Behind most arguments there's the idea that "This world would be better if there were more of me" and it's shadow "This world would be better if there were less of you."
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Since attention is a zero-sum game, these are synonymous. If there's more of me, by necessity there's less of you. The only way this isn't zero-sum is by manipulating the boundaries around the circles of attention. E.g. forming tribes, groups, countries, communities, etc...
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One of the reasons families and children may disrupt the conflict snowball is because children allow you the "More of me" victory without having to deal with the "Less of you" violence. (overall population growth also increases the attention pie)
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Violence is 'bad' when it's only purpose is "less of you" without a corresponding "more of me" drive that makes the violence more 'honorable'. It becomes purely destructive and seems to actually have internally accepted that "more of me" isn't good or possible.
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We create our own demons by deeming humans hopeless and cutting them off from the light.
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Though attention of individual humans is finite, actual attention isn't. E.g. companies fight over the attention of "John" with credit card number 123 and 50K to spend. But actual "John" is a Ship of Theseus.
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What companies fight over is the "identity" that controls a pool of money. What individuals fight over is the identity that controls pools of friendship/status/power/etc..
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But because that identity is technically every-changing in a "you can't step in the same river twice" way, a certain type of attention is infinite, even at the micro level. It's similar to how young children see everything in the world as interesting. Boredom isn't possible.
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The more tethered the identity, the more constrained life feels and the more conflict is inevitable. "I" as a concept grows in necessary solidity and responsibility the more I have to manage bank accounts, investments, children, friendships, twitter, etc.....
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A sense of solidity brings increased capacity for boredom which is only cancelled out by the increased meaning of being more solid. A Story like Harry Potter is more meaningful than a jumble of thoughts about wizards and magic.
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If solidity is increased without being balanced by meaning, then existence becomes meaningless and stale. A typical trope is someone who sacrifices a lot for money but is still alone and unhappy.
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I suspect for myself, one of the reasons I feel bored a lot is because money brings me a sense of safety. The more I have of it, the more imaginary freedom I can imagine in my imaginary future. I can't creatively used it because it competes zero-sum w/ my sense of safety.
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At at rational level I know that money can't protect me against any "real" disasters. There's a sense of waiting for permission to live, e.g. having enough money where I can walk away from the stupid shit I have to deal with trying to make it.
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"And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God" If you identify as rich and try to take something with you to the 'other side', then you haven't really grasped where you're going.
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To fully 'let go' is the same as 'dying before you die' is the same as the 'courage to face death' is the same as 'accepting your humanity' is the same as 'accepting yourself'.
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In a way it's easy. All you have to do is have more courage than a camel.
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End of conversation
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