Gaah, how do you deal with general feeling of "everything's shit"?
The work thing I used to love and felt like it was impactful (Unity) has been going downhill for many years, and so far does not look like it wants to stop going downhill.
What I dabble with now (Blender) feels useful, but I'm too afraid to take on more impactful areas/work/responsibilities.
And then, everything outside of "just ye olde coding" feels like it is going to shit.
Argh!
1. Cultural Relativism
Whats meaningful in human life and what's not is culturally defined. What motivates us, what allows us to keep going every day, is something that we must create ourselves, almost always with the help of others, fundamentally shaped by the communities we are a part of and the company we keep. This means that to some extent, you get to decide for yourself what's meaningful and what's not.
2. Critical Thinking
We don't have to accept whatever premise is given to us by our parents / by history / by "common sense".
It's clear that our world is rife with contradictions, charades, scams, and farces. I've been able to navigate them with my own judgement, and even though my perspective on things might be outside of most people's Overton Window, I've been right when everyone else is wrong enough times that it gives me hope for my ability to successfully employ bullet point number
3. Creativity
Alan Watts:
> .....it is consoling to be able to think that in this contradictory world we are but strangers and pilgrims. For if our desires are out of accord with anything the finite world can offer, it might seem that our nature is not of this world. That our hearts are made, not for the finite, but for infinity. The discontent of our souls would appear to be the sign and seal of their divinity.
....
History has been full of surprises, from the earth going around the sun instead of vice versa, to the printing press, to the double slit experiment. There's so much left to discover, even about humanity and ourselves. The internet never happened before, and it's still up to us how it turns out. There is every indication that it's still possible to create amazing things out of nothing, and truly make a difference. In fact, it's realistic that the "amazing" part of your work could even blossom after you die, like it's happened to so many others before.
4. Hard Work
I acknowledge that I'm unlikely to truly make a difference and make things better, just like everyone else. Some days I feel like I'm much more likely to drink myself to death.
But still, I feel compelled to fight, to strategize, to organize, and to maintain. I've seen results from doing this, and heard from other people that it matters and that it means something, which in turn, helps it mean something to me.
