Comment by latexr

Comment by latexr 5 days ago

Explicitly nothing. The overwhelming majority of New Year’s resolutions and goals fail, then people feel bad, then repeat it the year after that. There’s no reason to make such a decision now; make it when it’s relevant in your life and don’t beat yourself over it.

I also find this relentless pursuit of more more more, especially in what relates to productivity, increasingly maddening and (ironically? paradoxically?) counter-productive. We are always doing more in a worse manner with less attention. And what do we do with the extra time we “gain”? More of the same shit we were doing before. To get more time to… do more of it? It’s insane, bordering on societal mass hysteria.

We’re all going to die, and all you did will mean nothing. So stop and smell the roses. Be kind to your fellow human being. Stop trying to get ahead and lift others with you instead.

kylecazar 5 days ago

I'm all for existentialism informing our ridiculous chase of productivity. But... learning new things before you kick the bucket can qualify as stopping and smelling the roses.

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latexr 5 days ago

I agree, what I’m rallying against is the notion of feeling you have to learn something. Which is what happens near the New Year, this sudden pressure of having a goal and doing something, this arbitrary point to making grandiose decisions.
What I’m suggesting instead is to not tie a date or a goal to it. Let your interests and desires guide your learning process, not the calendar. I’m also advocating for reflection in the choice of what to pursue. Learning manipulation techniques and scams because you’re interested in the ingenuity of ideas or want to better defend yourself and your loved ones may count as smelling the roses, but learning those same techniques to apply them to other people for personal gain does not.

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kiba 5 days ago

I find that in order to be more "productive", you need to be able to work on a few things for a long time before you could see any payoff.

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m_fayer 5 days ago

I like reframing New Year’s resolutions in a more humane way.

It’s an arbitrary day on the calendar, yes.

I want to grow as a person, in terms of character and ability. My desire to evolve is a product of curiosity and vitality and ethics, not some capitalist mania for MORE.

Putting a random day on the calendar where I tell myself that I’m at an inflection point, that I’ve decided to bend my path, it’s useful. There are religious holidays where you atone, forgive, and so on. Those are also just days on a calendar. But they serve a purpose.

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latexr 5 days ago

Which is all well and good, and if it works for you, I’m genuinely glad. But we know that’s not the case for most people. We know most set an unrealistic goal in the New Year which is never achieved (if it even lasts a month) then feel worse.
I’m suggesting that those who identify should cut themselves some slack and not feel pressured to have something planned to do in the New Year. Do it calmly. Don’t get hyper specific.
For example, instead of saying (in December) “I know nothing about plants, and in 2026 I’ll grow a giant sequoia”, one day during the year you may be walking around, see a book on home gardening with some seeds attached and decide to buy it to finally start to learn about plants.

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- m_fayer 5 days ago
  
  Thanks for the thoughtful clarification. I agree that what you’re saying is wisdom many people could use.
  
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