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- Being a Good Life Absolutist
“Efficiency," of course, is futile .... It has no philosophy for incidents before they happen; therefore it has no power of choice. An act can only be successful or unsuccessful when it is over; if it is to begin, it must be, in the abstract, right or wrong. There is no such thing as backing a winner; for he cannot be a winner when he is backed. There is no such thing as fighting on the winning side; one fights to find out which is the winning side. If any operation has occurred, that operation was efficient.... A man who thinks much about success must be the drowsiest sentimentalist; for he must be always looking back. If he only likes victory he must always come late for the battle. For the man of action there is nothing but idealism.”
Good ole GK is back. Helping us out make some sense of the new world. He was, from our perspective, living in the old world. But you can see he was wrestling with ideas that a lot of people think are purely modern.
Efficiency and Life
Yes, but not at the expense of a good life.
In fact, my totally personal opinion, this is the answer to everything. Here is a list of hot topics, which in some way, include efficiency:
political organization - Right or Left
economic systems - Right or Left
automation
technology
ambition and success
NONE of these matter to me if they do not lead to a good life. I am old enough to have realized, too late, that the hardest thing is to decide what the good life looks like, and to live it.
What Is the Good Life…in 2 Photos
This is what Good Life looks like, in my professional opinion…
Good Life captured in a kitchen
We had this, and it was the peak of human achievement. A house on a plot of land. The land produced some food, which was brought into the kitchen, with muddy shoes and barefoot kids. The neighbours would pop by for a drink. Anytime.
This is what today’s nerds call Anti-Fragile.
I call it a home. The Good Life.
And here is what is NOT the good life, but meets all the moderns definitions of awesome.
Monstrously depressing efficient kitchen
Obviously the person living here ain’t living their best life. Probably single and working all day. The kitchen looks perfect because it is not used. No kids, no wife or husband. And yet - this is the definition of success in our quest for efficiency and the lie of the modern life.
Anti-System
Gen X has been all over the spectrum politically. We have been through it all. This is probably why Gen X are also the most apolitical generation.
It’s not really about Anarchy, although it is interesting to a degree. We need some sort of system to organize some things, but man….do we need it to be a religion. With its own flags, and high-priests, and fan boys?
Not for me. Not any more. Fooled me once, fooled me twice - whatever Bush said. It’s over.
We are now about OUR system. OUR system for OUR good life.
Efficiency got us sterile kitchens and childless apartments in the sky. It got us systems that make tax revenue from citizens’ addictions. It got us health care systems that kill as much as they cure.
Nah man. I’m gonna go plant some carrots.
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