Oddbean

I’m not a religious person or a bible quoter, but I really like the one part that says, “life is meaningless so drink and be merry”. Like it’s all fucked and I can’t do anything about it sooooo 🤪

I think it has to start in my own little sphere. Removing as much bureaucracy and system depots I can. Otherwise you wind up trying to control things you can’t. I’m trying to change what I can. But if everyone did that the system would crumble

Well to be honest, I think you’re right. It is a losing battle. Which is why we change the battle. Vaclav Havel’s essay “ the Power of the Powerless” discusses this whole concept. Fight the system directly, you’ll lose, remove the system from your own life, in cooperation with others, and eventually the system collapses. He wrote it in the Soviet Union. Turns out, he was right. Fitting that he became President of the Czech Republic later.

How to remove a cancerous system nostr:nevent1qqs2ne9tzdf7mz6w0wu8cwllw3l30gav3e8n0r5n84k40vvsekynx3spr3mhxue69uhkummnw3ezucnfw33k76twv4ezuum0vd5kzmqzypssvegyv9lw0yu8qg0p3jylk7w3mk7ru7llr88j9x85q3n0su27jqcyqqqqqqgacklwg

Just remembered that I picked up Václav Havel's 'The Power of the Powerless' after seeing you mention it in a note you posted a while back. It was an amazing and powerful read, especially for someone like me who has grown up and currently lives in a largely socialistic pattern of society. So is this speech. Thank you for sharing them! 🫂 It was this note: nostr:nevent1qqs2ne9tzdf7mz6w0wu8cwllw3l30gav3e8n0r5n84k40vvsekynx3spzamhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuurjd9kkzmpwdejhgtczypssvegyv9lw0yu8qg0p3jylk7w3mk7ru7llr88j9x85q3n0su27jqcyqqqqqqgxghkdn

Not thinking of this part I'm assuming? Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Solomon says something similar in the book of Ecclesiastes. But if you read the whole book, which you can because it's short, he's describing different stages of his life and all the things he tried to find meaning and satisfaction. Now being a king who was rich beyond belief and had hundreds of wives and concubines, he really did try everything lol. And in the end he didn't find satisfaction in all the hedonistic pleasure the world had to offer. So that's at least one man's opinion on living a fulfilling life. For whatever it's worth.

Yeah I think that’s the part I remember and I remember being taught that it was wrong, but I interpreted the one part differently and out of context as basically, “we are not in control” not meaning, “don’t do anything and be a drunk”, but to try to enjoy what we can and accept what we can’t control. Again, I have no idea what I’m talking about. I just liked the wording and how it made me think.

That's not wrong, and enjoying what you can while accepting what you can't control is a good strategy. The flip side is, that's probably the best strategy anyone can use from a materialist perspective. But in the end it still doesn't manage to provide real fulfillment and meaning in life.

I 100% agree. There’s a spectrum and variation of wisdom. We can’t all live in convents and deepen our connection 24/7, because some of us have to live in and deal with the material world on a daily basis. This tiny piece of wisdom only really helps me in dealing with the material world. Connecting spiritually is a whole different level of wisdom that I don’t pretend to understand fully.

Absolutely, I definitely haven't made it to the covent lifestyle yet lol, too many bills show up every month. But it does help me keep the material world in perspective sometimes, especially when things don't go the way I'd hope.