Random Thoughts XII - Floccinaucinihilipilification

[MaryKB]

But why do we want what we can't have?

Ohhhh what do you want but can't have?

I find myself happy more often than sad. I think of all the wonderful people and blessings in my life. I just hold my child and listen to her breathing as she sleeps and I feel surging joy in my heart.

 

[MaryKB]

For material things you want there's Amazon Prime!

 

[Farm Boy]

I think it is more "don't have" rather than "can't have".

I fundamentally disagree, Bird. It's so ingrained in our existence you're just choosing to filter it out, for the moment. It shapes the form of the whole thing. It is the form of the whole thing.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Men do not experience motherhood.

 

[Birdjaguar]

I fundamentally disagree, Bird. It's so ingrained in our existence you're just choosing to filter it out, for the moment.

There are situations where "can't" does apply and they can be the worst.

 

[Farm Boy]

Look around. They're shaping the whole thing. I promise. What was that Disney line. "Stars don't shine, they burn?"

Might not be as pretty if it wasn't so. Probably not the right word. Sacred, instead? It's probably as close as it's gonna get.

 

[MaryKB]

Men do not experience motherhood.

I am so so sorry. In my experience it's the absolute most wonderful thing in the world.

 

[MaryKB]

Look around. They're shaping the whole thing. I promise. What was that Disney line. "Stars don't shine, they burn?"

Might not be as pretty if it wasn't so. Probably not the right word. Sacred, instead? It's probably as close as it's gonna get.

Oooooh I want to watch that song from Encanto now.

 

[Takhisis]

I am so so sorry. In my experience it's the absolute most wonderful thing in the world.

OTOH the ‘get this thing out of me’ situation is also avoided. You win some, you lose some.

 

[Kyriakos]

Warm Milwaukee.

 

[MaryKB]

We've decided on the name Elizabeth Daisy. Our eldest is Amelia Rose, so we chose to go with the flower theme for her middle name, and Daisy is the birth flower for April. I think it sounds pretty, plus it makes me think of the Great Gatsby. I'm planning to call her Ella for short. So I'll have Mia and Ella <3

She'll have my last name, like her sister. We originally agreed that girls would have my name and boys would have his, and even though Ella will be our last child since Matt got his vasectomy, we're still going to stick with this plan.

Maybe I can get him to change his name?

 

[EgonSpengler]

Why is it so much easier to get sad than happy? Seems like a silly featur but IDK

But why do we want what we can't have?

Just riffing here, but I think part of it is evolutionary. Feelings of discontent can be motivating, a desire for something we don't have moving us to go look elsewhere. Curiosity; acquisitiveness; exploration. otoh, feelings of contentment make us want to maintain the status quo, settle down, protect what we have. In the natural world, there's no ecosystem where humans achieve equilibrium. In the animal world, we have almost no natural, physical advantages when it comes to natural selection. Instead, we spread everywhere and adapt to everything. We explore and build. If we were easily contented, we'd have been eaten by predators and driven to extinction a quarter-million years ago. Ultimately, we need a balance between those who find a nice spot to settle and those who feel an urge to do see what's over the next hill; from an evolutionary perspective, that's spreading your bet across several numbers.

Some time ago, my boss asked me why we should care about going to Mars. We can be all poetic about it, if we want - "the spirit of exploration", "uncovering the secrets of the universe" - but really, it's so that if a comet hits the Earth, our species won't be completely wiped out.

 

[MaryKB]

Some time ago, my boss asked me why we should care about going to Mars. We can be all poetic about it, if we want - "the spirit of exploration", "uncovering the secrets of the universe" - but really, it's so that if a comet hits the Earth, our species won't be completely wiped out.

But if a comet hits Earth, you'll still have a better chance here than you would on Mars

I don't quite understand this concept of some kind of evolutionary trait of "wanting what we can't have." That just doesn't make any sense to me at all? I don't think we're naturally inclined to want what we can't have. I think most things we really truly want are things we can very easily have: for our loved ones to be healthy and safe.

 

[EgonSpengler]

But if a comet hits Earth, you'll still have a better chance here than you would on Mars

I don't quite understand this concept of some kind of evolutionary trait of "wanting what we can't have." That just doesn't make any sense to me at all? I don't think we're naturally inclined to want what we can't have. I think most things we really truly want are things we can very easily have: for our loved ones to be healthy and safe.

Yes, and I think it's not a coincidence that some of us feel that way. As a species, we need some who do feel content, to settle down, to protect what we have. If all of us went over the hill to see what was on the other side, we'd all be killed by the same disaster or predator. If all of us moved to Mars, then our species would be wiped out by the comet that hits Mars. "Wanting what we can't have" is the precondition for figuring out how to get it. You won't work the problem if you don't think there is a problem. Our imagination is also essential. Most animals in the world simply die if their ecosystem changes too radically. We actually go looking for other ecosystems to invade, in advance of any catastrophic change. Most of the time we don't even know why, we just get itchy to see what's over there, what that tastes like, what that does if we poke it with a stick. Sometimes we freeze to death, blow ourselves up, or get eaten by a lion. Other times we discover mangos, combine iron with a little bit of carbon, or invent rock n' roll.

 

[MaryKB]

I firmly believe in the saying that "The grass is greenest where you water it." I feel that constant expansion causes way more harm than good, and we'd be better off if we all spent more time cultivating what we have rather than looking for something else.

 

[EgonSpengler]

I firmly believe in the saying that "The grass is greenest where you water it." I feel that constant expansion causes way more harm than good, and we'd be better off if we all spent more time cultivating what we have rather than looking for something else.

I'm not promoting a philosophy, just a hypothesis about natural selection. And part of my hypothesis is that people don't always feel a need for change. If we all went over the same hill at the same time, we'd all be killed in the same flash-flood (or whatever disaster awaited us there).

 

[MaryKB]

I disagree that it's evolutionary. I think some people are just restless, but I don't think that's due to some genetic desire to better us.

 

[The_J]

I don't quite understand this concept of some kind of evolutionary trait of "wanting what we can't have." That just doesn't make any sense to me at all? I don't think we're naturally inclined to want what we can't have.

I think this might simply go way more back: Let's not make the cavemen lazy while they have food for a day. Ingrain it into them that they need to get more. That way they have better chances to survive.

 

[Samson]

I disagree that it's evolutionary. I think some people are just restless, but I don't think that's due to some genetic desire to better us.

If it is not evolutionary, why are people restless?

 

[MaryKB]

I think this might simply go way more back: Let's not make the cavemen lazy while they have food for a day. Ingrain it into them that they need to get more. That way they have better chances to survive.

I don't see the relevance ... I feel that wanting to improve isn't the same as wanting what you can't have?