tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766985265879664956.post8792167385012937237..comments2023-08-18T04:41:17.410-07:00Comments on Happiness, truth, everything: WWDNGH 5: Technical optimization and human beingsJazi Zilberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905089558096276638noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766985265879664956.post-63277549056259565522009-01-08T18:53:00.000-08:002009-01-08T18:53:00.000-08:00These phenomena are indeed human and very common w...These phenomena are indeed human and very common way more common than you think.<BR/><BR/>Reasons for such kinds of conflict are many, I will list a few and leave the rest for your own imagination.<BR/>1) Are you sure your calculation is right? Is the long term expected benefits from the math book higher than from short term fun?<BR/>I believe we ought to take fun and the short term much more seriously.<BR/>It happens, that what seems irrational has good reasons.<BR/><BR/>2) Energy and emotional resources.<BR/>Doing something effortful takes energy. It may exert the mind and even taking control of oneself is an effort.<BR/>It may happen that a person does not have the energy at certain times. Entertainment is not just fun, but sometimes a crucial natural need.<BR/><BR/>A good idea is to take the study leisurely. One has the book at his reach, reads a little until it gets tiresome, maybe a tiny bit more and than goes off to chess/beer/sex. <BR/>This playful approach can be very optimal and fun to live with.<BR/><BR/>3) There are various kinds of feelings and preferences. We want success, we want positive feelings, we want sex, we want to feel relaxed, we want to avoid effort.<BR/>It is never possible to satisfy all our wants, so we play a game of choosing between them, trading off between one want and another etc.<BR/>Our wants and order of preferences are also changing all the time, making our job even harder.<BR/><BR/>In my intuition, the want to learn and get smarter includes emotional feelings of "doing something useful" exerting our potential etc, and tangible material calculations.<BR/>other things can be more fun.<BR/>It creates a conflict, which is very human and natural.<BR/><BR/>I believe that one should find the ways how to enjoy his sophisticated pursuits of life.<BR/><BR/>Suffering decades in doing "smart" things and then getting the Nobel prize, is extremely stupid.<BR/><BR/>Play around and play around until you can enjoy the interestnig things you want to do and learn.Jazi Zilberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05905089558096276638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766985265879664956.post-74905403800927127432009-01-08T18:21:00.000-08:002009-01-08T18:21:00.000-08:00Hello, i have been thinking in that, because i wan...Hello, i have been thinking in that, because i want to learn calculus and more math, i already bought the book but guess what? seems that i do not want to sit and read a book and work on it, my instint is better play chess on yahoo, or drink a beer while watching tv, or someting else, let say leisure things but no read a matematical book or a physics book even when i know that it will improve my life, so that is weird, i am thinking in that, i want to know if is general or particular for some people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com