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The older I get the less inclined I am to find fault with the world around me and the more inclined I am to try to make the best of whatever hand I'm dealt. It
by cageface 13y ago
The older I get the less inclined I am to find fault with the world around me and the more inclined I am to try to make the best of whatever hand I'm dealt.
It's easy to play the critic and sit back and declare that life does not measure up to your expectations. But personally I find building new things, however imperfect they may be, far more satisfying.
- auggierose 13y agoIt is funny, Franzen describes in the article how he also approached this state of mind when he grew older.
- jrs99 13y agoIf you read Franzen's novels, The Corrections first, then Freedom, you really get a good sense of how he changed. They are decent reads.
- tgrass 13y agoAlso, for truly deep insight into his literary thoughts and themes, read his essays in Farther Away: http://www.amazon.com/Farther-Away-Essays-Jonathan-Franzen/dp/1250033292 http://www.amazon.com/Farther-Away-Essays-Jonathan-Franzen/d...
- codelust 13y agoHave not read the piece yet, but your comment resonated with me. I'm at a similar place in life, especially after being a terribly critical person almost all my life. Thankfully, the best takeaway for me from my so far below-par tryst with entrepreneurship has been to be much more appreciative of everything. All the things that are wrong are things that can also be improved, so, these days, I try to think of what I can do to improve them.
- kordless 13y agoExpectations are suffering's inertia. Remove them, and you lower the rate of suffering. Lower your suffering, and you'll find more joy in the moment. Finding more joy in the moment leads to being less negative. Being less negative results in a positive impact on others around you. It's also a lot of work!
- gambler 13y agoBeing a critic is far more difficult than being a complacent tinkerer. Criticism requires analysis and pushes you into conflicts. Tinkering can be done inside of a cozy turtle-shell. Anyone who creates something fundamentally new has to be a critic to a some extent - doing new things is essentially criticizing the current state of reality.
- InclinedPlane 13y agoBeing a critic is trivial. "This sucks." "That sucks." "Everything sucks." Providing well-reasoned criticism backed by evidence is much more difficult. Providing constructive criticism or suggestions that are meaningful is even harder.