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DFW is comparing one-dimensional geniuses to people who are retarded in some way. (Mental, emotional, social... take your pick.) The person is happy only becau
by arctangent 15y ago
DFW is comparing one-dimensional geniuses to people who are retarded in some way. (Mental, emotional, social... take your pick.)
The person is happy only because they're so oblivious to the things that they're missing out on, and their very nature prevents them from gaining this knowledge.
Were they able to know what they were missing then they might not be so happy with their limited existence.
- jodrellblank 15y agoImplying that seeing what they are missing out on and not being happy with their limited existence is better. But seeing what you're missing out on sucks. Being unhappy because you have a limited existence sucks as an experience. And it's not like you have an unlimited existence if you aren't a world class sports person, is it? You have different limits, but they aren't better or worse objectively. You can't trade tens of millions of adoring fans against a deep appreciation of city street planning and architecture and say one is undoubtedly better and the other certainly worse.
- praptak 15y ago> Were they able to know what they were missing then they might not be so happy with their limited existence. Attaching any weight to what you're missing out is a guaranteed way to make you unhappy and has nothing to do with what you do in life. Even with unlimited resources you'll miss out on most things that require huge time commitment, like being a pro athlete.