Future Essay Ideas
This page should serve as a place to hash out all of my ideas that I don't quite have a clear structure for yet, but have a vague enough idea that I know where I want to go with them. If there's anyone who feels strongly about these topics and would be interested in talking about them with me, let me know! I will credit you in the essay.
There are two spectrums of feelings. One is the whole range of emotions you feel biologically, that are out of your control to an extent. The other refers to the range of emotions one can only experience after an extended period of time concentrating and focusing on yourself and the situation you're in. You need to put in effort to experience the latter, and I think that's what makes us human. Non sequitur(?) but I think most people don't really experience the latter, and hence don't really actualize their true selves.
A critique on how fiction uses the concept of coincidences to refer to the highest and most 'natural' form of beauty and the 'right' outcome, whereas life rarely, if ever, works like that. You attain the 'right' outcome through intention, even if it doesn't seem that way. I think when we (authors) get complete control over what our worlds could look like, we like to give up control, to let some universal overlord dictate our paths and write our stories, because we've told ourselves, nothing's sexier than destiny.
Why it's okay to rehash ideas by others in new essays as long as they reach different audiences and are said in different ways. (This one is cope for me not being able to come up with original ideas) What are things few people agree with you on (See the previous point)
My thoughts on this quote:
I think it's quite possible to become too happy and content, so much so that you lose your ability to influence the outside world. If everyone was perfectly happy with the status quo, change would never occur and decay would prevail
The idea that suffering and sacrifice is necessary, to achieve anything worthwhile. I'd go so far as to say, these aren't inherently negative things in nature, they're merely part of the exchange we make for anything. I don't think one truly grasps the whole extent of humanity, if they don't undergo these feelings.
I think its much easier to be a great classical musician or sportsperson because the path is meticulously defined, as opposed to something like being a great entrepreneur or parent. However, one thing that works out in the musicians and sportsperson's favor is how they know exactly what they have to do to be great, and have significantly more control over their future as opposed to the latter. Thus it's easier for them to devote their whole life to the act of practise itself, because that's all their is. It makes for pretty good stories and movies too.