Tiens-toi a tes rêves

[tcpip]

The comedy site McSweeney's delivers the goods again, this time in the form of Nihilistic Password Security Questions. Whilst they are funny and grim, the second one really caught my attention: "In what year did you abandon your dreams?" It struck me on several levels, at least partially because I know that I haven't abandoned my dreams. Abandonment is a curse of course because it almost guarantees failure (the exception being a fortunate accident). Dreams, of course, can start vague and uncertain inspired by a human interest (love, emancipation, etc), but then must develop and solidify into practical tasks. In the process of doing so, one determines which are too fantastic, that require too many resources, and in which case they can be narrowed down to something very specific. I once expressed a vague dream of "helping to heal the world" in some undefined fashion. But in the past few months, re-awakened whilst I visiting Adelaide, I found a very specific and practical environmental engineering project that could contribute to satisfying the vague dream once expressed. It started as a single-page document ("Project Brief") and now is some twenty pages of examples of current technologies ("Project Initiation Document"), and I'm discussing it with the right people. I give credit to Adam B., who took absolutely no time to work out exactly what I planning to do; now that's a sign of insight and intuition. There's probably a dozen of you out there who know exactly what I'm up to.

At home, I must confess I am finding this snap Melbourne lockdown a little more difficult than it should. I suspect there is a lack of oxytocin, compounding on various life challenges. Nevertheless, this weekend experienced no less than three video-conference meetings. Saturday morning was a meeting with a new friend, Tina, a Canberra teacher who, albeit with a love of high literature, has progressed their teaching from tertiary, to secondary, and now to primary school level in their quest to avoid interfering bureaucrats. That evening was an alternative to planned gathering around the fire with Holly C., Luke M., Lousia G., Troy, John M., and Tabitha B. Very happy that Holly reminded me to check out a couple of well-designed online tests based for lifetraps and Young's schemas. It is perhaps not too surprising to discover that "emotional deprivation", "unrelenting standards", and "self-sacrifice" feature heavily in my results. Finally, with a planned birthday gathering cancelled multiple times, Amanda C., Dave M., and I caught up with Denny C., who has been such a good and true friend for so many years. Conversation on the evening ranged on matters of speculative fiction, music, and gaming which we all share some interest in. It would be great in the future for all these gatherings to be in person. Alas, such is the nature of The Plague. We will get through this. "All who, while unable to be saints but refusing to bow down to pestilences, strive their utmost to be healers." (Albert Camus, The Plague)

Comments

[motg]

One has pinched the McSweeney thing for FB. Too good not to share.

As for Camus... I am preparing a new website (for some indetermined date) in which I shall give a massive serve to many French philosophers. But not M. Camus. Never Camus. I despise L'Étranger. I do think it unworthy of him. But La Peste is a truly great book, and a standing reproach to cowards and collaborators everywhere.

[tcpip]

The works of Camus probably fit closer to existential or humanist psychology rather than philosophy, in my opinion. But such was the nature of the discipline at the time that almost anything that dealt with "the human condition" would be labelled philosophy.

And as you say, La Peste is a truly great book.

What are you going to have on your website?

[motg]

A great many matters relating to wizardry and metaphysics. It's all too text-dense right now. It will need to be broken up by cartoons. A long-term project, I fear :D

[motg]

btw has anyone but I noticed that Meursault's pre-death cogitation (In L'Étranger) is a probable hommage to the execution of Julien Sorel in Le Rouge et le Noir? Which was carried out, I seem to recall... 'without undue ostentation on Julien's part.'

Splendid understatement! I have no real wish to read Stendahl again; but he was a true romantic, in an idiosyncratically Gallic fashion.

[tcpip]

Maybe? Camus was quite clearly influenced by Stendhal.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/26278674

Little moments like these is why I really like annotated versions of novels. When literary scholars show how much of an author's work references the work of other authors I get a bit of a thrill over the continuing production and reproduction of culture.

[motg]

Well well! Glad I'm not imagining this!

[roguess]

I'm laughing so hard at those questions.

I saved those tests you linked to take a look later. They seem interesting.

Also, I should read The Plague. I remember picking up The Stranger at the age of 13 from the school's library, not understanding most of it, but becoming sorta obsessed by Camus. I even bought his journals a few years later. My undergrad thesis heavily featured him, too - and I remember my advisor saying "Camus is a good storyteller, but a terrible philosopher".

[tcpip]

I know, those security questions are all too real. :D

The tests were interesting, recommended to me by one of the state's best psychologists (as she will grudgingly admit if I push her on the topic). She makes the point that whilst we are more influenced by our experiences in childhood and adolescence than we would would care to admit, we are not bound by them, and self-awareness allows us to modify or recognise behaviours in ourselves that might otherwise be a problem.

I should mention that of the three schemas I mentioned none were "very strong", and "unrelenting standards", and "self-sacrifice" were "high-medium". I'm a pretty middling sort of personality in most aspects.

And yes, you should read The Plague. I think it's his best.

https://www.24grammata.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/The_Plague__Albert_Camus-24grammata.com_.pdf