The golden fleece and impossible standards

2023-04-24

Raw link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TRd0ag-KMM

In this ~35 minute walk I philosophise about unattainable standards and unclear desires in our life. I briefly mention the myth of Jason and the Argonauts to then draw connections between the insights of that story and everyday affairs. What I cover, in short:

• We have a propensity to discount or underappreciate what we have. Instead, we have a longing for magical solutions—the golden fleece—that will elevate us to great heights.

• We let go of what we have in pursuit of the unattainable. As we fail to attain that, we ultimately feel bad about ourselves, rationalising our failure as inadequacy and worthlessness.

• I draw a parallel between the golden fleece and the incessant pursuit for the killer app, using Emacs as a case in point.

• When we do not know exactly what we want, we cannot get it. Even if something can read our mind, it still needs to find a mind that is clear. Otherwise we have “garbage in; garbage out.”

• Lengthy commentary on impossible standards that govern our life. I explain the scope of application and how we must be aware of it when particularising an abstraction.

• I am interested in the multifacetedness of the human condition to find precepts that work for humans, not exalted beings.