I'm not really sure what you're trying to convince me of, here.
I'm not trying to convince you of anything. You asked questions. I answered them.
I do have an appreciation for those things. I find them enjoyable, distracting, but ultimately unsatisfying. That's like telling someone who eats a healthy diet to acquire an appreciation for candy.
Hm, so who's trying to convince who now? ;-)
I was annoyed by the smug and presumptuous tone of that article.
Interesting. I found its tone to be informative, helpful, and compassionately encouraging.
And as far as that goes, I absolutely fail to see the benefit of socializing with at least 90% of the people out there. They don't enjoy the things I enjoy and that's fine; why am I somehow deficient for failing to enjoy their activities?
Who said you were? Not even the article says that. The author wrote, in effect, that he realized that he was being a snob and missing out on things by insisting on making everything be about ideas and rightness and sharing his knowledge, instead of just enjoying the moments, and by judging people with less raw intelligence as being beneath him. I don't see where he said anybody was being deficient in anything.
My only point was that sometimes socializing is useful for winning -- even if it's just enjoying yourself at times when things aren't going your way. I personally found that it limited my life too much to have to have a negative response to purely- or primarily- social interactions with low informational or practical content. Now I have the choice of being able to enjoy them for what they are, which means I have more freedom and enjoyment in my life.
But notice that at no time or place did I use the word "deficiency" to describe myself or anyone else in that. Unfulfilled potential does not equal deficiency unless you judge it to be such.
And if you don't judge or fear it to be such, why would the article set you off? If you were really happy with things as they are, wouldn't you'd have just said, "oh, something I don't need", and went on with your life? Why so much protest?
I don't see where he said anybody was being deficient in anything.
This was the impression I got from the article's tone, as well as your previous comments--an impression of "you should do this for your own good". If that was not the intent, I apologize, it is easy to misread tone over the internet.
...And if you don't judge or fear it to be such, why would the article set you off? If you were really happy with things as they are, wouldn't you'd have just said, "oh, something I don't need", and went on with your life? Why so much prote
I've often had half-finished LW post ideas and crossed them off for a number of reasons, mostly they were too rough or undeveloped and I didn't feel expert enough. Other people might worry their post would be judged harshly, or feel overwhelmed, or worried about topicality, or they just want some community input before adding it.
So: this is a special sort of open thread. Please post your unfinished ideas and sketches for LW posts here as comments, if you would like constructive critique, assistance and checking from people with more expertise, etc. Just pile them in without worrying too much. Ideas can be as short as a single sentence or as long as a finished post. Both subject and presentation are on topic in replies. Bad ideas should be mined for whatever good can be found in them. Good ideas should be poked with challenges to make them stronger. No being nasty!