This is a good example of making use of the wisdom-about-human-nature that can be found in religious traditions and stories, regardless of that religion being correct or not.
After reading and thinking about this post, however, I’m left with a couple questions that are also relevant to my own lived experience:
Is it possible for one to have a singular ultimate aim, which is so broad as to function like the concept of “being” in Aristotelian philosophy, effectively devoid of useful meaning?
Regardless of the above, is it possible to have multiple truly incommensurable, yet personally ultimate values? And if so, what can a person who would otherwise be fully committed do to whole-heatedly pursue those values, given such a “split”?
(For transparency, I am someone with big ambitions, but who has shelved them for several years now, in order to gain & care for my wife & children, and attempt to pay down debts accrued from such necessities as healthcare and appliance repair/replacement. So I very viscerally feel the weight of not-choosing to work on things I would say I highly value, because I accept that I value the more clear and concrete things I have chosen to put first.)
This is a good example of making use of the wisdom-about-human-nature that can be found in religious traditions and stories, regardless of that religion being correct or not.
After reading and thinking about this post, however, I’m left with a couple questions that are also relevant to my own lived experience:
Is it possible for one to have a singular ultimate aim, which is so broad as to function like the concept of “being” in Aristotelian philosophy, effectively devoid of useful meaning?
Regardless of the above, is it possible to have multiple truly incommensurable, yet personally ultimate values? And if so, what can a person who would otherwise be fully committed do to whole-heatedly pursue those values, given such a “split”?
(For transparency, I am someone with big ambitions, but who has shelved them for several years now, in order to gain & care for my wife & children, and attempt to pay down debts accrued from such necessities as healthcare and appliance repair/replacement. So I very viscerally feel the weight of not-choosing to work on things I would say I highly value, because I accept that I value the more clear and concrete things I have chosen to put first.)