Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Hunter S. Thompson on Finding Your Purpose (1958)

tranquilmonkey.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 265 posts

Re: Hunter S. Thompson on Finding Your Purpose (1958)

#21

Post by AndrewKemendo »

toomim wrote: post #17
AndrewKemendo wrote: post #14

I remember reading this in college and coming away with the feeling that what he was proposing was impossible. I didn't know what my Abilities were and how they relate to the others around me such that I can use them effectively. Not only that I didn't even know what I desire aside from food and sex. Luckily I was on a career trajectory and had quite a bit of experience ahead of me so I took solace in the idea that w…

Did you not desire to write this comment?

It's more of a neurotic addictive compulsion and ego seeking behavior than something that is desirable as a sense of fulfillment. These neurotic addictive behaviors (checking social sites, compulsively reading random things, chewing tobacco, drinking alcohol, sleeping) dominate most of my non-mandatory, un-allocated time. Everything else is just a yawning void of nothing, including my wife and 3 kids. Not for lack of trying (Open Water SCUBA License, Private Pilots License, Skydiving license, Hit 100 some odd countries traveling, Competitively Cycled/Ran etc...).

Re: Hunter S. Thompson on Finding Your Purpose (1958)

#22

Post by SCAQTony »

"Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does…" — Jean Paul Sartre (Existentialist philosopher)

Following your passion[s] may or may not be bad advice but predicting the consequences of doing should be measured. Life has a way of making that self evident.

Re: Hunter S. Thompson on Finding Your Purpose (1958)

#23

Post by e15ctr0n »

For those not familiar with Hunter S. Thompson and looking to get an understanding of his outsize personality and cult following, I highly recommend watching the 2 movies in which Johnny Depp played his character:

* Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120669/

* The Rum Diary (2011) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0376136/

If you are not already a fan of Johnny Depp, these movies should do it.

Re: Hunter S. Thompson on Finding Your Purpose (1958)

#24

Post by Tadlos » 

  Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone   
  else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living 
  with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let 
  the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner 
  voice. And most important, have the courage to follow 
  your heart and intuition. 
    -- Steve Jobs

Re: Hunter S. Thompson on Finding Your Purpose (1958)

#25

Post by reddytowns »

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #21
toomim wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you not desire to write this comment?

It's more of a neurotic addictive compulsion and ego seeking behavior than something that is desirable as a sense of fulfillment. These neurotic addictive behaviors (checking social sites, compulsively reading random things, chewing tobacco, drinking alcohol, sleeping) dominate most of my non-mandatory, un-allocated time. Everything else is just a yawning void of nothing, including my wife and 3 kids. Not for lack of…

I think you might want to step back and ask yourself what you expect life to offer you and if those expectations are too high. Sounds like a great life, and you seem to be letting the beautiful things slip through the cracks, because you're judging them not good enough.

Re: Hunter S. Thompson on Finding Your Purpose (1958)

#26

Post by coldtea »

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #21
toomim wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you not desire to write this comment?

It's more of a neurotic addictive compulsion and ego seeking behavior than something that is desirable as a sense of fulfillment. These neurotic addictive behaviors (checking social sites, compulsively reading random things, chewing tobacco, drinking alcohol, sleeping) dominate most of my non-mandatory, un-allocated time. Everything else is just a yawning void of nothing, including my wife and 3 kids. Not for lack of…

So, a living cushy enough to not be impressed with anything?

Re: Hunter S. Thompson on Finding Your Purpose (1958)

#27

Post by coldtea »

jomamaxx wrote: post #20
Fezzik wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Said slightly differently: "If you end up with a boring miserable life because you listened to your mom, your dad, your teacher, your priest, or some guy on television telling you how to do your shit, then you deserve it." - Frank Zappa

Zappa preacher saying 'don't follow anyone's advice except mine'? It's definitely fair to remind people that they have options, but most people want stability, family, to watch the game, enjoy the sunset, and derive little joy from shaking things up and wagging it in other people's faces. Moreover - most people recognize that life is just as much a responsibility as it is an opportunity. The 'Rock N Roll' movement wa…

>Zappa preacher saying 'don't follow anyone's advice except mine'?

No, saying "don't follow anyone's stupid advice", period. "Some guy on television telling you how to do your shit" could be him as well. Besides he didn't tell people what to do (even the above is not instruction, it's a warning) -- except not to fall for tele-evangelists and politicians.

>The 'Rock N Roll' movement was about self actualization, but when everyone fully self-actualizes, there is nobody left to pay the bill for the hotel room that was just trashed.

Zappa, for one, didn't do drugs, and didn't trash out hotel rooms. Moreover, he worked as hard as any founder, constantly practicing, in the road, and in the studio. He was also against BS self-actualization (e.g. anti hippy, anti "underground", anti rawkism).

You may have him conflated with Sid Vicious or something, because his advice is definitely not about BS self-actualization and trashing hotel rooms...

Re: Hunter S. Thompson on Finding Your Purpose (1958)

#28

Post by AndrewKemendo »

reddytowns wrote: post #25
AndrewKemendo wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's more of a neurotic addictive compulsion and ego seeking behavior than something that is desirable as a sense of fulfillment. These neurotic addictive behaviors (checking social sites, compulsively reading random things, chewing tobacco, drinking alcohol, sleeping) dominate most of my non-mandatory, un-allocated time. Everything else is just a yawning void of nothing, including my wife and 3 kids. Not for lack of…

I think you might want to step back and ask yourself what you expect life to offer you and if those expectations are too high. Sounds like a great life, and you seem to be letting the beautiful things slip through the cracks, because you're judging them not good enough .

At a certain point you realize that experiences and stuff are equally as meaningless in the end.

Re: Hunter S. Thompson on Finding Your Purpose (1958)

#29

Post by AndrewKemendo »

coldtea wrote: post #26
AndrewKemendo wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's more of a neurotic addictive compulsion and ego seeking behavior than something that is desirable as a sense of fulfillment. These neurotic addictive behaviors (checking social sites, compulsively reading random things, chewing tobacco, drinking alcohol, sleeping) dominate most of my non-mandatory, un-allocated time. Everything else is just a yawning void of nothing, including my wife and 3 kids. Not for lack of…

So, a living cushy enough to not be impressed with anything?

I have no idea, maybe?

I know that I've lived on the other side of it - growing up working poor, basically homeless from ages 9-11 and then gritting through over a decade of eating shit in the military. Seeing combat helps put things in perspective to the immediate now, but that only goes so far as you just realize that there are amazing people that have had lives "cut short" unnecessarily and that there was no real purpose to it.

Re: Hunter S. Thompson on Finding Your Purpose (1958)

#30

Post by MrQuincle »

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #21
toomim wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you not desire to write this comment?

It's more of a neurotic addictive compulsion and ego seeking behavior than something that is desirable as a sense of fulfillment. These neurotic addictive behaviors (checking social sites, compulsively reading random things, chewing tobacco, drinking alcohol, sleeping) dominate most of my non-mandatory, un-allocated time. Everything else is just a yawning void of nothing, including my wife and 3 kids. Not for lack of…

Thanks for your honesty.

If you would take some time and explain what it is that attracts you in Camus writings, maybe I'll understand you better.

Post reply on HN