from "Deep Conversation Topics"
- What does the ideal life look like? some books to read, notebooks to write in, movies to watch, plants in the windows, cats to borrow now and then, and the occasional vacation
- What are the highest and lowest points of your life? maybe it's the extreme and contradictory nature of things up to this point, but I just don't think of my life that way. Individual highs and lows, yes. Even higher and lower general periods, like 'college was fun' and 'grad school was rough' and '2003-4 kind of made me want to punch the world in the throat' and '2020 has been all over the map but it's still a good one.' I suppose I'm superstitious about naming lowest point because it seems like an invitation to the universe to outdo whatever my imagination could have dreamed up. And certainly, I'm leery of naming a highest point, because what then, to look forward to?
- What's something terrifying that we've all come to accept as a fact of life? mosquitoes
- What is the most uplifting thing happening in the world right now? since all this stay at home order and lockdown began, I have had some surprisingly deep and satisfying conversations with unexpected acquaintances. Those connections - which never would have happened before - are the best, most uplifting side effect of some terrible circumstances.
- What is the purpose of a human life? laughing. No other species has "a sense of humor" as such, so it's our responsibility to perpetuate that as much as we possibly can, in whatever ways we are able. Lighten the fuck up!
- What is holding you back from being the person you want to be? ankle and wrist restraints
- If you had to sum up the whole human species in 3 words, what would you choose? self-centered, afraid, delusional
- How important are morals in a healthy society? What are the most important morals for citizens to have? morals are enormously important. The problem is that to determine which are "the most important" is to wander rather far afield from what one can know, for sure. I have little trouble expressing my ethics in concrete terms; ethnical boundaries are essentially black and white. Moral limits, though, are far more shaded with gray, situational, and nuanced. "Most important" can - and ought to - vary by circumstance, the people involved, the intention, the effect, the damage (or lack), and on and on.
- If you died today, how would you be remembered? for the taste of my ... book collection
- How have your strengths helped you to succeed? How have your faults hindered you? I am endlessly curious, tenacious, and willing to suffer to achieve a goal. Those strengths have gotten me through school and earned some rewards at work. They've gotten my butt in gear to pack and move everything I own more times than I care to recall. They've helped pull me through many hard spots. However, I can also be pessimistic, preoccupied, and extremely stubborn. Those faults have held me back from trying new things, seeing the good in people, or giving others the chance to know me in a full and vulnerable way.
- Is what we perceive reality, or just a construct of our minds? Can our minds correctly interpret reality or is reality subjective? what each of us perceives is reality, which is a construct of our minds. It is fallacious to apply the term 'correct' to interpretation. "Reality" is clearly subjective. What is the point in arguing anything different? It's all about perspective. As Dennis Miller used to say, "How do I know... that the color blue to you is the same as the color blue... to me??"
- What does it mean to die well? having a current (financial) estate plan that has been communicated to all interested parties. Having made one's wishes known regarding the disposition of one's remains - and made financial plans for it if possible. Having made peace with family and friends, and expressed one's true feelings for them while it was still possible. Finally, having reconciled oneself with death and going in peace.
[excerpted from here; the title quotation is by Epictetus]
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