I think I may be the only Less Wrong member young enough not to have an answer to that question.
There is no reason that should stop you. Most people, when they are answering such questions, tend to give answers that are only loosely correlated with what they in practice end up seeking. You can make up random stuff with the rest of us!
An akrasia confession: every so often, I unintentionally remember what should have been very, very minor embarrassments from years and years ago, maybe in front of people I never knew at all well—sometimes complete strangers. I’m probably the only one on Earth who has any recollection about these incidents at all. Still, to this day, I find myself mortified.
P.S. That doesn’t let you off the hook, ewang. I am appalled and disgusted at your comment. Indeed, my mind is truly boggled. Hide your head in shame.
I was under the impression most people got that, but I’m realizing now that was more due to famous quotes to that effect rather than any more direct or reliable evidence.
I was under the impression that most people got that too. In fact I had heard, and thought credible, that of all the emotions that we experience it is embarrassment that we are most able to remember the visceral experience of down the track. Other experiences lose their emotional intensity a lot more rapidly.
I do this too. Lately I’ve been having a lot of fun with the reduction of personal identity, so sometimes I try to console myself with the thought that because lots of people have said lots of stupid things in lots of years, the fact that I said something stupid the other year is just a trivial special case—my embarrassment is not uniquely important, and not really news. Somehow I fail to be consoled.
You must be young if you think that this bit of stupidity is the worst you will ever come up with.
Well, he could be thinking that he will be making a lot of stupid mistakes and expects to be haunted by all of the mistakes this bad or worse. (They have drugs and therapy that can help with that sort of thing. Prevention is better than cure! :P)
I think I may be the only Less Wrong member young enough not to have an answer to that question.
EDIT: That claim was stupid.
There is no reason that should stop you. Most people, when they are answering such questions, tend to give answers that are only loosely correlated with what they in practice end up seeking. You can make up random stuff with the rest of us!
An akrasia confession: every so often, I unintentionally remember what should have been very, very minor embarrassments from years and years ago, maybe in front of people I never knew at all well—sometimes complete strangers. I’m probably the only one on Earth who has any recollection about these incidents at all. Still, to this day, I find myself mortified.
P.S. That doesn’t let you off the hook, ewang. I am appalled and disgusted at your comment. Indeed, my mind is truly boggled. Hide your head in shame.
P.P.S. Not really.
I get that too. It does seem like an odd thing to happen. I wonder if most people get that or just some subset.
I was under the impression most people got that, but I’m realizing now that was more due to famous quotes to that effect rather than any more direct or reliable evidence.
I was under the impression that most people got that too. In fact I had heard, and thought credible, that of all the emotions that we experience it is embarrassment that we are most able to remember the visceral experience of down the track. Other experiences lose their emotional intensity a lot more rapidly.
I do this too. Lately I’ve been having a lot of fun with the reduction of personal identity, so sometimes I try to console myself with the thought that because lots of people have said lots of stupid things in lots of years, the fact that I said something stupid the other year is just a trivial special case—my embarrassment is not uniquely important, and not really news. Somehow I fail to be consoled.
...young enough not to need an answer yet?
You must be young if you think that this bit of stupidity is the worst you will ever come up with.
Well, he could be thinking that he will be making a lot of stupid mistakes and expects to be haunted by all of the mistakes this bad or worse. (They have drugs and therapy that can help with that sort of thing. Prevention is better than cure! :P)
I highly doubt that.
I might not be young enough, but I’m certainly inexperienced enough. :(