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

221–230 of 265 posts

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

#221

Post by brokenmachine »

scalio wrote: post #176
Kenji wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I noticed that a lot of people (including myself) condition happiness on something. For example "when I get my degree, I'll be happy" or "if I get in a relationship with this person, I'll be happy" or whatever their desire is. However, such events always lie in the future: You always postpone your happiness and never actualize it. And even when the desires are actually satisfied, they quickly stop being a source of h…

I think this has to do with a certain short-sightedness concerning achievements, purchases, general life decisions... Is there a particularly good reason why a degree would make you happy? It'll land you a good post at a high-paying company, I'm sure. But what will you do with your money? Or are you the type of person who takes pleasure in big, positive numbers as their account balance? I often get on peoples' nerves…

I've found that a large percentage of people get annoyed when you ask them, "why?".

I don't mean to be harsh, but this is the only way I can describe it: I think it's because they actually don't have well thought out reasons for lots of the things they do, and they don't want that exposed because it could weaken their already shaky worldview because then they'd be standing on shifting sand, not a stable bedrock of unquestioned ideas.

So they just continue accumulating possessions like the happy people in the movies do, ignoring the mounting evidence that these things haven't made them happy in the past, but just one more possession, maybe that'll be the one before I happily drive off into the sunset with the end credits rolling.

Maybe I'm rambling, but I struggle to understand why some people keep doing the same things and expecting a different outcome, and asking them "why?" rarely seems to elicit a well thought out answer. The answer in the end just seems to come down to, "because that's what I do".

Some people are not introspective. As an introspective person myself, I always attempt to understand why I do what I do, admittedly that can be draining at times and doesn't always come up with meaningful answers, but I'd personally prefer to at least attempt than to wander around in wilful ignorance.

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

#222

Post by goldenkey »

3minus1 wrote: post #150
goldenkey wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which is really the only choice in existentialism. You are the one out of your realm..not the letter.

are you suggesting that the letter is about suicide, because it's definitely not.

The letter is about a lot of things.

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

#223

Post by cha-cho »

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #145
cha-cho wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I've had probably a dozen therapists over the years Writing this as someone who went through SCUBA training (but never took the open water dive) and also went through an intensive private pilot training course (but never went on the check ride), I feel a sort of kinship here. Have you tried CBT or REBT? (REBT has the word "rational" right in it). The premise is that our thoughts can sometimes put unreasonable deman…

Actually my last therapist starting working through some CBT exercises with me before suggesting we go to a neurofeedback approach. Unfortunately I moved and that provider was unavailable after that so I haven't had time to get back into it. I found CBT to bee mostly the same stuff as everything else in the "self actualization" category.

It's really not about self actualization though. I think your therapist may have been a CEBT/REBT dabbler.

The authors of the REBT books I mentioned are at odds with most everyone other type of therapy. One of the books strongly critiques psycho analysis (searching one's past for psychological wounds) and concepts like AA. For this reason (being at odds with other therapies) the authors recommended therapists that specialize in cognitive behavior therapy alone to get the maximum benefit. Again there are slightly different therapies: CBT, CEBT, REBT, DBT - I don't make a distinction that I probably should.

In essence it's about getting in the habit of talking to your brain, interrupting a thought that can easily become a habitual pattern, and disputing what one thinks by default. It's a search for evidence for the thoughts we believe without question because they come from our own brain.

In a conversational sense it's a bit like separating yourself from your thoughts and telling your brain: "That's an interesting thought. It's ridiculous because there is no evidence to support it and it's self-defeating because all it does is harm my mood - but it's interesting. In all the ocean of thoughts that are available you bring me that? How about you go back to the well and bring me something constructive, positive, or at least funny. I don't have time for nonsense."

What I find useful - and again I've only read books about these techniques - is that they can also be applied to negative people in my life. It works externally just as well as it does internally.

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

#224

Post by brokenmachine »

firstworldman wrote: post #55
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…

Can you imagine what it's like to be on the other side of you? I don't know you, and I wouldn't presume to know anything about you other than what you've revealed in your comments, but what I can say is that you've been handed enough lego blocks to build anything you want to, and it seems like you've set them aside because they're not the specific blocks that you had in mind to build the thing that you envisioned at…

Thanks for that, very interesting.

