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

I wanna live an NPC life

signalundefied.bearblog.dev

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

181–190 of 277 posts

Re: I wanna live an NPC life

#181

Post by PandaRider »

InexSquirrel wrote: post #38

I think NPC is the wrong terminology here - everyone should be the main character in their life - to have meaning and agency. But I think the problem arises in how 'main character' is defined and expressed - having the idea that you're supposed to 'do great things' and live this larger-than-life, life. You don't have to save all the rhinos, defeat every poverty, slay every social cause or overthrow every tyranny. If…

Terminologies:

1. Someone whose life choices can either defeat every poverty or bring the downfall of humankind - Main characters

2. Someone whose actions are in a loop - NPC

3. Someone whose actions are in a loop but we choose to - NPC-by-choice

Is this terminology better? Correct me if I'm wrong!

Re: I wanna live an NPC life

#182

Post by anon-3988 »

xyzelement wrote: post #162
anon-3988 wrote: post #161

OP should read Bhagavad Gita. The ancient Indian have talked about this for a very long time. Ashtavakra Gita have also talked about realizing that oneself is pure observer. It is a deep, deep book. You either get it or don't, unfortunately.

That's not my reading of the Gita. Arjun is not detached. He is doing battle. In fact he is doing the battle he is supposed to be doing even though his relatives are aligned on the other side. The whole lesson is to exercise your agency to achieve what you are supposed to be doing, despite what's happening.

> The whole lesson is to exercise your agency to achieve what you are supposed to be doing, despite what's happening.

This is interesting because this the EXACT opposite of my reading. Arjuna in fact is not acting on his agency; he despises going to war. However, Shiva (I think) pretty much tell him to let go of his ego. He just needs to do what he has to do. It is his duty to go to war and so he shall. It is a lesson to live life given whatever it is, to not ask what could and should have been, but to just live it. At the limit, you will "die" and become an "animal", "you" will be reduced to pure consciousness, no longer pondering what could and should be, then and only then can you escape the wheel of dharma.

Re: I wanna live an NPC life

#183

Post by phoghed »

idle_zealot wrote: post #157
phoghed wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Yet you seem invested in convincing them of something Justify that

I'll admit I'm assuming that you are writing with the intent for your words to be read, understood, and integrated in some capacity into other minds. That is, you are engaging in communication. The contents of your communication are an argument, advice to think about and participate in the world in a certain way. Perhaps this was a total accident, though, and you didn't mean to convince anyone of anything, and were m…

You appear to lack both imagination and sound reasoning ability

Re: I wanna live an NPC life

#184

Post by prtmnth »

Funnily I find the OP's thoughts to very much define what a main character is.

An NPC is given a role and identify and they are bound by it forever.

The main character chooses what they want. Whatever that is. But they exercise agency and their own will to choose their reality and what they wish to do and not do. What they wish to care and not care about.

The OP is not an NPC. I believe the OP wants to live a less stressful life. The OP is pulled towards a simple life that does not involve flashy things or high status (this is my interpretation).

Which in today's status signal fueled world may feel like being an NPC. But in my opinion, it is the exact opposite.

Re: I wanna live an NPC life

#185

Post by nemomarx »

Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #171
marssaxman wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your body is, maybe, but we're not all the same. Making my body sit still and do nothing requires sustained, focused attention; action is the comfort state, and idleness the burden.

Meanwhile, my idleness is so ingrained that sometimes I can't even make myself do the things I WANT to do, like load up a game that I've been wanting to play. And I'm just tired...all the time. I do nothing and still I'm exhausted.

That is pretty typical of depression, especially if you can't make yourself do activities you normally would enjoy or you stop feeling as much enjoyment from them

Unfortunately I have no advice for it but I wish you good luck. We're all struggling lately

Re: I wanna live an NPC life

#186

Post by jumpkick »

phoghed wrote: post #85
orphereus wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't be patronising. I am pretty sure he has read the article because I agree with him, and I have read the article as well. Surprised pikachu :OOOO

You agree with him? Even the boomer coded armchair psychology? My comment isn’t even in the same realm of patronizing as that.

How is this coded to baby boomer? Honest question; I want to understand the post-war generational perspective.

Re: I wanna live an NPC life

#187

Post by uncivilized »

chasd00 wrote: post #144
oilkillsbirds wrote: post #27

This is pure escapism. Numbing yourself to the burden of being. Likely from a stress tolerance so shallow and under-developed that the slightest inconvenience or expectation feels like a crisis. The truth is that after the brief initial relief of excusing yourself from being anything at all, you'll end up in a deep depression. It's a naive and immature fantasy. Remove all electronics from your life, they are a consta…

Who is this “we” you speak of? I see this word thrown around a lot here. Never use “we” in a sentence unless you’re referring to another individual directly. It’s beyond arrogant to assume you have the authority to speak for all others.

Parent commenter means “we” as in humans. Their comment is not meant to speak for others’ individual preferences.

Re: I wanna live an NPC life

#188

Post by joquarky »

Apocryphon wrote: post #81
lightedman wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I think when people use NPC as an insult (it is a dumb insult in my opinion)" It's a great insult, because it is usually used to describe someone whose viewpoint is basically a brainwashed and braindead pre-programmed one (either through upbringing or other things) and clearly demonstrating a lack of self-conscious critical thought.

It's just "sheeple" for this decade. The hoi polloi . Same as it ever was.

Is that the one where Curly gets trapped inside an elaborate, self-made cage of shower pipes?

Re: I wanna live an NPC life

#189

Post by 6510 »

kulahan wrote: post #115
BeetleB wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Escapism. You SHOULD feel like you have to do some stuff. This word keeps coming up, coupled with things unrelated. The OP isn't saying "do nothing". He's saying "do what you want to do". If he wants to study mathematics, that's neither escapism nor "doing nothing".

The extreme majority of people don’t have some secret massive project they want to do and are weirdly choosing not to. There’s only one way to interpret this.

If everyone would be ready to jump in and help you with some revolutionary project you should really bother to figure out what that project is going to be.

They are not ready to help because normal life is designed to be absurdly complicated, time consuming, constraining and draining.

The irony is that the solution is for people to take up massive projects that address the many angles of needless complexity [again]

Re: I wanna live an NPC life

#190

Post by Brajeshwar »

My daughter plays games like crazy. She plays a lot of them, started with MineCraft when she was young. I think they are all fantasy games.

She has defined a life she wants to live and is scarily detailed. It is sort of an NPC lifestyle. I believe she is inspired by the games she play.

She might change but for now she seems have a clean outline of how things will be, work, home, and everything else like a very finite number of friends, the things to own, no brand logos (or should be really muted/subtle), etc.

Post reply on HN