Lol funny since this is the only cracked article I saved parts of it into my "good posts" file. Here are the parts I liked
6 Harsh Truths That Will Make You a Better Person
- Thread starter wezcountry
- Start date
I read it and didn't like it. This guy got it half right.
He is right that we must strive to fulfill our destiny. 100%
He is wrong because he looks outward for societies approval and believes in the typical bullshit line given to people to force them into things that they don't want. And that line is that we are here to serve others. We are here to achieve 'status'. We aren't.
He talks about fight club: You are not your job. You are not the clothes you wear. You are not your fucking khakies.
He then says that the movie is ironic. It isn't. Tyler wasn't trying to gain your approval. He was trying to fulfill HIS destiny.
And your destiny is about you. Your growth.
Not how you are remembered. Not whether you are accepted or not. Because nothing on this planet matters. Plenty of people who have achieved status feel empty because they were looking to achieve status; not fulfil their destiny. Life is an extremely personal experience; you are born alone and you die alone. No matter what others think. In a few billion years, everything on this planet will disappear. The sun will expand as it's nucleus starts to decay, and the entire planet will be engulfed in a fire ball that nothing will escape. Everything written, everything constructed, everything done will have no meaning; it will all turn to dust.
The article writer understood that we must fearlessly, bravely and relentlessly fulfill our destiny. But he is wrong as to why.
For some that might mean becoming a surgeon; that is fine. For others it might mean dying as an obscure person who achieve enlightenment through meditation on the top of a mountain and no one will ever know about, or the artist that the world will never know about. For every Picasso, for every Kafka, for every Van Goh, there are others like them whose work was and never will be appreciated. Whether people appreciate them is meaningless. Because our lives are meaningless. Pointless. We are nothing but dust in the wind.
But that is the biggest reason that we should strive to fulfill our destiny; if we are completely insignificant; nothing matters; then why NOT go after your destiny with every last once of your soul?
So the guy got it half right. But just half.
He is right that we must strive to fulfill our destiny. 100%
He is wrong because he looks outward for societies approval and believes in the typical bullshit line given to people to force them into things that they don't want. And that line is that we are here to serve others. We are here to achieve 'status'. We aren't.
He talks about fight club: You are not your job. You are not the clothes you wear. You are not your fucking khakies.
He then says that the movie is ironic. It isn't. Tyler wasn't trying to gain your approval. He was trying to fulfill HIS destiny.
And your destiny is about you. Your growth.
Not how you are remembered. Not whether you are accepted or not. Because nothing on this planet matters. Plenty of people who have achieved status feel empty because they were looking to achieve status; not fulfil their destiny. Life is an extremely personal experience; you are born alone and you die alone. No matter what others think. In a few billion years, everything on this planet will disappear. The sun will expand as it's nucleus starts to decay, and the entire planet will be engulfed in a fire ball that nothing will escape. Everything written, everything constructed, everything done will have no meaning; it will all turn to dust.
The article writer understood that we must fearlessly, bravely and relentlessly fulfill our destiny. But he is wrong as to why.
For some that might mean becoming a surgeon; that is fine. For others it might mean dying as an obscure person who achieve enlightenment through meditation on the top of a mountain and no one will ever know about, or the artist that the world will never know about. For every Picasso, for every Kafka, for every Van Goh, there are others like them whose work was and never will be appreciated. Whether people appreciate them is meaningless. Because our lives are meaningless. Pointless. We are nothing but dust in the wind.
But that is the biggest reason that we should strive to fulfill our destiny; if we are completely insignificant; nothing matters; then why NOT go after your destiny with every last once of your soul?
So the guy got it half right. But just half.
my 6 tips
1. try to have fun
2. to laugh everyday
3. try to keep an open mind
4. assume the worst case, and plan accordingly
5. follow a routine. set aside 2 hours a day for reading, 2 for writing, etc. Pick a list of a dozen websites and visit them everyday to get new ideas, to learn new things,
6. don't procrastinate too much
1. try to have fun
2. to laugh everyday
3. try to keep an open mind
4. assume the worst case, and plan accordingly
5. follow a routine. set aside 2 hours a day for reading, 2 for writing, etc. Pick a list of a dozen websites and visit them everyday to get new ideas, to learn new things,
6. don't procrastinate too much
Someone wrote this concept some years ago:
"Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you." (Thomas Jefferson)
"Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you." (Thomas Jefferson)
Starting from your point of view that 'life is meaningless' I can see how you draw some of your conclusions. Your points about self-referential meaning, the intrinsic value of the highly creative and skilled artist who dies unknown - yeah sure, why not.
But I understood that the guy was starting from the point that people want to live some form of authentic experience in the context of relationships, society etc. His argument (again, as I read it) is that people are not honest with themselves about the practical implications of this and are inherently lazy, and then wonder why their life sucks. He packaged his ideas into six reasons.
Personally I don't think life is meaningless and I doubt that this approach to life (this Weltanschauung) is truly sustainable in reality - I mean, people who try to live out the 'life is meaningless' viewpoint in practical reality, if anyone truly could go down that rabbit hole, end-up in nihilism and we all know where that leads, a good example Friedrich Nietzsche.
I love to read Nietzche. But I'm not a nihilist. He writes some awesome things, some I agree with, some I don't; but it is all great to read.
And I don't agree that one thing leads to another. That is like saying smoking marijuana leads to cocaine. It doesn't.
To give an example of what I"m saying is; life is like you getting $0.25... No matter what you do with it, it is very, very little; insignificant. But it is the only $0.25 you will ever get as far as you know. So why not spend them as effectively as possible? To think your $0.25 will make a difference is laughable. But to say you should just throw them in the gutter is not necessary a logical next step to accepting our insignificance. The logical next step for me is embrasing my insignificance as a way to find the courage to do what I believe is my path in life.
And I agree, most people are lazy and cowardly and lie to themselves to not face reality... they aren't brave enough to live out their life to the fullest. The article author got that right. I just think this guy advocates the wrong reasons to. Don't live for others. Live for your path.
To quote someone I forgot (paraphrased)
We have but one known opportunity to experience this; why not be all we can be? But not to an obligation toward other dream characters, but rather to ourselves. The pursuit of other peoples approval is a vain, and rather empty approach to finding your true path (if your path leads to approval, great, but it should not be the cause)
When you admire people like Picasso, Kafka, Van Go, Gauguin and even the well knowns in history or fictional characters like Tyler Durden, they didn't do what they did to gain your approval (if they died without ever being known, they wouldn't die sad). Not to fulfill your needs. They did it because that was their destiny. That is why we admire them. For their ability to forget about the voices of society and focus on the voices in their head. To focus on finding why they were placed in society; not how they can serve it.
And I think that is the great lie of western civilization; and one that helps keep the superficial, consumerist oriented life style. The guy in the article talks about people needing. Everyone thinks they 'need' (lol at 'needing' starbux, mcdonalds, coke, pepsi, BMW, a 10,000 square foot home, etc), in reality they want. Only about 5-10% of all spending is 'needed'. And the best way to satisfy wanting is not feeling 'needy' in the first place. Just live your life in a way that you EXPERIENCE life to the fullest. Let chips fall where they may.