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Your Most Improbable Life

kevinkelly.substack.com

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Re: Your Most Improbable Life

#41

Post by rozap »

asveikau wrote: post #28

I found this hard to read. At one point in my life I came to an epiphany on this topic. Everybody's life is improbable. Literally everybody, all the time, without any effort. Through the lens of this I saw myself as being the type of person who looks at things in life through averages, sizing up what's likely, and I realized that in my own story there were a lot of very improbable occurrences. Even if we understand s…

I was recently talking to a friend about this, the concept of a normie. A normie is kind of a mirage, it only exists in the realm of statistics, but when you look at any one individual who could fit that label, they are unlikely, so, can they really be a normie? Once internalized, the only real way out is to be less judgemental. Sure, you won't be friends with everyone, but the buckets are just not super useful when looking at an individual.

Re: Your Most Improbable Life

#42

Post by margalabargala »

slopinthebag wrote: post #23
margalabargala wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Here is what you gain with your most improbable life: The authentic you On the contrary, this is profoundly bullshit. Firstly, anyone arriving at a "life's goal" via what a blogger says should be their life's goal is not being "authentically them". Secondly, why does a broader, less likely mix of talents and experiences make you more "you"? It doesn't. Just because you've become more unique does not make you more "…

We're all influenced by our past experiences, the books we've read, the movies we've watched, the people in our lives, and yes, blog posts and essays as well. Our past is part of what makes us us . I don't know how you can claim that being influenced by a blogger is any less authentic than being influenced by anything else. > why does a broader, less likely mix of talents and experiences make you more "you"? Because…

What you're saying is contradictory.

On one hand, you say that "you are your experiences therefore you're youness is absolute even if you're living out the instructions of a blogger"

And then on the next hand you seem to imply that being less similar to others makes you more you, which besides being without basis, contradicts the banal "you're you therefore you're you" of your first point.

You can't have it both ways.

Re: Your Most Improbable Life

#44

Post by altmanaltman »

ElProlactin wrote: post #5

> Your life’s goal should be to become the most improbable person you can be. Your life's goal should not be dictated by Substack philosophers. > Here is what you gain with your most improbable life: > The authentic you. Your particular mix of talents, native abilities, personal inclinations, genetic limits, life experiences, and ambitious desires points to a mixture that is distinctly unique – if it is allowed to bl…

I get where you are coming from but it isn't really about telling people they are special and they need to be more to be happy. But rather, you should seek change and enthropy in life to truly experience it. For someone that's stuck and looking for help (for their selves) will likely see it as a way to at least take some action to orient themselves towards the life they want.

The complete opposite view (i guess non western since you said it was western) would be to do nothing everyday and just be content and happy without ever doing anything to change your life. That is obviously not a great way to experience life as well.

Laslty, them saying you being unique will keep you save from AI replacement is pretty stupid genuinely and cannot be defended. It's a bit too hopefuly to think people deciding on layoffs and automation with AI give a single fuck about how special or interesting you care. You think Larry Ellison cares?

Re: Your Most Improbable Life

#45

Post by sweetjuly »

fugaziboutit wrote: post #30
CuriouslyC wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The next level of realization is that every path you've been following your entire life has been laid out by someone else, or chosen due to the value system imparted by someone else, so there's not really an authentic "you" in the way that people like to believe.

I realised this in 2006 when I committed the faux pas of wearing a cerulean blue sweater to a screening of The Devil Wears Prada.

Reading this thread, I'm starting to think that I did not fall out of a coconut tree and that I exist in the context of all in which I live and what came before me.

Re: Your Most Improbable Life

#46

Post by altmanaltman »

CuriouslyC wrote: post #14
ElProlactin wrote: post #5

> Your life’s goal should be to become the most improbable person you can be. Your life's goal should not be dictated by Substack philosophers. > Here is what you gain with your most improbable life: > The authentic you. Your particular mix of talents, native abilities, personal inclinations, genetic limits, life experiences, and ambitious desires points to a mixture that is distinctly unique – if it is allowed to bl…

The next level of realization is that every path you've been following your entire life has been laid out by someone else, or chosen due to the value system imparted by someone else, so there's not really an authentic "you" in the way that people like to believe.

If not by someone else, certainly by the circumstances of your birth which you did not chose. So, life is very much like a lottery and what we think of us as individuals is mostly shaped by what's around us.

It is a humbling view. But there can still be an authentic "you" despite your circumstances. You can be forced to fight in a war you don't want to, but you can always run away and take a chance. Living authentically doesn't mean you are not bound by laws of the universe and of soceity but rather what you do despite that. Ultimately "you" will be inspired by everyone around you or value systems you engaged with but that doesn't strip away your individuality inherently.

Kind of touches on what Camus and Sarte mean to live your life in good faith.

Re: Your Most Improbable Life

#47

Post by HeartStrings »

lilyJeon wrote: post #13

The part about the 'four weapons of an improbable person' really gave me the push to challenge myself again, especially today when I was being so hard on myself for a day with no visible results. I deeply resonate with the idea that our ultimate vision moving forward should be to become the most unpredictable and unique versions of ourselves. Growing up in a hyper-competitive society, I feel like I’ve spent my whole…

Slopmaxxed, probabilitymaxxed

Re: Your Most Improbable Life

#48

Post by HeartStrings »

ks2048 wrote: post #16

Maximizing improbability means spouting gibberish 24/7 and flopping around uncontrollably. Very unpredictable. More seriously, I don't see how "improbable" is what you should maximize. If you come from a certain background, ending up in prison as a murderer may be more improbable than countless good lives you could lead.

No, that’s just falling into the “lol so randum xD” meme.

Re: Your Most Improbable Life

#50

Post by [deleted] »

CuriouslyC wrote: post #14
ElProlactin wrote: post #5

> Your life’s goal should be to become the most improbable person you can be. Your life's goal should not be dictated by Substack philosophers. > Here is what you gain with your most improbable life: > The authentic you. Your particular mix of talents, native abilities, personal inclinations, genetic limits, life experiences, and ambitious desires points to a mixture that is distinctly unique – if it is allowed to bl…

The next level of realization is that every path you've been following your entire life has been laid out by someone else, or chosen due to the value system imparted by someone else, so there's not really an authentic "you" in the way that people like to believe.

[deleted]
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