, or who any of these people are. But I do know that often those seeking 'inspiration' will become so enamored with their own insights that they often fail to execute on what they have found. Instead they do everything they can to maintain that feeling of enlightenment at the expense of truly realizing the meaning of their insight. This isn't specific to drug use, it's not specific to software development or any set of tasks, it is simply a common theme in human behavior I have anecdotally noticed in myself and others over the years. So based on that... What I think what Alan Watts intends to say is that if you don't *do* anything concrete with your inspiration then you're simply sitting around on the phone waiting for the next dopamine hit from your 'next great insight' about [literally anything]. In my opinion I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing, just that Alan Watts was likely a more objective driven person than his peers, whom sought to live in the experience rather than use it to further some abstract objectives.

pmoriarty 5y ago
"if you don't *do* anything concrete with your inspiration then you're simply sitting around on the phone waiting for the next dopamine hit from your 'next great insight' about [literally anything]." What do you do as a consequence of looking at a sunset or a great painting, listening to some amazing music, or having mind-blowing sex? Are such experiences to be devalued unless they lead to something productive? Maybe some great works of art do have influences on people, but they're not exactly as easy to trace as, say, being taught some useful skill. That doesn't mean that great works of art are valueless nor that we should only value what is useful. Also, what if your mood improves after taking psychedelics? Or if you enjoy life more, or you're less stressed out? You haven't necessarily done anything based on the experience, but it's easy to see that your life has improved. It's not all about useful messages or insights. I don't see what's wrong with simply getting more pleasure out of life.
- natpalmer1776 5y ago
  It is an individual thing is what I was trying to get at. One artist who paints sunsets will see many of them and paint a few in great detail while another may paint each one he sees, selecting the best for his galleries. If you want to talk on the phone with your pharmacist for 20 minutes after confirming your prescription will be ready at 2PM, thats great. For someone who values efficacy and the reduction of "unnecessary" expenditure of time this would however be unacceptable. I find myself struggling to let more of the former in my own life than the latter, but in this case I wanted to try and illustrate the *internal* dynamic I saw being expressed by the two viewpoints. My writing was colored by my own belief of what is best in life, so it leaned towards minimizing the value of leisure, but to be clear, that wasn't the message I was trying to convey.

pmoriarty 5y ago

"if you don't *do* anything concrete with your inspiration then you're simply sitting around on the phone waiting for the next dopamine hit from your 'next great insight' about [literally anything]." What do you do as a consequence of looking at a sunset or a great painting, listening to some amazing music, or having mind-blowing sex? Are such experiences to be devalued unless they lead to something productive? Maybe some great works of art do have influences on people, but they're not exactly as easy to trace as, say, being taught some useful skill. That doesn't mean that great works of art are valueless nor that we should only value what is useful. Also, what if your mood improves after taking psychedelics? Or if you enjoy life more, or you're less stressed out? You haven't necessarily done anything based on the experience, but it's easy to see that your life has improved. It's not all about useful messages or insights. I don't see what's wrong with simply getting more pleasure out of life.

natpalmer1776 5y ago
It is an individual thing is what I was trying to get at. One artist who paints sunsets will see many of them and paint a few in great detail while another may paint each one he sees, selecting the best for his galleries. If you want to talk on the phone with your pharmacist for 20 minutes after confirming your prescription will be ready at 2PM, thats great. For someone who values efficacy and the reduction of "unnecessary" expenditure of time this would however be unacceptable. I find myself struggling to let more of the former in my own life than the latter, but in this case I wanted to try and illustrate the *internal* dynamic I saw being expressed by the two viewpoints. My writing was colored by my own belief of what is best in life, so it leaned towards minimizing the value of leisure, but to be clear, that wasn't the message I was trying to convey.