@moonbus saidClearly a candidate for post of the year.
I disagree. I feel silly quoting Nietzsche to you in English, but for the sake of those here who don’t speak German: “the end of a piece of music is not its goal.” To play it well is entirely in the doing, not in any goal. Assuming it is performed well, the only remaining question is, is it a good piece of composition or just muzak (elevator background noise )? So, that is where success is to be sought: not in any goal, but in doing something worthwhile and doing it well.
"quoting Nietzsche to you in English," how great is that?
Just solid beginning to end.
@the-gravedigger saidOf course. Some things are more worth doing than others. A talent for mass murder is one of the things not worth doing, or doing well, even once.
I have heard it said that success is being able to be yourself.
But what if you are a serial killer.
I would say stop being yourself and stop killing people.
@divegeester saidSuccess is being remembered as making a difference.
Success in its broadest, deepest, most philosophical sense, would be self actualisation. But who truly makes that. Nevertheless it seems like a good goal. Maybe success therefore is the effective management of the obstacles on that journey.
One day a man was walking along the beach, when he noticed a boy hurriedly picking up and gently throwing things into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “Young man, what are you doing?” The boy replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.” The man laughed to himself and said, “Don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make any difference!”
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said, “I made a difference to that one.”
-- Attributed to Loren Eiseley
@suzianne saidNice perspective on how our small but determined efforts can indeed make a difference to someone.
Success is being remembered as making a difference.
One day a man was walking along the beach, when he noticed a boy hurriedly picking up and gently throwing things into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “Young man, what are you doing?” The boy replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, ...[text shortened]... n, smiling at the man, he said, “I made a difference to that one.”
-- Attributed to Loren Eiseley
14 Jun 21
@divegeester saidMy definition of success, on a personal level, is to arrive at a certain mode of living where I mostly don't have a boss and/or I do BUT they exercise little control over my professional activities [aside from setting the outputs they require], and where I only really work on stuff I like to work on and/or which serves to put a bit of walk-the-walk flesh on the bones of the values, priorities and ideological principles I adhere to. This finally happened for me in about 2004.
Nice perspective on how our small but determined efforts can indeed make a difference to someone.
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14 Jun 21
@very-musty saidlets wait untill you are fighting for your last breath and see if you want to die.....
@Suzianne
Maybe the starfish wanted to die?
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14 Jun 21
@badradger saidTo give an example...
lets wait untill you are fighting for your last breath and see if you want to die.....
I have worked in some big kitchens.
Most big kitchens that make food for hundreds of people will have a few cockroaches.
They come out at night and run away if you turn on the lights.
Well... sometimes during a shift you'll see a huge cockroach slowly making its way to the center of the room. Lights on and people working.
This happened on two different occasions.
The first time I swept him back under a bench and continued to work but he slowly came back out to the middle of the room.
He wanted to die so I stepped on him.
The second time a big one crawled slowly towards me so I didn't waste any time and I helped him out too.
I think all creatures have a point where it is possible that they can want to die and do it.
14 Jun 21
@moonbus saidI'm not going to argue with anyone who can read Nietzsche in German then quote it back in English.
Of course. Some things are more worth doing than others. A talent for mass murder is one of the things not worth doing, or doing well, even once.
Above my pay grade.
14 Jun 21
@the-gravedigger said"Über meiner Gehaltsstufe" as Nietzsche would often say.
I'm not going to argue with anyone who can read Nietzsche in German then quote it back in English.
Above my pay grade.
14 Jun 21
@fmf saidTrue FMF. And if he was on here reading some of the threads he might say:
"Über meiner Gehaltsstufe" as Nietzsche would often say.
'He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.'
@the-gravedigger saidMonsters should take note.
True FMF. And if he was on here reading some of the threads he might say:
'He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.'
Having the abyss gaze at you, and not blinking, could be a mark of success.
@suzianne saidThat was a very good story, a big thumbs up for that one.
Success is being remembered as making a difference.
One day a man was walking along the beach, when he noticed a boy hurriedly picking up and gently throwing things into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “Young man, what are you doing?” The boy replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, ...[text shortened]... n, smiling at the man, he said, “I made a difference to that one.”
-- Attributed to Loren Eiseley
-VR