I started writing on Substack

[3DStudent]

I did chuckle to myself when I thought about how many times I have day dreamed about winning the lottery and not having to work ("how free you would be" sings the siren!), but not once have I felt compelled to actually go and buy a lottery ticket..! Perhaps on some level I know that being a wealthy gentleman of leisure is not on my 'lesson' profile..!

Given the session where it was said that anyone who possibly would donate those large sums to FOTCM, that may be something even less likely than the already minuscule chances. But I think you'd have to find something to occupy yourself if you weren't working.

I listened to this again as a quick podcast recently. I feel like I'm if not at least hovering on the edges of it, then I'm in an actual burnout. It's characterized by exhaustion, no enthusiasm / negative feelings towards work, and inability to perform. So this has been on my mind lately. I just had some thoughts as I listened:

There are "pay as you go" models, so why not "work as you go"? Basically you only work when you need to earn more money. I suppose it's called commission work? I just think that sometimes I need a longer break in between workdays. I was thinking also that the most valuable currency is one's own life. And if your job drains more energy than you make (or seemingly) then that's counter-intuitive. Finally, there was the idea of forging your own work and life. There may be many unique situations for just about every individual.

I wonder if anyone has successfully implemented the C's idea of ditching the programmed ideas of conventional work, based on the 40 hour work week? The joke goes that if you work for someone else you work 40 hours a week, but when you become self-employed you work 24/7.

 

[whitecoast]

Given the session where it was said that anyone who possibly would donate those large sums to FOTCM, that may be something even less likely than the already minuscule chances. But I think you'd have to find something to occupy yourself if you weren't working.

I listened to this again as a quick podcast recently. I feel like I'm if not at least hovering on the edges of it, then I'm in an actual burnout. It's characterized by exhaustion, no enthusiasm / negative feelings towards work, and inability to perform. So this has been on my mind lately. I just had some thoughts as I listened:

There are "pay as you go" models, so why not "work as you go"? Basically you only work when you need to earn more money. I suppose it's called commission work? I just think that sometimes I need a longer break in between workdays. I was thinking also that the most valuable currency is one's own life. And if your job drains more energy than you make (or seemingly) then that's counter-intuitive. Finally, there was the idea of forging your own work and life. There may be many unique situations for just about every individual.

I wonder if anyone has successfully implemented the C's idea of ditching the programmed ideas of conventional work, based on the 40 hour work week? The joke goes that if you work for someone else you work 40 hours a week, but when you become self-employed you work 24/7.

It definitely is a Guedjieffian super effort to disconnect from one totally habituated lifestyle to another more entrepreneurial one. It takes a lot more being, or so I think. When you're opening yourself up to more of life and its uncertainties and opportunities with an intention to grow, I think you are challenged to develop ways to see and listen to the environment more, and that growth, especially if it's done in the act of service, can provide "free energy" (a term used in thermodynamic chemistry) which can then be used to transform parts of your life little by little.

 

[luc]

There are "pay as you go" models, so why not "work as you go"? Basically you only work when you need to earn more money. I suppose it's called commission work?

A warning: this mostly doesn't work. The thing is, if you are freelancing or doing contract work, you will likely have repeat customers, and people will recommend you etc. If you say no too many times, chances are you will be out of the game at some point and can't just get back the moment you need it.

In other words, your activity will generate new pressures. It's even worse of course if you start a real business with employees, expenses and such.

What you can hope for though is more flexibility during times where you don't have a lot of work or pressure. You can take days off, work when you like, etc. But then it's a fine line between nice downtime and worry about paying the rent.

For me, the biggest lesson is to embrace the slow times and make the most of the freedom without too much worry - precisely because it's often not a choice, but simply happens.

 

[luc]

The recent essay seems to have had quite some impact: some people seem to have been very emotionally affected by it, in a good way. I even heard about cathartic tears. Didn't expect that at all!

Feel free to share your thoughts and to spread/share it, if you like:

The Enlightenment is Dead, Long Live the Enlightenment

On intellectual savagery

luctalks.substack.com

 

[Voyageur]

Just chiming in, luc to say that these substack posts that arrive in my mailbox are most welcomed. Usually read with coffee in the morning. The last two:

Classical Liberalism or Post-Liberalism?

Both are wrong, dialectic is a bitch, and it's the Reformation, stupid

luctalks.substack.com

Hitler, the Ultimate Rorschach Test

The rise of Nazism and how to study history

luctalks.substack.com

were more than good reading for the thinking cap. Always glad of your references to Collingwood, who certainly made a historical impact on me.

Thank you!

 

[luc]

Just chiming in, luc to say that these substack posts that arrive in my mailbox are most welcomed. Usually read with coffee in the morning. The last two:

Classical Liberalism or Post-Liberalism?

Both are wrong, dialectic is a bitch, and it's the Reformation, stupid

luctalks.substack.com

Hitler, the Ultimate Rorschach Test

The rise of Nazism and how to study history

luctalks.substack.com

were more than good reading for the thinking cap. Always glad of your references to Collingwood, who certainly made a historical impact on me.

Thank you!

Thank you, that means a lot.

It's funny, Laura has been saying (and demonstrating) for a long time how absolutely crucial it is to think historically, and to do historical research. But I never quite believed that, never quite got it. But frustrating as it can be, since you are always dealing with these tiny puzzle pieces and part of you just screams "give me the Truth already, the whole Truth!", that's not how it works. True liberation comes from the very process of figuring out these tiny puzzle pieces and using your mind, your experience, your whole Being to weave them into a narrative that gets you a step closer, that captures something important and real and true. Which then becomes part of your experience and Being, which you can use for your next foray - rinse and repeat.

Well, can it be, can it really be, that I have finally seen the light?? Hallelujah!