NeedToUseYou
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Joined: 12/24/2005
From: None of your business
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quote:
ORIGINAL: NorthernGent
quote:
ORIGINAL: NeedToUseYou
What is the meaning of life.... hrmmmmm.....
If there is a thing near to universal meaning of life.
I'd say it's the desire to create and discover.
What person doesn't like to create something. The cook likes creating dishes from parts of otherwise less desirable components. The engineer makes machines and structures, that serve a greater purpose than there individual parts. The artist creates pictures, or sculptures. The scientist seeks to understand how things are created and function. To see and understand the process of creation manifest.
I'd say it would be impossible for anyone to be happy and content, living a life devoid of creating and discovering. It's just different people are interested in creating different things.
Agreed.
Then what? Place equal value on this creativity and endeavour?
Hrmmm, If I understand your question, my answer is..(I could be confused though at what you are getting at).
I'd argue their is a profitable niche that a person interested in damn near anything could find and make a decent living.
Most people are interested in a broad range of related things primarily. Like I'd say my general interest is engineering, I'm not a degreed engineer not even close by a long shot, but I don't have to be to find an occupation that utilizes that interest. So, since I'm a "tinkerer(=likes seeing how machines work and this extends to computer software" to a modest degree) mindset. I just have to find things that are complicated enough the lay person won't go about fixing it or making(software), but worth enough they'd want them fixed(made)=employment. An artist, can find work by compromising their specific interest in art to engage in mainstream art in a similiar manner, and do the "pure" work off the proceeds. A person interested in human interaction aspects, could be a number of things, like a cop, nurse, day care worker,sales, etc.... , depending on their specific interest, and any job you are "into" will get you recognized.
Now of course their are hamburger flipper jobs, but honestly those jobs are occupied by people that A. never explored their interests enough to develop skill in it. B. people that are young and haven't had time or yet to figure out what they are interested in.
I mean, not every job that pays a living wage requires a bachelors, masters, or even an associates degree. I went to three years of University to be a software developer, before I realized I was just casually interested in software and more interested in how shit works. And now all my money efforts just come from being involved in what I'm interested in over a period of time. The software stuff, I dabble in to make things to help the business side, and make dodads like a video player, or other "fun" stuff.
To put it shortly, I'd say the key to getting people to "value" you and your interest is to pursue that interest over the long term, until you gain the prerequisite knowledge and skill to perform tasks either daunting or undesirable to perform by the disinterested. You can go to college for that, or repair cars in your garage, or do hair out of a converted bedroom(I know 3 ladies that have done this). You get a reputation for being "good" at what you do, then education is not even important for many professions.
The people I've seen that seem to jump from job to job are those that never pursue their interest, so invariably will be unsatisfied, thus will never be desireable outside of the "monkey" work industry. Or those that have made so many bad choices as to cause them to be stuck, in a financial obligation nightmare.
This could just be my little universe, but I had "jobs" before, that I just did for "money". And I hated them, the insurance job I hated because though I was good at "faking" being interested in people, I'm not really all that interested in sitting and developing one-off relationships with people I'll never meet again. So, I was discontent. I finally just quit, and the only thing I liked was tinkering on stuff. Now, insurance sells would be a great job for a people person. So, I started by selling computers I'd buy and fix or build from scratch, it fulfilled the tinkering requirement to some degree, but not really as most computer hardware either works or doesn't, and fixing a computer is 90% of the time just changing settings, or wiping the drive, removing viruses, whatever. Now, I could of continued doing that but it sorta bored me, and the profit margin in computers isn't the greatest when dealing with consumer level product. So, while selling the computers, I started buying loads of returned stuff from department stores, and Lo and behold, I could take one of those apart and figure out what is wrong, and generally that applies to the other ones broken to. And I can take the parts and sell them to so others can repair their stuff. So, I can physically take a valueless object and turn into money. Now, that is a match.
Most people just don't do that, they look at "jobs" from a perspective of this "job" pays this much money. And I'd really prefer to X job by Y job pays Z amount more, so I'll do Y job. Well, who fricken cares, if you don't like it then you will not do as good of a job as if you liked it, and you won't be as happy. So, the individual suffers, society suffers, everyone suffers. And they'll never get "paid" well just off interest in something until they develop knowledge and skill in it, so it's a cycle unless they select to break it.
It's a choice, pursue your interest, and don't concern yourself, with a few dollars an hour. Or base ones life on stats and end up hating your job, and never developing a skill you'd want to have.
Sometimes, you just have to do it.
In the end chasing money, has cost me more money, than not chasing money. If I had started at 17 pursuing what trully interested me instead of chasing where I thought the money was, I'd be much much better off today.
So, I don't feel to much for those "trapped" in jobs that don't "allow" them to pursue their interests. Because from a US perspective, everyone has opportunity to do what they are interested in, given time, and effort. I find the lack of effort, and the willingness to accept short term set backs as a primary reason, one person is working at some job they don't like, and another doing something they do like.
It's a choice ultimately, to create value, by becoming skilled in something. You don't have to go to Havard, or any place, just go to where those that are interested in what you are at. And start doing something.
Now, That whole spewing of personal views, is entirely related to the western world. I do feel badly for those in the third world, they really don't have a choice. But I can't really do anything about it, I'd guess I contribute to that problem less than any person, on this board. As most of what I get and use was already disposed of by society(stores). Now, that is not to say it is junk, I've got 50 inch plasma TV's, Bose surround sound systems, that function and look new, etc... . But since we live in a throw away economy, a single easily fixable problem renders it "temporary" waste. And that is enslaving everyone that partakes.
For example, this is how anti-buying shit I am. I got some broken plasma screens, and I'm thinking of removing the white back panels(behind the tinted broken glass) and making my own solar panels out of them, put the cells where the old screen was. LOL. I just fucking hate wasting a perfectly good, metal backed surface, that is designed for a glass overlay and air tight. LOL> I'm crazy. That is immensely more interesting to me than, buying one.
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RE: what is the meaning of life? - 
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