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Diogenes [en.wikipedia.org]: "So, what is so much better about the life of Alexander the Great?"
Alexander: I am a conquerer of nations!
Diogenes: So, conquerer of nations, unlike my purposeless life what are you going to do next?
Alexander: I am going to conquer Greece!
Diogenes: Yes . . then what?
Alexander: Then I am going to conquer Asia Minor!
Diogenes: Alright . . then what?
Alexander: THEN I am going to conquer the WORLD!
Diogenes: Alright, then what after that?
Alexander: THEN I will relax and enjoy life!
Diogenes: Why not save yourself the trouble?
D's luck in that department goes unrecorded.
Rgds
Damon
Bit difficult to relax and enjoy life when you have accomplished absolutely nothing and been not much more than a parasite on the face of the planet.
I thought the point was that when you die you're supposed to leave the place better than it was when you were born - by virtue of the things you have done during your lifetime.
Making a positive difference usually requires putting a bit of effort in, no?
That one hit me with a sledge-maul and once again I find myself reinventing.
And no, not to worry. I'm not going to quit my job or my life's work, maybe just recontextualize it a bit.
P.S. Minds just don't like koans, not a bit.
I have no doubt that if I could subjugate the entire planet, I would leave it a better place. :)
Oh $hit. Now what? LOL
So I try to always be happy without having to go through the car accident or lost at sea part.
There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way.
~Christopher Morley
Seems to fit the cynic and the conqueror, the beach bum and Bill Gates.
[edited by: digitalghost at 5:39 pm (utc) on May 7, 2007]
I was busy making a list, to help me sort out projects to move ahead, and in so doing I created a category for projects I was prepared to label "Fun". Other categories included . . well . . they didn't include fun. "Let's see. This project will be educational. This project will be all business. This project will be about having fun . . . "
At which point the old "Huh?" respone, basically a catcha of "it=me", struck me. Only "this project will be fun . . . " What a knucklehead! Why be so cheap when it comes to dolng out the fun? Where did the fun element go in the other projects? ;)
I'm not saying that any life changing miracle happened. I'm not blessed with big miracles. I manage to get by on rather small miracles, for which I'm eternally grateful. Though little they sometimes hit like a sledge-maul.
There's likely a wise saying to the effect that the first and most challengine world to conquer is one's own.
Fun is optional, eh? No fun here. This is WORK!
Alright, back to work! Work, work, work!
[edited by: Webwork at 6:12 pm (utc) on May 7, 2007]
to spend your life in your own way
Brilliant quote/summation . . and one that begs the question just a little bit, does it not my ever sage friend?
The business of one's "own way" or "Who am I?", is an irksome, nagging thing, at least for myself. Choice and choosing are a constant. Constant "what"? I'm not saying. ;0)
Constant pain in the ass comes to mind in the space of meeting the question "Who am I" and "What to do".
[edited by: Webwork at 6:19 pm (utc) on May 7, 2007]
When he broke down his day, breathing always came out to be what he spent most of his time doing. Like all good authors, he read more than he wrote, he spent more time traveling than writing, he even spent more time sleeping than writing. ; )
We make choices that beget more choices then get angry when it seems we didn't get to make our own choices. But if we let others define 'success' for us, and we often do, we may as well pin our happiness on the horizon.
There's a much more important question to be asked than 'Who am I'? It's "What more can I become"? Non mettiamo limiti.
Bit difficult to relax and enjoy life when you have accomplished absolutely nothing and been not much more than a parasite on the face of the planet.
[edited by: LifeinAsia at 6:36 pm (utc) on May 7, 2007]
I recall reading an author than was often asked "what do you do' and he replied, I'm a respirateur. I breathe.
I bet he made a lot of friends. :)
"Life must be understood backwards; but... it must be lived forward." ~Soren Kierkegaard
A cynic in a Diogenes thread? ; ) I've never thought life was a bitch. The difficult bits make you appreciate the rest of it.
Why be so cheap when it comes to dolng out the fun? Where did the fun element go in the other projects? ;)
I couldn't agree more. Though I've managed never to fall into that trap for too long, I'm grateful for the moments that pulled me out if it when I did. I always choose projects (and ideas to develop) based on whether not I think I'll actually enjoy being a part of them.
I've passed up millions as a result (an understatement) but I don't regret leaving Asia minor unconquered for a second. Which is not to say that I won't get around to it eventually. :-)
I thought the point was that when you die you're supposed to leave the place better than it was when you were born - by virtue of the things you have done during your lifetime.
Oh I don't know... I find that happy people tend to improve the world more than driven people, even if those improvements are harder to quantify.
It's always struck me as odd that some would answer the 'who am I' question with 'what I do'.
Indeed. Are we so unidimensional that we can be defined by a profession?
I've never thought life was a bitch. The difficult bits make you appreciate the rest of it.
Amen. Without contrast, what is there?
