51–57 of 57 posts
An excerpt of that speech as a cartoon done by Gavin Aung Than of Zen Pencils - http://www.zenpencils.com/comic/128-bill-watterson-a-cartoon... (published 2013 along with commentary) New Yorker's "Life after Calvin and Hobbes" https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/10/30/the-mysteries-... The Mysteries - by Bill Watterson, published October 10th, 2023 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Mysteries/Bill-Wa...
There's nothing wrong with leading a life of quiet desperation. What's wrong is cheating yourself out of happiness by not being grateful for what you have. So you're one of the unwashed masses in the garage waiting for the clock. Does that mean you have to be unhappy? Not if you can be grateful for what that affords you in the rest of your life, not to mention grateful the work isn't worse. You can always choose to c…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I disagree about Watterson's speech. It seems very actionable to me for the common man: define meaning in life for yourself, don't get stuck on the hedonic treadmill, think about what your values are and shape your life around them, etc
This is not very different from telling a depressed person to just cheer up and go for a walk imo. No one told Watterson to love cartooning and hate “work” the way he says it with disdain. He was just born that way. And he also turned out to be an exceptional artist. People with exceptional skills should refrain from telling others to follow their paths. It’s disingenuous and not in the interest of the audience at al…
More like not blindly following other people's definition of success.
We all have choices to make. And most of us could, for example, choose a less prestigious job in order to have more time and energy for other stuff. Among other things..
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don’t know if I got anything very profound from it tbh - this sounds like just another commencement speech from someone who has very little in common with almost every person in their audience asking them to do something they would never do. Similar initially inspiring but later on making you question speeches include the ones from Neil Gaiman, Steve Jobs and Conan O’Brien. Honestly the most amazing speech is from…
I agree on the DFW point. It’s rare for a commencement speech to hit the nail on the head, it almost always lapses into this “do what you love” shtick that isn’t really relatable for kids who studied business to pay off their incredibly large student loans - at that point, you love not being in debt
One of the smartest things I've done in recent years is to buy the complete Calvin and Hobbes and put it prominently on a table that I walk by daily. I turn a page a day... In the morning before I get coffee usually, though it's often too dark and I'll come back to read the two facing pages later. Depending on the day that means I'll read a Sunday strip and three daily strips or six daily strips. Once in a great whil…
It is also great for kids. My oldest has read it multiple times, and my first grader has started reading it (struggling with all the big words). One of the longer lasting Christmas gifts I bought.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is a very profound piece of wisdom. There are times where I dwell on how I should have invested my money a decade ago and wish I made different choices before hitting my mid 30s. Yet I have a lot to be thankful for now, despite my mistakes.
Don't beat yourself up. When i was in my mid-30's I had trouble wrapping my head around the fact that I had escaped the fate of every other member of my family: poverty, addiction, and early death. Compared to that, my investment decisions seem trivial.