philosophies of life
one of the main issues with a great philosphy of life, that one should try to experience everything possible, is that some things simply aren’t possible. while this can be taken in many ways, the way i focus is typically in the brain. i happen to be very jealous of synesthetes. their life is defined by experiences and sensations that others simply cannot relate to. this strand can be taken to its logical and extreme end, experiences that are interesting but i would not necessarily welcome upon myself, like not being able to fully express myself, or this interesting case from a mathematician-cum-artist. Oliver Sacks has made a literary side-career of the interesting-and-entertaining-but-thank-goodness-its-not-me case studies of examples like this.
this can be taken outside of the brain too. stories of surving a fall from a plane (with or without a parachute, or from a building), or some of the great and not so great wanderer-travellers, they are all inherently interesting. especially exasperated by my belief that i am omnipotent and indestructable, matters like the fact that less people have swum the English Channel than climbed Mt. Everest, or the toughest day in sports being Ironman Kona and it being possible for a “normal guy,” just make me want to do all of it.
unfortunately, the only discernible conclusion i have ever drawn from this a)i dont physically have the unique neuronal architecture linking my senses, and thus have a neverendingly normal approach to sensation… no tasting music or touching math problems. i simply, bioligically, cannot have the life they have, and b)i won’t enjoy the same highs and lows in life as other people. i mostly use this to look at athletes - i will never, ever, feel the same amount of joy as a world cup winning star. much as i may not like him, fabio cannavaro must have had the ultimate happiness in life, being the most valuable (debatedly, but he got the trophy) asset to a champion team in the most public and global event we hold. if i had a guess, i would say achieving your life’s goal, and having it happen in front of billions of people, would be pretty great. and it just ain’t gonna happen for me. does this just mean other people have better lives than me and im jealous? argh…
