Reply
Sat 5 Jul, 2008 12:37 pm
I am trying endlessly to decide what to do with my life. It seems we are now living in a world where constantly changing your mind is something that does not lend itself to well. You have to make this fundamental choice, as you arrive at a crossroads in life. But there seems a certain absurdity in choice, what do you base it on?
the problem is that liberalism fostered consumer society were it was believed that more choice enhances life. If fact too much choice bogs us down, why the hell do we need to decide between over twenty varieties of package sizes and recipes for ketchup at the supermarket?? (Americans, feel free to check next time to verify that I am correct). We get drained by so many inconsequencial choices that we need to make in life that we no longer can separate out the important choices, or devote much energy to getting them right. What was believed a great benefit, choice, has actually been a great force in undermining the well being of individuals and society.
Another great fallacy is that given choice the human will employ rationality to sort out the best choice. In reality the choice we make are more often based upon unconscious determinations which are later varnished with a rationalization so that we can continue on with our myth that we make thoughtful choices.
Quote:I am trying endlessly to decide what to do with my life. It seems we are now living in a world where constantly changing your mind is something that does not lend itself to well.
That's always been the same. The only difference is there is a wider variety of things to choose from now.
If you have no destination, direction doesn't matter.
Dreams (not the ones we have when asleep)... They are our only true guides. Follow your dream. Don't let available options distract your gaze from where it should find it's focus. Within you. If you don't act to fulfill your dream you are nothing but a consumption junkie, equal to a drug addict.
Re: the absurdity of choice
existential potential wrote:I am trying endlessly to decide what to do with my life. It seems we are now living in a world where constantly changing your mind is something that does not lend itself to well. You have to make this fundamental choice, as you arrive at a crossroads in life. But there seems a certain absurdity in choice, what do you base it on?
Ah, yes.....
"The struggle itself...is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy."
Focus your energies on something positive that will eventually lead you to what you desire. Sometimes it's pure luck, and you'll "see the light" during your pursuit of what you want "out of life."
To make a long story short (the only way I can provide an example), I started college late for many reasons; a) didn't know "I had it in me,", b) finances, c) four years in the US Air Force and bumming around for a couple more years, and d) got tired of low paying jobs.
I somehow decided I wanted to major in Business Administration, so when I took Accounting 101 required by all Business majors, I got a "A." I said to myself "I found my calling." Went to work for an international company after graduation, and was promoted to management after 3.5 years. Worked in management positions for the remainder of my very short work career. I enjoyed my jobs, and was fortunate enough to have saved enough to satisfy my craving for world travel which I've been doing for most of my adult life.
You can count me as one lucky and happy Americano; there are thousands just like me.
Never!
I'd rather aim for the stars and get to the top of the trees than aim for the top of the trees and only get half-way up.
My goals are completely unrealistic.
aperson wrote:Never!
I'd rather aim for the stars and get to the top of the trees than aim for the top of the trees and only get half-way up.
My goals are completely unrealistic.
Many who have set their goals too high are living a very unhappy life.
I'm not.
Only those who set their goals high have a chance of getting there.
I suggest both types of goals; be a practical dreamer!
Dreaming is okay; I even fly in my dreams.
Neither; no flying machine.
ci,
I think it's ok to have big goals, as long as you have a method of getting there.
I find treating the steps of the method as goals really helps, because then you effectively break up your original goal into smaller, easier steps. You end up with a heirachy: at the top, a seemingly impossible goal, and the bottom, a large number of extremely easy goals.
aperson, That's the only realistic way to set goals - by steps. That's true for most people, or they are setting themselves up for failure. To become the best jockey, one must first learn how to ride a horse. The steps to become the "best" requires more than just a few steps to reach the top.
Quote:I am trying endlessly to decide what to do with my life. It seems we are now living in a world where constantly changing your mind is something that does not lend itself to well. You have to make this fundamental choice, as you arrive at a crossroads in life. But there seems a certain absurdity in choice, what do you base it on?
Quote:One of man's important mistakes, one which must be remembered, is his illusion in regard to his I.
Man such as we know him, the 'man-machine,' the man who cannot 'do,' and with whom and through whom everything 'happens,' cannot have a permanent and single I. His I changes as quickly as his thoughts, feelings and moods, and he makes a profound mistake in considering himself always one and the same person; in reality he is always a different person, not the one he was a moment ago.
Man has no permanent and unchangeable I. Every thought, every mood, every desire, every sensation, says "I".
Man has no individual I. But there are, instead, hundreds and thousands of separate small "I"s, very often entirely unknown to one another, never coming into contact, or, on the contrary, hostile to each other, mutually exclusive and incompatible. Each minute, each moment, man is saying or thinking, "I". And each time his I is different. Just now it was a thought, now it is a desire, now a sensation, now another thought, and so on, endlessly. Man is a plurality. Man's name is legion.
from "In Search of the Miraculous" P.D. Ouspensky
Ouspensky goes on to suggest that such a "mechanical man" can be transcended at which point the question of "choice" may dissipate.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace