Comment by snarf21
2 days ago
Reminds me of Stewart Brand and the Clock of the Long Now (and other longer time horizon projects they are working on).
Reminds me of a statement he made during a Tim Ferris interview that I think is quite profound for our mental health. ".... being proud is the most reliable source of happiness that I know."
Proud of your work, not proud of yourself. The latter is quite a reliable source of unhappiness, I've found.
In the full quote, he is talking about fitness and being able to lift things and being proud of your abilities to do so. I'm not saying it works for everyone but it is nice to have a "thing" that you can hang your hat on. The whole interview is quite interesting and worth a read.
That's all fine and good. But nothing lasts. And then when you can no longer lift things, the humiliation you suffer is proportional to the pride you take in it.
Saying "it is nice to have a thing to hang your hat on" sounds like a very pleasant form of personal pride that is easy to let go of. But Hubris is a mortal sin for a valid spiritual reason, and pride is a slippery slope. The advice I gave--pride for your accomplishments, not for yourself--is similar to the advice to how to praise a child: for their efforts, not for their talents.