seandulac
11 HN recommenders · recommended in 18 months, 2010–2022
2:23 · 2.6M views · Jun 19, 2007
A two-minute animation of an Alan Watts talk arguing that life is like music: it is meant to be danced to in the moment, not rushed toward a final goal. It is a short, accessible take on living in the present.
HN commenters post it in threads about purpose, ambition, burnout and career anxiety as a reframing that life is a dance, not a march toward eventual happiness.
19 comments from Hacker News
The following video, narrated by Alan Watts, and animated by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, eloquently describes exactly what you have figured out: this video You essentially have come to the realization that the things you have been lead to believe (career, wealth, social status, possessions) are not what will make you happy. This realization can go down a dark path of depression if you're not careful, so be careful and stay level headed. Definitely take time off, pursue interests you never had time for and completely stop worrying about the future. That's the important part, to stop thinking there's some sort of end goal that you're working toward.
Well-intentioned, I suppose, but this seems more of a scattershot blog post than a thoughtful answer to 'how to choose your college degree'. I've heard a lot recently about 'picking the right college major'. It's normal to worry about such things. I remember. But I think obsessing over picking the 'right' college degree is a waste of time. If you have particular interests, follow them in college, but waste no more time worrying if you've made the 'right' choice. I'm in my 50s. I've heard hundreds of stories of the twists and turns of lives and the role of college in them--including my own. I was dead set on being an electrical engineer, and the first year and a half of college was in that subject. I was certain I was destined to invent the next power source and change the world with it. I ended up with an undergrad in history, and (years later) a graduate degree in urban planning. I've been in the 'tech' business for 30-odd years as a technical writer, then usability engineer, then software developer, then analyst/product owner/whatever. The best 'engineer' I know has an undergrad in fine arts. They own three software patents; they also make pottery. My 'old guy' advice to those staring down college decisions: The road doesn't matter very much. Taking steps matters. Just keep taking action and learning and adjusting and, for god's sake, enjoy your life. It's a dance, not a long march towards 'eventual' happiness: this video
You're welcome. :-) Thank you for your answer, I think I understand your reasoning a little better. With the example of the mathematician, you can read it a number of different ways, but one of the things I took from it was the difference between a healthy curiosity and an unhealthy curiosity. It sounds to me that you have a healthy curiosity, and enjoy the mental stimulation of exploring the big questions. As long as it remains something you enjoy and you're still open to enjoying other things then you can't really go wrong. If you'd like to find kindred spirits that also enjoy thinking about the big questions, you can find plenty in the world of philosophy. I can recommend The School of Life as an enjoyable way to explore philosophy. As some examples, here are a couple of my favourites from TSoL: [LINK] [LINK] Learning can be done for your own enjoyment, but what I would suggest is the mindset that many of us used to get us through school isn't likely to help with that. I think this video puts it well: this video Related to this, here's a discussion about deschooling you may find interesting: [LINK] One last thing... [LINK] Best of luck!
I would like to share my opinion on living life. What is the main goal? Some may think that it's getting better at something to get a raise and more money. First there is a school, then there is the 1st job, the you try to get a better one and you are trying and trying and trying to get higher. In my opinion, that's not the main point and it's just a side-effect of the life. Article suggests that 1st 15 years of life is a training or a tutorial, but I disagree. They are as much as important as any other time period. Person should do what makes he or she happy. If it's playing video-games or spending time with friends at a bar, it's okay. Of course, it won't affect your skills on getting a better job (so more money), but if it makes you a happier person, do it! Life is all about being happy and doing what you love to do. There is no magic-prize at the end of the life, only memories. What will be the point of having much money and good CV in you will sacrifice your happiness on it. In my opinion, this video[1] nicely shows what I'm talking about. [1] this video
Having grown up as a Christian in the Midwestern US, we were always taught that heaven lasts forever, and therefore I never felt any time pressure. This life can be spent building character and struggling with self improvement and you can enjoy yourself in the next life. As I've come to consider the possibility that life ends when it is over, that mindset no longer makes nearly as much sense to me. Yes I want to improve myself, since self improvement and achievement brings increased opportunities, but why am I striving to find more and more opportunities and achievement? Is there some mystical end point after which I can finally relax and be happy? Why not just decide to relax and be happy now? And so I've tried to do so and I think I'm enjoying life more because of it. I really liked this video by Alan Watts called "Life and Music:" this video