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What's so terrible about not being "awesome?" How about just living a decent life? Being kind and helpful? There's a kind of virtue ethics at work around thes

by mbrock 13y ago

What's so terrible about not being "awesome?" How about just living a decent life? Being kind and helpful? There's a kind of virtue ethics at work around these parts, and the primary virtue is "awesomeness." A sociologist or ethicist could write a whole thesis about this community. It's not a universal idea. Some people have a primary virtue of "decency." Or even "humility." Taste those words for a moment... "Comparing is as much of a disease as perfection. When we learn to be ourselves, be patient, and how to be comfortable in our own skin, then – and only then – will we achieve true happiness." An ancient Zen poem says "For and against opposing each other -- this is the mind's disease." Of course, this site revolves around a highly competitive market. Ambition is its lifeblood... I think that if you want to be happy, that's not going to come from success or ambition or striving. They seem more or less orthogonal. An interesting question might be: What would you do if you were already happy and content? Think of it as like the question of what you would do if you already were financially independent. Call it emotional independence, maybe. Equanimity?

shaydoc 13y ago
very well said. I consider what you have said "awesome". I am agreement with this post. I think being comfortable with who you are is important. Recognising what you have already got and appreciating it is important. Ambition is something that people do when they are trying to find happiness and to be comfortable with who they are. I think it all comes down to one's approach to everything. Its good to have ambition, especially if its directed in the correct way. I would say on here, that an ambition to learn, create, inspire and make a difference is what most folks apsire to do...
eli_gottlieb 13y ago
And since when has awesomeness been mutually exclusive with decency, kindness, or even helpfulness? I think that if you want to be happy, that's not going to come from success or ambition or striving. They seem more or less orthogonal. Some of us require a certain level of striving to be happy. If we're not being awesome enough, we get depressed. An interesting question might be: What would you do if you were already happy and content? But short of a few things I cope with, I am happy and content.
- mbrock 13y ago
  I'm not positing any mutual exclusion. Just hinting at a possible overvaluing or a distortion. Maybe that's not relevant for you. Of course all these words are flexible and can encompass a wide span. If awesomeness motivates you towards real goodness, that's, well, awesome. But I think that for some, it can have aspects of self-obsession, an excessive concern with entrepreneurial success, an overemphasis on individual achievement causing neglect of softer, less "specular" values -- like kindness. Not to imply any lack of kindness. What I'm trying to say has more to do with how we value our kindness. The tragedy would be someone with a kind heart who thinks themselves worthless because they haven't completed any "awesome" projects on their own.
minikites 13y ago
I agree. I saw that Steve Jobs video that was making the rounds last week on how he saw his legacy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zut2NLMVL_k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zut2NLMVL_k I think that idea can apply in all industries and creative endeavors. It's okay to be forgotten, just appreciate that future generations will stand taller on the sediment that you have created merely by existing. To your last sentence, there was also a recent episode of the podcast Back to Work (http://5by5.tv/b2w/120 http://5by5.tv/b2w/120) where they talk about safety nets, in response to their friend Marco Arment and the acquisition of Tumblr by Yahoo. I transcribed a few portions of it for my own reflection: 120: @43:30 - [posed as a question to the listener] What if you had enough of whatever you need to do something? What do you not have right now that the safety net would eventually provide? 120: @48:50 - You probably haven't spent your life rehearsing on how to be happy with what you have, you spend your life rehearsing what will happen when you "finally never have to worry about anything again". 120: @55:30 - Having more money will let you have a more expensive weekend, but unless you've practiced enjoying weekends during your life, it's going to be a very hard change.

by mbrock 13y ago

shaydoc 13y ago

very well said. I consider what you have said "awesome". I am agreement with this post. I think being comfortable with who you are is important. Recognising what you have already got and appreciating it is important. Ambition is something that people do when they are trying to find happiness and to be comfortable with who they are. I think it all comes down to one's approach to everything. Its good to have ambition, especially if its directed in the correct way. I would say on here, that an ambition to learn, create, inspire and make a difference is what most folks apsire to do...

eli_gottlieb 13y ago

And since when has awesomeness been mutually exclusive with decency, kindness, or even helpfulness? I think that if you want to be happy, that's not going to come from success or ambition or striving. They seem more or less orthogonal. Some of us require a certain level of striving to be happy. If we're not being awesome enough, we get depressed. An interesting question might be: What would you do if you were already happy and content? But short of a few things I cope with, I am happy and content.

mbrock 13y ago
I'm not positing any mutual exclusion. Just hinting at a possible overvaluing or a distortion. Maybe that's not relevant for you. Of course all these words are flexible and can encompass a wide span. If awesomeness motivates you towards real goodness, that's, well, awesome. But I think that for some, it can have aspects of self-obsession, an excessive concern with entrepreneurial success, an overemphasis on individual achievement causing neglect of softer, less "specular" values -- like kindness. Not to imply any lack of kindness. What I'm trying to say has more to do with how we value our kindness. The tragedy would be someone with a kind heart who thinks themselves worthless because they haven't completed any "awesome" projects on their own.

minikites 13y ago

I agree. I saw that Steve Jobs video that was making the rounds last week on how he saw his legacy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zut2NLMVL_k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zut2NLMVL_k I think that idea can apply in all industries and creative endeavors. It's okay to be forgotten, just appreciate that future generations will stand taller on the sediment that you have created merely by existing. To your last sentence, there was also a recent episode of the podcast Back to Work (http://5by5.tv/b2w/120 http://5by5.tv/b2w/120) where they talk about safety nets, in response to their friend Marco Arment and the acquisition of Tumblr by Yahoo. I transcribed a few portions of it for my own reflection: 120: @43:30 - [posed as a question to the listener] What if you had enough of whatever you need to do something? What do you not have right now that the safety net would eventually provide? 120: @48:50 - You probably haven't spent your life rehearsing on how to be happy with what you have, you spend your life rehearsing what will happen when you "finally never have to worry about anything again". 120: @55:30 - Having more money will let you have a more expensive weekend, but unless you've practiced enjoying weekends during your life, it's going to be a very hard change.