3 ms·
Everyone knows who's made a smart decision in adulthood by choosing and succeeding in a career that allows they and their family to prosper. In my experience w
by beaned 3y ago
Everyone knows who's made a smart decision in adulthood by choosing and succeeding in a career that allows they and their family to prosper.
In my experience when you come home for Christmas and everyone's asking questions to the struggling-but-"creative" folks, it's not because truly in your heart either you or they believe they've done something more true, "right," or "better," but that you understand that inquiry is a small flattery that only minimally compensates for the hardship they've chosen, likely from lack of foresight earlier in life. These types love the attention as it makes what they do seem more important, but everyone involved seems to know that it's just a form of compensation.
When you've already beaten the struggle, or sidestepped it smartly, and succeeded, too much of a focus on your career is implicitly understood to not be polite conversation since people naturally compare. People who are smart are smart enough to get this, too, and so are typically happy enough to not talk about themselves.
All this is of course excepting genuine care, concern, and curiosity, but I think it does explain somewhat the balance of conversations overall.
- wolverine876 3y ago> the hardship they've chosen, likely from lack of foresight earlier in life Maybe it was a clear-eyed, fully informed choice that they are glad they made. Life is full of trade-offs. I am less impressed by people who avoid hardship and difficult trade-offs.
- beaned 3y agoCertainly exists, though I think it's the minority. It's generally not difficult to tell who is happy or not from their choices, too, and I suspect in such cases the scenario may be reversed. E.g. the graphic designer who is content in life, entertaining the stressed account manager with curiosity. This is also the vision of ourselves we love to see in stories and movies, since it associates low income with passion and success with unhappiness, even though you can have both (or neither).
- wolverine876 3y ago> I think it's the minority "I think ...' is not a supporting argument for 'I think ...'. It's probably a bit circular. I think moonbeams on Neptune are made of silver, but why should anyone else think so?
- beaned 3y agoI think it's a little disingenuous to make a comparison so extreme, but I guess I'd just ask why that theme seems so popular. Money doesn't make you happy, it's true. But there's a reason it's always presented as a dichotomy. It placates the masses.
- wolverine876 3y ago> I think it's a little disingenuous to make a comparison so extreme If you mean the moonbeams, it was meant to lighten things up a bit. Sorry that didn't come through. > Money doesn't make you happy, it's true. But there's a reason it's always presented as a dichotomy. It placates the masses. I'm a bit lost on how that applies to artists who choose the tradeoff between making their art and wealth.
- beaned 3y agoContentment with one's lot in life is easier to fake than income. These stories are popular because they provide a fantasy outlet for people who work hard but are unhappy, to justify their choices by villainizing the path not taken. It is a form of therapy. This therapy would not be needed if the general sentiment of those who pursue careers that many in this thread call "prestige" were actually fulfilling. In reality they are (on average) less fulfilling than simply having any somewhat high-paying job that offers security for oneself and one's family. There are of course exceptions for people who are true artists, who could not live if their soul was not developed through creative work. But again, they are the minority. The "prestige" we allot to very average jobs is superficial, a social formality we perform as polite society because we perceive it as needless to have people constantly reminded that they did not achieve as much as they could have.