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

#226

Post by brokenmachine »

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #58
et-al wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Open Water SCUBA License, Private Pilots License, Skydiving license, Hit 100 some odd countries traveling, Competitively Cycled/Ran etc... Genuinely curious: why did you pursue those things listed, and did you enjoy them? Or was it to check a ticklist? Also, I've assumed you've been on a sex binge before? Nothing came out of that?

why did you pursue those things listed, and did you enjoy them? Or was it to check a ticklist? I thought I would, so I started. Never really did, but kept doing it assuming that if I got better at it then it would become enjoyable. Never happened. I've assumed you've been on a sex binge before? Nothing came out of that? Three kids! But seriously...yes 2005-6 was basically that. But no, those kind of serotonin binges…

Do you play any sports?

Personally I find the pursuit of mastery in my chosen sport very meditative, and it also offers the right amount of social contact for me.

If you get along with your opponents or teammates, you can chat with them during the match, otherwise I just concentrate on my game and try to win every single point.

Even when I lose, I always have a list of things I've done well during the match and a list of things that I need to work on. And if you have some metrics by which you can see improvement, there's a sense of satisfaction that comes from seeing that improvement as well.

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

#227

Post by brokenmachine »

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #46
terryf wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In a finite physical universe, nothing has intrinsic meaning. The only meaning anything has, is the meaning that you attribute to that thing. Thus, anything that is meaningful to you, is the most meaningful thing in the universe. No goal is better than any other, because there is no universally defined "better", everything just "is". Therefore, you are free to say that the goal you have chosen is better than any othe…

I agree in principal, Hence, why I suggested Camus in my original comment. But what happens when you can't attribute meaning to anything? Do you revert to religion or suicide (Those were the three options for camus)?

Is this attitude something you are satisfied to stay with, or is it something you are interested in changing? Is your end goal to eventually be something like most people who are able to attribute meaning to experiences and stuff? I am assuming that you did all those things (travelling, family, etc) because you thought you'd get some sense of fulfilment out of them.

It's an honest question. I can imagine that a life without meaning would feel, well... meaningless.

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

#228

Post by brokenmachine »

terryf wrote: post #59
AndrewKemendo wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree in principal, Hence, why I suggested Camus in my original comment. But what happens when you can't attribute meaning to anything? Do you revert to religion or suicide (Those were the three options for camus)?

Yeah, I know that feeling - it is hard to get past it when it happens and it certainly takes a while for me every time it happens. This is certainly not a universal cure, but for me the ideas presented in this ted talk have helped: https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy?... So, set a goal and work towards that - but, looking at your profile that suggestion seems trite and silly, because you are a…

As an IT person, I am slightly jealous of people who can, at the end of the day, point at a physical thing that they have created.

At the end of my day I often feel that I have just kept the cogs grinding for another day. I do feel that my work is "important", and I'm good at it, and the money surely improves my quality of life, but it'd sure be nice to be outside sometimes in the real world digging a hole or planting a tree or something, not just the endless arranging of remote electrons.

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

#229

Post by MrQuincle »

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #45
MrQuincle wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Simply the idea that in the absence of universal meaning, it is the individual that must create meaning. It's along the same idea of what Thompson is writing about. The downside of this approach is if the firmament for what you created meaning from crumbles or never really materializes, leaving a void.

I've nothing to offer except my own experience. I deconverted from a fundamentalist church and had to rebuild my life because I realized that external factors do not give meaning to it, the origin of something does not give it value, and the end of it all is the same.

I don't have much patience with myself getting into the same thought patterns. Perhaps this lack of patience is the must important skill I acquired.

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

#230

Post by terryf »

brokenmachine wrote: post #228
terryf wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I know that feeling - it is hard to get past it when it happens and it certainly takes a while for me every time it happens. This is certainly not a universal cure, but for me the ideas presented in this ted talk have helped: https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy?... So, set a goal and work towards that - but, looking at your profile that suggestion seems trite and silly, because you are a…

As an IT person, I am slightly jealous of people who can, at the end of the day, point at a physical thing that they have created. At the end of my day I often feel that I have just kept the cogs grinding for another day. I do feel that my work is "important", and I'm good at it, and the money surely improves my quality of life, but it'd sure be nice to be outside sometimes in the real world digging a hole or plantin…

As also an IT person, I agree! :)

Frankly what you describe is exactly why I started building real things as a hobby.

Post reply on HN