A pair of friends were sharing coffee when one of them began to lament the fact that he had wasted much of his weekend watching a Real World marathon. He said that when he thought about all the other things he could have been doing, from yardwork to reading a book, the way he'd wasted his weekend sort of made him sick.
His friend argued that he didn't really think it was possible to waste time, since it would require acting against one's self interest, which he felt was also not possible. He said that in hindsight it might appear that his weekend had been wasted, but that at the time he must have weighed, consciously or unconsciously, all the requisite options and decided that what he most wanted from those moments was to spend them watching TV. If he'd wanted something else more, he'd have done something else. In essence, he said, you're always doing exactly what you want to be doing, even if you later regret it. If you regret it enough then the next time you're faced with a similar set of choices you're likely to choose differently.
So you're saying I never do anything wrong? asked the first man.
I'm saying you never make a decision to do something that less than 50% of you wants to do. It's not that you don't ever make bad choices, it's just that always seem like the best choices when you make them.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Man Feels It's Not Possible To Waste Time
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6 comments:
What it is to have a philosopher for a friend. Try to have a good whine and he just turns it around on you...
Mr Kyle: In our quest to make you famous, there are some things that just have to be accepted. The most important of these is dedication. To achieve blogging stardom, it is necessary first to post regularly. Understand the audience; they are modern humans and require constant stimulation to remain happy. So our over-riding concern is that we give them regular "fixes", rather as we feed and change a baby.
You will know already how hard this is to do. The pressure to produce a daily or even an "every second day" post (as I have settled to do) is enormous and very often results in blogger's exhaustion.
So you must choose the route you wish to take. Are you avid for fame and (maybe) fortune? Or are you content to catalogue your delightful snippets without recognition? It is up to you.
I confess that, when I first stumbled upon your site, I thought you were making up each post and I was astounded at your imagination. Since then, I have realized that you are recording overheard conversations (incredibly, since some of them are so bizarre that they are hardly believable - yet truth is stranger than fiction, I hear). Even with this knowledge, I still feel that you have what it takes to be a star. Your observations are acute, sparklingly vivid and relevant to the human condition. I can only wish that I were as observant of my fellows as you.
So there is your choice: stardom and all the hard work it entails, or the honest and unrewarding toil of the chronicler of truth. For myself, I will be happy whatever you choose; you remain one of the "must visits" on my blog rounds.
Gone,
Honored that you're still here. I think I hit a patch there where it just didn't seem worthwhile. That's no reflection on those of you who regularly stop by. During said patch very few things seemed worthwhile. I confess to being the fellow in the post about how the need for a job was likely costing him work. Not the case exactly, but close enough. You may have noticed the million dollar tote board is not exactly lighting up. Anyhow, I received a fantastic note from a kind soul like the rest of you who had stopped by and enjoyed what she saw. It inspired me to continue.
So I plan to be here consistently. Everyday was getting to be a bear, so how do you feel about a minimum of MWF with some T days thrown in when I find the spirit willing? If those are inssuficient funds to meet the price of fame, let me know and I'll go back to everyday.
Stardom or no, you're a good lot and it's a pleasure to find my way into a couple minutes of your days.
MWF and the occasional T sounds good to me, Mr Kyle. Of course, it's easy for me since all I have to do is read and be entertained.
As to employment, I feel that quality will out and you will find the job you want in time. Don't give up!
Both my posts and my visits to other blogs are about as irregular as an old man's gut. But when ya gotta go, ya just gotta go.
Keep at it, Mr. Kyle.
I say we chain Mr. Kyle to his keyboard and work the 'golden goose' to near exhaustion. Give 'im a few hours off and put him back to work.
Only question I have is how'm I gonna rake in the cash by doing this to him?
Any suggestions Gone Away? After all, You directed me here. We can split the procedes.
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