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Men That Don't Fit In (1911)
- oidar 2mo agoCopied from: THE SPELL OF THE YUKON AND OTHER VERSES by Robert Service https://www.gutenberg.org/files/207/207-h/207-h.htm https://www.gutenberg.org/files/207/207-h/207-h.htm
- Rendello 2mo agoI studied "The Cremation of Sam McGee" in elementary school and it was a favourite of my grandmother. It's well-known in Canada, as far as poetry goes, though the poem most Canadians know by heart (at least partially) is "In Flanders Fields", which is recited solemnly on Remembrance Day. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Flanders_Fields https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Flanders_Fields
- bluefirebrand 2mo agoWoof This cuts me to the bone Was this really written in 1911? I guess things never really change, humans are still humans
- barrenko 2mo agoDo you believe," said Martin, "that hawks have always eaten pigeons when they have found them?" "Yes, without doubt," said Candide. "Well, then," said Martin, "if hawks have always had the same character why should you imagine that men may have changed theirs?
- fennecfoxy 2mo agoI mean there is a difference between lower level evolved behaviours like seeking out food species or being tribal and higher level societal behaviours such as deciding that tribalism is unnecessary under some circumstance, such as judging people by the colour of their skin in a modern, mixed society.
- em-bee 2mo agoman (humans) is not an animal. the society of man has always changed and evolved. it's actually in the nature of man to change and adapt. the question should therefore be: why should you imagine that men have not changed their character? believing that you can not change your character is merely an excuse to demand tolerance for bad behavior.
- dnemmers 2mo agoI mean, humans are definitely animals. I'm not sure the society of 'man' has evolved the same way you propose. Looking back at thousands of years of history, Modern Man is frantically trying to find a niche to call his own. With no armies needed, no game to harvest, no wild animals to protect from, and no household to build....unfortunatley the currently model might simply be antiquated.
- whateverboat 2mo agofwiw, 100 years is a like a drop in ocean for human emotions.
- dingaling911 2mo agoThis is me. Has anyone broken this curse before it's too late?
- busymom0 2mo agoMe too. In my mid 30s and afraid it's too late.
- robinsoncrusue 2mo agoCurious what makes you think it is too late?
- steve_adams_86 2mo agoI felt like that at your age. Now 40 and realizing my energy was wasted worrying when there's so much more potential left. I believe I'd feel similar at 50. There's a lot of living left to do.
- dingaling911 2mo agoMaybe we should exchange emails and hold each other accountable
- WeakSpeller 2mo agocan you count me in too.
- throwatdem12311 2mo agoStart a meetup for one of your own passions. Then you’re not the one that has to fit in. My passion is retro shmup, beat’em up, and run n’ gun games — basically designed either directly for the arcade or with that style in mind for modern games. I live in a small city but I noticed a steady stream of these kinds of games coming into the hock shop where I scooped them up for my collection. Figured there must be at least a few people that like these kinds of games if they are circulating locally. Started a meetup with barely any solo marketing in local Facebook groups. I rented a small space, and lo and behold a handful of people showed up. We had some snacks and played some games. Made a couple new friends. Tangentially related: things like this is why Sony discontinuing physical games is a horrible move and a massive blow to gaming culture. Never would’ve had this idea if I never was able to pick up a used copy of Battle Garegga at my local hock shop.
- deleted 2mo ago[deleted]
- akkartik 2mo agoShow me a successful "steady, quiet, plodding" person from the outside, and I'll show you someone who "doesn't know how to rest" and continually makes "fresh mistakes" on the inside.
- dingaling911 2mo agoHow do you know?
- CrimsonCape 2mo agoI'd be curious to know the average salary in 1911 versus cost to purchase a house in 1911. If you can plod along for 15 years and buy a house with cash (i don't think credit/mortgages existed in 1911?). Makes plodding seems like the right choice.
- afry1 2mo agoWhat a bunch of crap. If you spend your life running to and fro and never commit to anything in the end, then arguably you've frittered your life away. But maybe, just maybe, what you've really been doing this whole time is building up a wealth of diverse experiences, which in turn give you a broad understanding of the world and the ability to bring a unique and wonderful perspective to life. One that is completely your own, and special and important and infinitely valuable precisely because of the long period of exploration that you committed your early life to. I recommend this book endlessly. Anybody who reads this stupid poem and gets a sinking feeling in their chest should pick up a copy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Range:_Why_Generalists_Triumph_in_a_Specialized_World https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Range:_Why_Generalists_Triumph...
- dgoodell 2mo agoAre you saying that it’s impossible for the lack of persistence or focus to be problematic in someone’s life?
- em-bee 2mo agono, they are saying that not committing to anything need not be lack of persistence or focus. i have been that person. i am that person. it turns out my goal wasn't to master a specific skill or trade, but to build connections, work with people and help them with whatever they need help with. so my focus was and is on that. it didn't help me build a traditional career, but it led me around the whole world, building up a unique set of experiences and understanding.
- afry1 2mo agoNot impossible, but I disagree fervently with the notion that that "lack of focus is nothing but wasted time". Trying things, experimenting, acquiring a diversity of experience in life that eventually builds into something greater than the sum of its parts: that is an extremely undervalued part of living.
- a34729t 2mo agoMeh most people accomplish nothing. The trick is to be satisfied with whatever one's circunstances.
- dosisking 2mo agoI've always said that having a goal is the first step towards failure.
- smuffinator 2mo ago"I found that if you have a goal, that you might not reach it. But if you don't have one, then you are never disappointed. And I gotta tell ya it feels phenomenal"
- Psyladine 2mo agoAnd even he learned by the end the only real satisfaction is in helping others. "Well, I guess if a person never quit when the going got tough, they wouldn't have anything to regret for the rest of their life. But good luck to you Peter. I'm sure this decision won't haunt you forever!"
- rozumem 2mo agoMade me chuckle. I say have winnable goals
- mathgeek 2mo agoAccomplishments are what we make of them. Every person to ever live accomplishes nothing at the end, and everything in passing.
- metalman 2mo agowhen I look at myself, I dispair, when I look at the competition, I rejoice.
- mathgeek 2mo agoService's life story is quite the read, and lovely context IMHO: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_W._Service https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_W._Service
- ilteris 2mo agoIt sounds like he had ADHD. Some people (and I'm using that term to include all genders here) cannot handle discomfort, and my speculation is that this is caused by chemicals in the brain.
- marssaxman 2mo agoHandling discomfort is a skill we must all learn, and different skills are required to manage different kinds of discomfort. Because we all vary in our degrees of sensitivity to different unpleasantnesses, and because our life paths give us more or less exposure to the experiences which cause them, some people get quite far into adulthood without learning to manage forms of discomfort others have been handling since childhood: but it is not necessarily the case that they cannot cope with those discomforts, in some ultimate sense, just that they have not yet learned the trick of it. Often there is some habitual pattern of avoidance which must be unlearned before that can happen.
- jdelfuego 2mo agoService called his work "verse, not poetry", I just learned. I consider myself singularly unendowed in the whole "understanding poetry" thing, and here is a poem that I can actually understand, and relate to its, and enjoy in its simple musicality. Thanks