This inspiring David Foster Wallace speech has been around, but the video is new. Some of you younger Clutchfans can learn something here, and us old fogeys sometimes need reminding. Enjoy it for what it is & don't D&D it... <iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/65576562?title=0" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>
The first half was observant and very poignant about independent adult life; the sympathetic hypotheticals were just as implausible and counterproductive as the initial frustration: crowds, daily migration patterns and diversity are pretty much all you need know to understand the dilemma he presented. The overall thesis is meaningful, particularly for those who've allowed escalating and public frustration to create defining professional, financial or personal moments of regret that compel you to keep fantasizing about the time: like literal months and dates, beforehand. More depressing than other types of failure or traumatic landmarks because they're largely based on your errors and faulty perceptions.
Thanks for posting. I saw that some years back when I came to a similar realization. I preferred that older video on YT because I didn't care for the visuals nor the music in this one. I loved his works, Infinite Jest, Oblivion, and Consider the Lobster.
When I joined the workforce, I slowly realized what a joke it was to have only four hours of theoretical time left in a day to live ones life. Much much less if one commuted more than an hour round trip. Then I thought about how people took shortcuts or outright cheated (speeding, cutting, manipulating, performance enhancing/regulating) to get some of that time back. It seems like a big joke that despite all the productivity gains in the last 70 years, none of those savings went back to a person's work hours and 40 hours is the arbitrary number of choice, despite studies and polls showing the average person doesn't pull a real 40/day in a year. You get less vacations and lunch isn't billed anymore. Now some countries have it worse, and people in the 1800s definitely worked more, but are we promoting an ideal or quality of living In the 1800s? It's part of that expectation of living among the gifts of modern life and the pressures of maintaining or attaining them that people stretch themselves to these weird stressed and unhealthy states. But self awareness only goes so far. I don't always practice the second half of being self aware or empathetic all the time. Having a phone is a useful distraction and helps me 'optimize' my time...whatever that means. It does take a lot of effort, but you're left with a prisoners dilemma of sorts where you're greatly rewarded when another reciprocates or shows similar awareness. I simply remember the worse outcomes than the daily minor pleasant ones. For me at least, I struggle trying when others have dug into routine or cynicism...struggle with not adding more to my own that is. So I guess I'm on the step of choosing not to expect a return for what the vid says that takes effort. I admit that trying to break that wall also keeps you grounded, but there's always that 4 hour timer wondering if I'm choosing the best use of my time.
Depends on your life stage. Some people like settling down and use routine and monotony to improve gaps in time. What makes something depressing is all a matter of choice and perception. I think if your personality is naturally tuned to make everything routine and efficient, you have to spend a little effort in your earlier years to stretch outside the beaten path and learn to loosen that control a little. The main prep is about overall strategy and exit strategies. Taking all those technical AP courses is a good foundation. Instead of graduating college in three years take more lib arts classes. More cooler and different people to meet and access to an entirely different understanding in life beyond numbers and utility. School gives you instant proximity to more people you can identify with. Work life is entirely different and open. People in different life stages won't necessarily have the time or means to hang out, but that doesn't rule out spontaneity. In fact, among the skills you learn in college, networking networking networking is important. I got my first job as a referral. I started my new career under the same career my brother-in-law worked. Later on, I went from a job seen from the movie Office Space to one where I can travel and solve problems, best of all after the day or week ends, I can hang out with like minded consultants who are funnier and smarter than I am. There's opportunity everywhere. I had to sacrifice some attachments, but if those attachments are making life boring and you hate it, there a choice right there that begins with initiative and research. There are millions of people out there who can't get a job and have stopped looking after a year. But you'll see the occasional 40 year old taking undergrad college courses, and who do you think will land a job...the massively unemployed person with 10 yrs of experience or the 40 year old college grad with no prior similar experience who still works in a different capacity? Who is living the more exciting life?
I had heard of David Foster Wallace in passing but didn't know much about him. After watching that and really enjoying it, I'm saddened to learn that he had committed suicide back in 2008. How come these progressive types are always so depressed, etc.
Yes. In fact bigtexxx was the very first person to have watched this, hence the reason why he's so rich and successful.
