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The Fight (2012)

dcurt.is

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Re: The Fight (2012)

#3

Post by kev009 »

I live in a strange duality according to this article. I'm in my mid-20s and have accomplished much of my childhood goals. I knew I wanted to be a professional developer at a young age and have quickly risen to my choice of companies, locations, and roles doing this. I'm aware of my mortality, but death itself doesn't scare me in the sense that if I died tomorrow and had some way to reflect I would certainly not regret any of the things I have or have not done. And not because I've made spectacularly good decisions or have done anything extraordinary; I simply accept the randomness of the world. The thing that really drives me is taming that randomness, eliminating inefficiency with small and clean systems, and helping others do the same. Some cultures seem to be catatonic with death - to me it's an event that happens to all of us - so in practice I fall in line with the article but I guess with different implementation. For me, it is very liberating to live outside of all fear.

Re: The Fight (2012)

#4

Post by aroman »

Wow. That felt very powerful to me, and well written.

Predictably, it is causing me to reflect on my own life. I'm sitting up in my bed, typing on my smartphone at 1:39 am, exploring the feeling that I have no idea what I'm fighting for.

At the risk of diluting the genuineness of Dustin's words with cliches of my own, I actually now realize I don't know what I'm doing with my life. Which is surprising to me, because I've been lulled into absorbing my own persona of "guy who has plans and ambition" — I'm sure many of you can relate.

I'm a senior in high school, off to college next year. I'm supposed to be studying cognitive science and human-computer interaction. I have worked hard, inside and outside the classroom, to get where I am, or so people tell me.

I have aspirations of greatness too naive and disgustingly grandiose to formulate into actionable plans. I legitimately see threads connecting all reality — from the power of design to the eerie harmony of the human experience — and that it is my duty to weave them into visibility.

Worse, I believe I have the duty to change the world, because I regularly fantasize about doing so. I have been raised to believe that "if I will it, it is no dream."

I have the dreams, some very specific, others abstract, but I can't always make sense of them when I wake up.

And how do I know which are worth fighting for?

Re: The Fight (2012)

#5

Post by junto »

As I read this I realise that the ambitions and dreams I had in my 20's have changed. Now that I have two children I have a greater fear of dying, which is more because I fear not seeing them growing up and not being there to protect them from harm when / if it arrives.

Funny how your priorities can change so vastly.

Re: The Fight (2012)

#8

Post by jmduke »

aroman wrote: post #4

Wow. That felt very powerful to me, and well written. Predictably, it is causing me to reflect on my own life. I'm sitting up in my bed, typing on my smartphone at 1:39 am, exploring the feeling that I have no idea what I'm fighting for. At the risk of diluting the genuineness of Dustin's words with cliches of my own, I actually now realize I don't know what I'm doing with my life. Which is surprising to me, because…

I'm not sure if this will help, but I want to say that having such an existential crisis isn't just normal -- it's healthy. Staying up nights reflecting on your life and your choices aren't necessarily indicative of the need for a change: it means you're conscientious about the path you're taking (and relatively few people are -- which is important to note on a forum largely populated with people who want to make a dent in the universe.)

That being said, I think making huge decisions about the directions of your life before you hit a certain threshold of experience is like trying to solve a Wheel of Fortune round with only X's, V's, and I's on the board. It's a better utilization of your time and resources to educate yourself -- whether that's in a classroom or on an online forum -- to prepare yourself for making those decisions.

Re: The Fight (2012)

#9

Post by jdkent »

My dad, age 76, collapsed at the gym while working out. His trainer performed hands-only CPR on him for 8 minutes before the paramedics arrived. After a few shocks, the paramedics got his heart going again. He spent 3 days in a medically induced coma with reduced body temperature. From there, he spent another 10 day in the hospital and 60 days recovering.

As mentioned in the article, it's extremely rare for people to survive cardiac arrest. My dad is alive for two reasons:

1. Hands-only CPR. It works, and it's dead simple. handsonlycpr.org

2. He was extremely healthy before the incident. He may have been 76, but he also worked out and climbed mountains. Exercising and eating right not only prevents cardiac problems, they also improve your recovery. His body was in a condition to repair itself better than most individuals his age. Being healthy is not just about prevention.

Re: The Fight (2012)

#10

Post by read »

remember to go against your instinct

So far I had formed the impression one should be going with their instinct. Are some instincts bad and some good? What's the test for telling which is which?

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