I disagree. Traveling and witnessing the many different ways people live has shown me that the healthy and happy human condition is rooted in the effort to feel like our lives have meaning.
You know, there was a time when I would have agreed, but as I’ve grown older, I’ve realized that optimization (as most cultures approach it, anyway) actually reduces relaxation and enjoyment.
Think about your Netflix queue or your Steam library. You have access to literally thousands of options for entertainment, yet – if you’re experiencing the same thing that so many people report – you aren’t actually excited to experience any of those options. Granted, most of said options are pretty lackluster… but if you only had one, and if acquiring it had required a fair amount of investment on your part, chances are that you’d at least appreciate it. The optimization has removed the enjoyment and replaced it with ennui.
For another example, well, look at where you are now: You’re currently connecting to a site which puts you into contact with millions of different people and perspectives. If you were so inclined, you could have in-depth, enlightening conversations here. You could share and peruse masterpieces in all manner of media, from writing to music… but instead, you mindlessly scroll on a slot-machine with only one reel, skimming over anything that seems like it might require more than a modicum of effort to consume. You leave single-sentence comments, you reduce your opinions to “This good!” or “This bad!”, and you end up gambling more time (and receiving less of a payout) than you would have if you’d read a mediocre book. The ease of access means that there’s no incentive to seek anything which would genuinely entertain, inform, educate, or engage you, and instead, all you are is distracted.
I’m using “you” in the general sense here, of course.
Optimization can be a positive thing to some extent, but the importance of friction is often overlooked. When something is easily accessible – when the route to acquiring or employing it is optimized – it doesn’t have nearly as much value as it did when that process was more difficult.
There are almost certainly people out there who derive the most satisfaction from just lying back, turning off their minds, and existing… but I’m suspicious that they’re fewer in number than the Internet Era has led us to believe.
The human condition is the pursuit of maximizing one’s satisfaction with life, whatever that may be. For you, it may be maximizing relaxation and enjoyment. For others, it may be a pursuit of a craft or the advancement of personal relationships. I would even argue that, for people like bezos and musk, it is the expansion of material wealth (though I doubt that it can successfully bring genuine deep satisfaction even for them).
Comments
[deleted]
/u/Own-Vermicelli4267 has flaired this post as a casual thought.
Casual thoughts should be presented well, but may be less unique or less remarkable than showerthoughts.
If this post is poorly written, unoriginal, or rule-breaking, please report it.
Otherwise, please add your comment to the discussion!
^^This ^^is ^^an ^^automated ^^system.
^^If ^^you ^^have ^^any ^^questions, ^^please ^^use ^^this ^^link ^^to ^^message ^^the ^^moderators.
I disagree. Traveling and witnessing the many different ways people live has shown me that the healthy and happy human condition is rooted in the effort to feel like our lives have meaning.
For us poor western people, sure. I think once people have the stability to look outside their own comfort, they will.
You know, there was a time when I would have agreed, but as I’ve grown older, I’ve realized that optimization (as most cultures approach it, anyway) actually reduces relaxation and enjoyment.
Think about your Netflix queue or your Steam library. You have access to literally thousands of options for entertainment, yet – if you’re experiencing the same thing that so many people report – you aren’t actually excited to experience any of those options. Granted, most of said options are pretty lackluster… but if you only had one, and if acquiring it had required a fair amount of investment on your part, chances are that you’d at least appreciate it. The optimization has removed the enjoyment and replaced it with ennui.
For another example, well, look at where you are now: You’re currently connecting to a site which puts you into contact with millions of different people and perspectives. If you were so inclined, you could have in-depth, enlightening conversations here. You could share and peruse masterpieces in all manner of media, from writing to music… but instead, you mindlessly scroll on a slot-machine with only one reel, skimming over anything that seems like it might require more than a modicum of effort to consume. You leave single-sentence comments, you reduce your opinions to “This good!” or “This bad!”, and you end up gambling more time (and receiving less of a payout) than you would have if you’d read a mediocre book. The ease of access means that there’s no incentive to seek anything which would genuinely entertain, inform, educate, or engage you, and instead, all you are is distracted.
I’m using “you” in the general sense here, of course.
Optimization can be a positive thing to some extent, but the importance of friction is often overlooked. When something is easily accessible – when the route to acquiring or employing it is optimized – it doesn’t have nearly as much value as it did when that process was more difficult.
There are almost certainly people out there who derive the most satisfaction from just lying back, turning off their minds, and existing… but I’m suspicious that they’re fewer in number than the Internet Era has led us to believe.
The human condition is the pursuit of maximizing one’s satisfaction with life, whatever that may be. For you, it may be maximizing relaxation and enjoyment. For others, it may be a pursuit of a craft or the advancement of personal relationships. I would even argue that, for people like bezos and musk, it is the expansion of material wealth (though I doubt that it can successfully bring genuine deep satisfaction even for them).
Exercise is not relaxation. Everyone knows deep down that good things come at a price and that price is usually working/suffering.
“My name is Elmer J. Fudd, millionaire. I own a mansion and a yacht”.
Yeah, shame about Billionaires though. They can only do their interpretation at our expense. Shucks
Yeah, shame about Billionaires though. They can only do their interpretation at our expense. Shucks
Agreed, and working should only be used temporarily to achieve the relaxation.
Sadly people get lost and work their entire life for money that they will leave behind
Not necessarily. My goal in life is to maximize my feeling of accomplishment. Quite the opposite of “maximum relaxation.”