The Wise Ry Guy

What’s the upside to living in the postmodern world, where the wealth of choice lying in front of each of us is truthfully more of a stumbling block to a peaceful soul than it is a contributor to individual happiness?

Well

YOU CAN DO ANYTHING

that’s pretty nice

For example

I clicked a link a few weeks ago

with a shrug of the shoulders and a “why not” attitude,

I clicked a link.

And because I did that

I just met the executive producers of a documentary about my role model

I established a direct connection with a man who has helped millions of people

By clicking a link on a whim

so that’s pretty cool

I’ve been reading a bit and thinking a lot about modern nihilism

also, sidenote: David Foster Wallace is a super relatable guy for me

Although I don’t foresee myself attempting suicide anytime

Why?

…because I’ll be doing other things

Possibly, what people like Wallace experienced as a curse,

I experience as an opportunity

Mindset is significant

although I’m being careful not to mistake subjective optimism/motivation as the determinant of a successful life

Historically, a can-do attitude hasn’t assured success

Today, in America, it’s fair to say that it does.

A can-do attitude, a little self-discipline and a budget! And you’re good to go!

Here’s the way I live:

I’m a commitment phobe
kinda. #notreallytho

But for the sake of explanation, I am

When I commit to something, it haunts me

because I am terrified of breaking a commitment

Being an extremely agreeable person (though increasingly less so I think), I am both very indecisive and very loyal

and for the record, agreeableness seems to be a genetic disposition,

loyalty is a choice,

and indecision could be one or the other (still considering my options on that one)

ha!

So what remained for me amongst this postmodern array of infinite choice to be the ordering value which facilitates my ability to make decisions?

And – this is a worthwhile distinction – to make the right decisions? Or really, truly, to make decisions which effect both my own being & moral-emotional health and a set of circumstances for my life which are good enough to render unnecessary and completely unjustifiable any sort of lament of the innumerable forks I took away from happier paths?

Does that make sense?

None of us will make the best out of our lives, but – well first of all standards don’t exist to be obtained because oddly enough that seems to defeat the purpose of the pursuit of them (is that true?) – if you play your cards right then you’ll live well enough that in the impossible scenario in which you could be able to fix all the god-awful damage that your mistakes have boasted, it still wouldn’t be practical to do so

I think

because solutions bring their own issues and to desire a better life is to misunderstand the bond between good and evil in the world

thats a complex and muddled thought

but perfection is the correct aim; we simply misunderstand its place on the spectrum of justice

because things exist in dual form and the most perfect life is actually a balanced one

so perfection is not a pursuit which denies fundamental reality, but rather one that embraces contention with suffering

all of that to say

my point is

Duty.

That’s my point. That’s the answer. That’s what I found.

Duty remains amongst the postmodern array of infinite choice as the only sustainable occupation in the economy of spiritual meaning

Because!

A poor man’s happiness is his survival.

A rich man’s happiness is his duty.

If you live in America, you are rich

It’s the wealth of choice; the equality of opportunity

Duty cures my indecision

and if a situation involves no explicit question of duty,

then I don’t care at all!

That might not be a virtue…

could just be me taking a couple stoic principles wayy too farr

We are wildly fortunate to exist with breath passing to and fro our chests in the time in which we live

So let not yo’ bum bum kiss ye couch in thy waking hours!

Do stuff. See stuff. Choose faith over scientific materialism.

Because if the Divine exists as something more than a figment of the single and collective human mind,

then it behooves, befits and benefits you to incorporate it into your fundamental self

and if the Divine is a fantasy,

Then so is the world

Because it seems our superstitious mythologies of old have pinpointed and articulated the most practical moral truths of the world far better than science ever has or could ever do.

They certainly beat science to the punch by some millenia

Geez

I’m gonna be reeling mentally for like a week from that