"If you pursue the path with genuine interest and curiosity, and with your whole self, not because you want to get rich or some other inauthentic motive, then there is no such thing as failure. You either succeed or you learn."
I suppose. Though some of us pursued "the path" with our whole selves only to land in a position in which they weren't sure if they could afford, you know, basic medical care. And were actually OK with that and continued pursuing "the path," up until the point they had a child and couldn't justify putting that child at the same risk they'd accepted for themselves.
It's somewhat hard to square the above quote with the viral essay that led me to your work. There is such a thing as failure in the pursuit: It is having to submit to wage work. Because not every passion that one pursues with interest and curiosity and the whole self is one that can provide even the most basic level of personal safety/sustenance, at least not in an environment in which everything is engineered around said wage work.
Don't get me wrong: I like hearing the stories of the people who pursued what they love and made it work, one way or another. It's just that those stories are over-represented because of survival bias. The truth, I think, is that a lot of people are like me: They know what they love, they pursued it wholeheartedly as long as they could without it killing them and/or others, it didn't work, and they were left to figure out how to piece together a life in the aftermath of that failure with what was at hand. And there we are working for wages.
Thank you for this penetrating confessional. I have much to say, but I'm quite under the weather at the moment. There is alot of background information I would need to give by way of reply. My future writings, I hope, will explain how I would move forward in the aftermath of a life-collapse such as you describe.
It's so hard in today's world not to feel like everything's meaningless. We're the most digitally connected we've ever been and yet the loneliest. I've recently deconstructed from religion, pivoted from my degree, drifted from surface-level friendships and lost love. When you don't know who you are, with no one to hold you, in a world that lives to exploit you, your grip to life weakens, and the journey towards purpose renders still. But like you said, "If you want meaning, you have to stay". I didn't expect those words to touch me the way they did. Perhaps the path of curiosity surpasses the path to greatness; the only way to find out is to follow it, stay, and see where it leads. Thank you for reminding me that life is worth staying for.
Love how you used the words “zone” and “domain,” because our interests usually do start out rather general, and it’s not until we experiment with different ways to apply them do we find a calling that feels authentic. For a long time I felt stuck because I didn’t know exactly what it was I wanted to do. I knew I enjoyed writing, but I kept asking “how is that helpful if I don’t know what to do with that info? Is the answer to get a mfa? Become a journalist? Do copywriting?” I had decision paralysis, and it kept me from doing anything that would actually help me gain clarity on how to apply my love for writing.
In my own experience where our passions intersect with where we are most challenged in life is often where are true calling lies. Once we find that intersection we must never allow complacency to set in. We must delving deeper and deeper.
Thank you for this! This came at just the right time for me when I've been finding myself in a state of paralysis. There is so much wisdom in just taking that first step and doing. Even if that step ends up leading you somewhere you're not quite meant to be, it usually has a way of pointing you back on the path.
"If you pursue the path with genuine interest and curiosity, and with your whole self, not because you want to get rich or some other inauthentic motive, then there is no such thing as failure. You either succeed or you learn."
I suppose. Though some of us pursued "the path" with our whole selves only to land in a position in which they weren't sure if they could afford, you know, basic medical care. And were actually OK with that and continued pursuing "the path," up until the point they had a child and couldn't justify putting that child at the same risk they'd accepted for themselves.
It's somewhat hard to square the above quote with the viral essay that led me to your work. There is such a thing as failure in the pursuit: It is having to submit to wage work. Because not every passion that one pursues with interest and curiosity and the whole self is one that can provide even the most basic level of personal safety/sustenance, at least not in an environment in which everything is engineered around said wage work.
Don't get me wrong: I like hearing the stories of the people who pursued what they love and made it work, one way or another. It's just that those stories are over-represented because of survival bias. The truth, I think, is that a lot of people are like me: They know what they love, they pursued it wholeheartedly as long as they could without it killing them and/or others, it didn't work, and they were left to figure out how to piece together a life in the aftermath of that failure with what was at hand. And there we are working for wages.
Thank you for this penetrating confessional. I have much to say, but I'm quite under the weather at the moment. There is alot of background information I would need to give by way of reply. My future writings, I hope, will explain how I would move forward in the aftermath of a life-collapse such as you describe.
It's so hard in today's world not to feel like everything's meaningless. We're the most digitally connected we've ever been and yet the loneliest. I've recently deconstructed from religion, pivoted from my degree, drifted from surface-level friendships and lost love. When you don't know who you are, with no one to hold you, in a world that lives to exploit you, your grip to life weakens, and the journey towards purpose renders still. But like you said, "If you want meaning, you have to stay". I didn't expect those words to touch me the way they did. Perhaps the path of curiosity surpasses the path to greatness; the only way to find out is to follow it, stay, and see where it leads. Thank you for reminding me that life is worth staying for.
Love how you used the words “zone” and “domain,” because our interests usually do start out rather general, and it’s not until we experiment with different ways to apply them do we find a calling that feels authentic. For a long time I felt stuck because I didn’t know exactly what it was I wanted to do. I knew I enjoyed writing, but I kept asking “how is that helpful if I don’t know what to do with that info? Is the answer to get a mfa? Become a journalist? Do copywriting?” I had decision paralysis, and it kept me from doing anything that would actually help me gain clarity on how to apply my love for writing.
In my own experience where our passions intersect with where we are most challenged in life is often where are true calling lies. Once we find that intersection we must never allow complacency to set in. We must delving deeper and deeper.
What a thought provoking piece! Thank you; I might have benefited by reading this some decades ago.
Thanks, Omar. This is my introduction to your writing. I'll need to reread it to completely soak it in.
This will remain with me always. Great work.
Gold. This has to be narrated in your voice.
Lovely. Inspiring and beautifully written. Much to ponder here. Thank you.
Thank you for this! This came at just the right time for me when I've been finding myself in a state of paralysis. There is so much wisdom in just taking that first step and doing. Even if that step ends up leading you somewhere you're not quite meant to be, it usually has a way of pointing you back on the path.
Also contemplate your Gene Keys. 🙏
Autotelic!