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All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)

theguardian.com

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Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)

#151

Post by polishdude20 »

0xbadcafebee wrote: post #61
ummonk wrote: post #17

Why would you sit quietly alone in a room when you could be enjoying a sauna, soaking up the sun at the beach, or picnicking in a park? I don’t think the problem is sitting alone with one’s thoughts - but rather that an indoor room isn’t a particularly desirable environment. At least it isn’t as undesirable as an airplane seat though.

Picnicking is doing something. Saunaing is doing something. Lying on the beach is doing something. They're all activities driven by desire, and the desire exists to distract you from inner contemplation. When you're finally just thinking about yourself, your "desirable surroundings" will disappear. You'll be trapped in the discomfort of your mind. You'll then try to escape these thoughts by focusing on the picnic, sa…

But you're always "doing something" no matter if it's at the beach, in a room, laying on your bed, or in a solitary confinement prison. We are always cognizant of the fact that we are in some environment unless we are sleeping. But then when we sleep, the mind conjures up all sorts of scenarios and crazy environments without giving us a cohesive chance of actually "thinking".

Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)

#152

Post by billfruit »

polishdude20 wrote: post #145
claudiawerner wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The king is surrounded by people whose only thought is to entertain him and prevent him from thinking about himself. This is really interesting from a modern perspective. I'm an audiophile - I've spent countless hours just sitting in a chair in front of a stereo system I've spent a couple thousand on. If I ever lapse into non-attention to the music, I try and get back to the music. It's like mindfulness meditation,…

What game is it? I've been looking for something to play in the last few days. I've got my mind just racing with ideas for projects and things and I'm always feeling bad about not getting into it and then I'm not able to truly relax.

I have also a similar feeling to what you described, and the one game that seems to work for me right now is Dead Cells.

Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)

#154

Post by polishdude20 »

philwelch wrote: post #148
polishdude20 wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What game is it? I've been looking for something to play in the last few days. I've got my mind just racing with ideas for projects and things and I'm always feeling bad about not getting into it and then I'm not able to truly relax.

Not who you replied to, but in my experience, if you play Factorio, your mind will be racing with ideas for projects and things you can do in Factorio.

Haha, I've been there. And I don't want to go back!

Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)

#155

Post by NoOneNew »

hypervisorxxx wrote: post #142

Yeh and to think society rewards extroverts as leaders but often introverts make the best leaders as in they take long periods of time to think alone and often avoid many pitfalls by doing so instead of moving fast and breaking everyone and everything along the way.

>introverts make the best leaders

To be a good leader, you have to be willing to confront AND navigate conflict within a group setting in a productive manner that ultimately achieves an agreed upon goal. One of the defining traits of an introvert is avoiding conflict. Thus, no, introverts don't INHERENTLY make good leaders. If you've ever dealt with even a moderately diverse group of individuals due to their capabilities (not in the sense of level of skill, but range of skills), you'd know that the motivations of individuals vary wildly. Even if they are similar, they're oddly unique in their own ways at their own times. Regardless of your unicorn-fart fantasies, extrovert personalities are better equipped to handle groups with varying motivations to achieve the same goal. Not to say introverts can't be good or even great leaders. To name one, Eisenhower was an introvert and he is regarded as one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century for a multitude of reasons. Leadership takes intent and purposeful practice/training for them to achieve. The absolution concept that they're the "best" just means you've never been in even a mild range of real world team projects. You would have seen many easily fall apart in the midst of dealing with somewhat strenuous situations. It's an easier absolution that extroverts make the best leaders, yet even that is untrue. It just takes extroverts less practice to achieve "great" than it does for introverts since they already possess a lot of the skill sets that introverts are lacking. Ultimately, leaders are made, not born.

Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)

#156

Post by Shared404 »

maggotbrain wrote: post #141
wpietri wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That has a lot of resonance for me. In this modern age, we are all kings, and there are vast industries to save us from ever being alone from our thoughts. For December, I quit sugar, social media, and video games. It's been really interesting to notice what state I'm in when I go to reach for those things. Sometimes it's just habit, but often it's because I'm uncomfortable or in distress and want to avoid those feel…

If you are commenting here, you haven't really quit "social media".

While I agree, I personally give HN a pass due to the fact that conversation is typically better here and the fact that it's technically focused.

Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)

#157

Post by Ninjinka »

Another related quote from Pensées: "The only thing that consoles us for our miseries is distraction, yet that is the greatest of our wretchednesses. Because that is what mainly prevents us from thinking about ourselves and leads us imperceptibly to damnation. Without it we should be bored, and boredom would force us to search for a firmer way out, but distraction entertains us and leads us imperceptibly to death."

Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)

#159

Post by chordalkeyboard »

op03 wrote: post #91
pmoriarty wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just a bit more on why Pascal thought even a king is unhappy when he thinks about himself: Whatever condition we picture to ourselves, if we muster all the good things which it is possible to possess, royalty is the finest position in the world. Yet, when we imagine a king attended with every pleasure he can feel, if he be without diversion, and be left to consider and reflect on what he is, this feeble happiness wil…

Does this apply to Ants and Amoebas? They don't seem to enjoy sitting quite either.

This is an insightful question and likely points towards several fruitful modes of analysis.

Why are ants and amoebas always moving? Their biological drives continue to give them orders and so they are never satiated.

Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)

#160

Post by nine_k »

pmoriarty wrote: post #54
codechicago277 wrote: post #50

This quote comes from Blaise Pascal's Pensées, accessible here. "That is why we like noise and activity so much. That is why imprisonment is such a horrific punishment. That is why the pleasure of being alone is incomprehensible. That is, in fact, the main joy of the condition of kingship, because people are constantly trying to amuse kings and provide them with all sorts of distraction.—The king is surrounded by peo…

Just a bit more on why Pascal thought even a king is unhappy when he thinks about himself: Whatever condition we picture to ourselves, if we muster all the good things which it is possible to possess, royalty is the finest position in the world. Yet, when we imagine a king attended with every pleasure he can feel, if he be without diversion, and be left to consider and reflect on what he is, this feeble happiness wil…

I think that the Buddhist principle of dukkha, the first noble truth, explains this most succinctly: "to exist is to be dissatisfied / suffer".
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