4 ms·

Staring into the abyss as a core life skill (2022)

15 points by ChadNauseam 2y ago

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rhelz 2y ago
It's only a core life skill if you are in a society/class which puts you continually on the brink of the abyss. e.g. starting a company requires looking into the abyss? Is dropping out of Harvard really staring into the abyss? I suppose we'll never entirely get over our Puritan heritage, but we really shouldn't be romanticizing painful, traumatic experiences. Pain is your body's way (and the abyss is your brain's way) of telling you that are being damaged.
- ChadNauseam 2y ago
  from the article: > It’s also common for people to avoid staring into the abyss about their relationship. Similarly to jobs, it’s a common observation that people stay in bad relationships for far too long, and I’d guess it’s often for similar reasons. I don't know if any way of reorganizing society would change this. And I don't think that any of it has been romanticized by this post.
  - rhelz 2y ago
    Anybody who has actually looked into the abyss would not speak of it like this.
    - black_13 2y ago
      [dead]
    - polotics 2y ago
      Staring into the abyss, medic-school edition: Full tunnel vision, retinal rods reporting only peripheral darkness, overexcited cones showing that what remains of a central distant world is on fire. Something nearby is also probably really burning. Maybe people should learn some perspective and refrain from using grandiose words in their writing?
southernplaces7 2y ago
>Eliezer Yudkowsky, one of the biggest contributors to the development of the field of AI alignment, and whose writings on rationality helped me improve my thinking a lot That was amusing, Yudkowsky being noted as an inspiration for writings on rationality. His foaming, rabid takes on AI must be wonderful for the field of AI alignment too.
mediumsmart 2y ago
the core life skill is to know that all you have is now. and if right now you are not staring into the abyss all is good.

15 points by ChadNauseam 2y ago

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rhelz 2y ago

It's only a core life skill if you are in a society/class which puts you continually on the brink of the abyss. e.g. starting a company requires looking into the abyss? Is dropping out of Harvard really staring into the abyss? I suppose we'll never entirely get over our Puritan heritage, but we really shouldn't be romanticizing painful, traumatic experiences. Pain is your body's way (and the abyss is your brain's way) of telling you that are being damaged.

ChadNauseam 2y ago
from the article: > It’s also common for people to avoid staring into the abyss about their relationship. Similarly to jobs, it’s a common observation that people stay in bad relationships for far too long, and I’d guess it’s often for similar reasons. I don't know if any way of reorganizing society would change this. And I don't think that any of it has been romanticized by this post.
- rhelz 2y ago
  Anybody who has actually looked into the abyss would not speak of it like this.
  - black_13 2y ago
    [dead]
  - polotics 2y ago
    Staring into the abyss, medic-school edition: Full tunnel vision, retinal rods reporting only peripheral darkness, overexcited cones showing that what remains of a central distant world is on fire. Something nearby is also probably really burning. Maybe people should learn some perspective and refrain from using grandiose words in their writing?

southernplaces7 2y ago

>Eliezer Yudkowsky, one of the biggest contributors to the development of the field of AI alignment, and whose writings on rationality helped me improve my thinking a lot That was amusing, Yudkowsky being noted as an inspiration for writings on rationality. His foaming, rabid takes on AI must be wonderful for the field of AI alignment too.

mediumsmart 2y ago

the core life skill is to know that all you have is now. and if right now you are not staring into the abyss all is good.