Of these four achievements, which would you want most for your child?
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@benpocalypse which would make them the most happy?
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Evan Prodromoureplied to Nathan A. Stine last edited by
@stinerman that one's a real roll of the dice, I agree.
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@evan You left out POET, BUDDHIST MONK, and charismatic leader of the revolution.
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@evan omg, none! Those all sound like curses to me.
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@gargantua pick the least bad one.
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Evan Prodromoureplied to Evan Prodromou last edited by
Wonderful discussion; thanks so much to everyone who responded.
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Evan Prodromoureplied to Evan Prodromou last edited by
It feels like there's a balance that has to be met for all these roles: the intrinsic rewards (satisfaction), the extrinsic ones (power, money), the personal harm (emotional, physical) and the chance to make meaningful change in the world.
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Evan Prodromoureplied to Evan Prodromou last edited by
There's also the question of what we want for our children: the agency to choose their own path, but also the chance for a fulfilling and meaningful life, and a minimization of danger, temptation to do evil.
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Evan Prodromoureplied to Evan Prodromou last edited by
These are only a few of the paths a person can take in life, although in our culture they're usually considered a path to "success." Some people were pretty enthusiastic about them; others though the harms of these roles vastly outweighed any benefits.
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Evan Prodromoureplied to Evan Prodromou last edited by
Of the four, I think the life of an artist is one that can have huge impact on others and be satisfying and enjoyable. Unfortunately the chances of becoming a "superstar" are low, but a life creating art can be rewarding in many other ways. It takes a lot of personal discipline to avoid the downfalls of fame though. I think both my kids have creative minds and big personalities, so I think this one would be my choice.
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@evan I missed this when it came around but as someone who grew up with two exceptional/successful (in their own individual ways) parents who were also.. a little wrapped up in their own achievements, I think were I to consider what I'd want for a possible child, I'd look for kindness and contentedness over nearly anything else. My partner is both kind and content and it's about the best life you can imagine in a lot of ways (I like my life too and I am kind but I am rarely content)
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@jessamyn thanks! I was trying to stick with some high-intensity roles that are traditionally considered successful even though they have major downsides.