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The World Belongs to Those Who Create

sophiaellis.co

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Re: The World Belongs to Those Who Create

#31

Post by eksemplar »

emerged wrote: post #27

There's no doubt that incredible amounts of time are "wasted" by all of our quick dopamine hit apps and sites. These are the new opiate of the masses. It seems to be something we are all aware of, and we talk of unplugging. Some do, here and there. It's a constant struggle. The new cigarette / snack food. Just as hard to quit - but we should all at least try.

It'll be interesting to see if these new dopamine fads play out differently.

My government puts a lot of effort (money) into making people quit smoking because smokers are extremely expensive on public healthcare. Our goals are 4% by 2025, but even in countries with less of a business case for health, there are still huge campaigns against smoking.

Facebook, Reddit, candy crush, instagram and so on aren't really seen as health risks. They mostly occupy the masses, and no one wants to put money into stopping that. At least not yet.

Re: The World Belongs to Those Who Create

#32

Post by rdiddly »

jrs235 wrote: post #18
winter_blue wrote: post #3

This post really resonated with me, deeply. I've been having almost exactly the same thoughts that the author has had, lately. I think a lot of us underestimate how essential creative self-expression is to our well being. I've come to the realization that I don't want to just live a regular life, working and consuming, but rather I want to contribute something creative, of my own creation, to the world. Deep inside,…

Everyone desires to be [a] god. What does a god have the power to do? Create. Naturally everyone wants to create things. When we can't or aren't allowed to create we return towards the other power gods have: the power to destroy. We all want to feel in control. One way to feel that is to create things the other way is to destroy things.

And destroy is one of the synonyms of consume.

Re: The World Belongs to Those Who Create

#33

Post by syphilis2 »

"We are strangers in this world, and the body is the tomb of the soul, and yet we must not seek to escape by self-murder; for we are the chattels of God who is our herdsman, and without his command we have no right to make our escape. In this life, there are three kinds of men, just as there are three sorts of people who come to the Olympic Games. The lowest class is made up of those who come to buy and sell, the next above them are those who compete. Best of all, however, are those who come simply to look on. The greatest purification of all is, therefore, disinterested science, and it is the man who devotes himself to that, the true philosopher, who has most effectually released himself from the 'wheel of birth.'" Burnet on the Pythagorean ethic, Early Greek Philosophy

The author of the article is very engrossed in modern values. Don't let her adamance that creators control the world frighten you into churning away at something like knitting block chain encoded socks, or worse writing horror novels. The world is beyond the control of any creator anyway, even Mark Zuckerberg if you'll believe me. I think a lot of people find, after years of creating or struggling to create, it's best (or just good) to consume and contemplate without regret.

Re: The World Belongs to Those Who Create

#34

Post by godot »

While I agree with the overall point of the author, one thing not pointed out is that she is comparing the greats of the past (or current) to the average person. These people are/were great, not the least because they spent that much time at their work that they produce. To put it another way, there were many more (vast majority even?) people from the past, before technology, who spent their time just as unproductively as the average person nowadays. They may not be consuming content on the internet, but they could just be chatting in person, watching the sceneries, or more likely just doing labor work. Preparing food or doing laundry could be a whole day of work when you don't have technology.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't wonder where all the time went for the modern individual compared to the times before technology. Do spend time more productively and create stuff, which is good.

Re: The World Belongs to Those Who Create

#35

Post by thesmallestcat »

tluyben2 wrote: post #17
thesmallestcat wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd like my creations to be consumed...

That is something I struggled with: do I like creating or do I like others to consume my creations more? And, if the latter, do I like that more because that is how I make money? I concluded after many years (I am 42) that I like creating. I need consumption of it because I might need money but for me to be happy, only creating would suffice.

My point was more that creation can't exist without consumption. It's also damn near impossible to not be a consumer. I agree that it's important to focus on creation, but I disagree with the "consumption is evil" mantra that comes out of these discussions at times.

Re: The World Belongs to Those Who Create

#37

Post by humanrebar »

rdiddly wrote: post #32
jrs235 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everyone desires to be [a] god. What does a god have the power to do? Create. Naturally everyone wants to create things. When we can't or aren't allowed to create we return towards the other power gods have: the power to destroy. We all want to feel in control. One way to feel that is to create things the other way is to destroy things.

And destroy is one of the synonyms of consume .

Some things aren't destroyed when they are consumed. A digital recording doesn't disappear when listened to. A book is fine after it's read.

Re: The World Belongs to Those Who Create

#38

Post by ldp01 »

infiniteparamtr wrote: post #21
ldp01 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fair enough, but I think it's a simplification of how life really works for most people. For the average person, the choice to become a successful artist isn't a trade off between more money and more satisfaction. If they fail to become successful they will significantly lose out in terms of life's more basic needs, because they won't have enough money. Edit: Don't get me wrong, I would love to agree with OP. But I d…

I don't think that a failed artist would lose out on basic needs because of money. The average, economically entrenched observer would see a "successful artist" as one getting paid for their efforts. I see a successful artist as someone who is creative enough to acquire basic needs, comforts, and actualization with little or no money - be it through bartering or learning to create for themselves. Success can also com…

> I don't think that a failed artist would lose out on basic needs because of money.

How many former humanities students do you know?

If success just means being happy with yourself then sure, go for it. However this is a retreat from what OP stated: "The World Belongs to Those Who Create VS Those Who Don't".

If we are restricting ourselves specifically to artists then, for an average person, becoming a materially successful artist requires capital investment and an appetite for risk (or a lack of understanding of the risks). The capital investment will most likely come from parents in the form of education, food, security, etc.

Becoming a successful artist without any of that support sounds like a horrible all-or-nothing proposition with no fall back position. (You have no capital if you fail because you didn't hedge your bets with a steadier/less fulfilling career).

Re: The World Belongs to Those Who Create

#39

Post by tluyben2 »

thesmallestcat wrote: post #35
tluyben2 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is something I struggled with: do I like creating or do I like others to consume my creations more? And, if the latter, do I like that more because that is how I make money? I concluded after many years (I am 42) that I like creating. I need consumption of it because I might need money but for me to be happy, only creating would suffice.

My point was more that creation can't exist without consumption. It's also damn near impossible to not be a consumer. I agree that it's important to focus on creation, but I disagree with the "consumption is evil" mantra that comes out of these discussions at times.

Ah yes, I agree with you. It is needed. And there is not all too much wrong with it either. The evil probably comes from the pointless consumption? Not sure if we can live without that or where useful ends and pointless begins.

Re: The World Belongs to Those Who Create

#40

Post by jopsen »

emerged wrote: post #27

There's no doubt that incredible amounts of time are "wasted" by all of our quick dopamine hit apps and sites. These are the new opiate of the masses. It seems to be something we are all aware of, and we talk of unplugging. Some do, here and there. It's a constant struggle. The new cigarette / snack food. Just as hard to quit - but we should all at least try.

Haven't most people always been wasting most of their time?

Before it was TV, Radio, gossip magazines, books, you name it.

Do we know?

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