Thank You for this write-up; I really like the structure of it actually managing to present the evolution of an idea.
Agreeing with more or less of the content, I often find myself posing the question whether I—and seven billion others—could save the world with my, our own hands. (I am beginning to see utilons even in my work as an artist, but that belongs into a wholly different post)
This is a question for the ones like me, not earning much, and—without further and serious reclusion, reinvention and reorientation—not going to earn much, ever: Do I a) maximise and donate the small amounts I receive now, b) maximise my future income while minimising donations for now to spend on self-improvement and donate some highly uncertain, possibly huge sum in the future or c) use my resources to directly change something now? Let’s not make it an overly complex discussion, so feel free to message me instead of commenting.
Concerning mother Theresa and other saints, I think we all know somebody who was an especially vociferous denier of her sanctity. I think it helps if I model myself as an instinctly selfish creature, and then go on and use my selfish instincts to push myself in a good direction. (I did this—on a small scale—with my smoking problem and told myself: Ok, so you wanna smoke, hm?? So go on and smoke—when you have won the next competition. So here’s what I do whenever I feel the urge: Oh, I wanna smoke; Oh I can’t, so how do I optimise my chance of smoking? Oh, I should go and work on my project) I think this technique—how darksided and dangerous it ever may be—can be used to propel myself towards even bigger goals.
Thank You for this write-up; I really like the structure of it actually managing to present the evolution of an idea. Agreeing with more or less of the content, I often find myself posing the question whether I—and seven billion others—could save the world with my, our own hands. (I am beginning to see utilons even in my work as an artist, but that belongs into a wholly different post) This is a question for the ones like me, not earning much, and—without further and serious reclusion, reinvention and reorientation—not going to earn much, ever: Do I a) maximise and donate the small amounts I receive now, b) maximise my future income while minimising donations for now to spend on self-improvement and donate some highly uncertain, possibly huge sum in the future or c) use my resources to directly change something now? Let’s not make it an overly complex discussion, so feel free to message me instead of commenting.
Concerning mother Theresa and other saints, I think we all know somebody who was an especially vociferous denier of her sanctity. I think it helps if I model myself as an instinctly selfish creature, and then go on and use my selfish instincts to push myself in a good direction. (I did this—on a small scale—with my smoking problem and told myself: Ok, so you wanna smoke, hm?? So go on and smoke—when you have won the next competition. So here’s what I do whenever I feel the urge: Oh, I wanna smoke; Oh I can’t, so how do I optimise my chance of smoking? Oh, I should go and work on my project) I think this technique—how darksided and dangerous it ever may be—can be used to propel myself towards even bigger goals.