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I'd rather be comfortable. The life of animals in the wild is generally brutal and short - give me my blankets any day over some sense of duty.

by cm2012 12y ago

aswanson 12y ago
Staying under the blankets longer than required will shorten the journey even further. Perhaps, it might make it even more brutal.
joaorico 12y ago
Nature and evolution provided us with a whole hierarchy of needs, and some people are no longer surrounded by predators and do have a reasonable social security net. A life under warm blankets? The last paragraph addresses the comfort need. "You don't love yourself enough" is somewhere midway in the hierarchy. Related pseudo-Einstein quote: "“We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life. All that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.”"
Jach 12y ago
This thread reminded me of an excerpt from the beginning of http://www.dimensionsmagazine.com/dimtext/kjn/people/heaviest.htm http://www.dimensionsmagazine.com/dimtext/kjn/people/heavies... "Dionysius of Heracleia was notorious for his appetite, and eventually grew so weighty that he could scarcely budge: he suffered from apnea or narcolepsy besides, prompting his doctors to prick his flesh with needles whenever he fell asleep on his throne. A contemporary poet has him declare that he aspired to end his days 'on my back, lying on my many rolls of fat, scarcely uttering a word, taking labored breaths, and eating my fill,' for of all the ways a man might die, an excess of luxury was the only truly happy death. Nevertheless, he lived to what was then the ripe old age of 55, earning a reputation for fairness and generosity that competed with his size as an object of astonishment." Rejection of duty is rejection of responsibility. I have no complaints about people who do so -- and would enjoy more vacations of that sort myself -- so long as they've set up their lives to not be responsible for others during their rejection period. It may be better to find ways of enjoying life's comforts while staying on top of your business, though.

I'd rather be comfortable. The life of animals in the wild is generally brutal and short - give me my blankets any day over some sense of duty.

by cm2012 12y ago

I'd rather be comfortable. The life of animals in the wild is generally brutal and short - give me my blankets any day over some sense of duty.

aswanson 12y ago

Staying under the blankets longer than required will shorten the journey even further. Perhaps, it might make it even more brutal.

joaorico 12y ago

Nature and evolution provided us with a whole hierarchy of needs, and some people are no longer surrounded by predators and do have a reasonable social security net. A life under warm blankets? The last paragraph addresses the comfort need. "You don't love yourself enough" is somewhere midway in the hierarchy. Related pseudo-Einstein quote: "“We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life. All that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.”"

Jach 12y ago

This thread reminded me of an excerpt from the beginning of http://www.dimensionsmagazine.com/dimtext/kjn/people/heaviest.htm http://www.dimensionsmagazine.com/dimtext/kjn/people/heavies... "Dionysius of Heracleia was notorious for his appetite, and eventually grew so weighty that he could scarcely budge: he suffered from apnea or narcolepsy besides, prompting his doctors to prick his flesh with needles whenever he fell asleep on his throne. A contemporary poet has him declare that he aspired to end his days 'on my back, lying on my many rolls of fat, scarcely uttering a word, taking labored breaths, and eating my fill,' for of all the ways a man might die, an excess of luxury was the only truly happy death. Nevertheless, he lived to what was then the ripe old age of 55, earning a reputation for fairness and generosity that competed with his size as an object of astonishment." Rejection of duty is rejection of responsibility. I have no complaints about people who do so -- and would enjoy more vacations of that sort myself -- so long as they've set up their lives to not be responsible for others during their rejection period. It may be better to find ways of enjoying life's comforts while staying on top of your business, though.