Been reflecting on wealth and success (in conventional sense, which may involve some combination of wealth, fame, accomplishment, historic impact, etc) lately. Both are things I am not personally very motivated by. But they are not things I have a problem with either.
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The US is a society that fetishizes wealth and success. It takes its societal organization cues almost entirely from the dynamics of wealth and success. Much can be explained by people either idolizing or demonizing wealth and success.
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There’s no such thing as a centrist in the US when it comes to wealth/success. Believing that wealth/success are neither essentially good/evil, or virtuous/sinful, is not an option. You must construct a totalizing view of society as an extension of wealth/success views.
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This is something I cannot grok deeply. I can only run American “wealth/success calculus” in emulation mode. I know many wealthy and/or successful people as well as many destitute and/or unsuccessful people. W/S has low correlation with whether I’ll find someone interesting.
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To me wealthy or successful people are simply people who set out to solve for wealth or success in some sense, and succeed. Others who try, fail. It is what it is. Their stories reveal very little about the nature of the human condition beyond the nature of wealth/success.
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Replying to @vgr
wealth brings freedom. Freedom from working for a living. That is a massive aspect of life, complete bondage. People who set out to free themselves from bondage is absolutely an interesting part of the human condition. Also, if you don't want to free yourself, that is a signal
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Replying to @PaulSkallas
Read Arendt on the sovereignty vs freedom. You’re talking about the former. There is a robust case made over centuries that the fullest freedom lies in mutuality. To use words like “bondage” to tar vast areas of human experience with connotations of slavery is to blind yourself
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Replying to @vgr
no blinding yourself is to look at employment as anything other than a variant of ancient slavery. You are not free if you are an employee. You are free the hours after you stop working, until the day you start working comes again. This is literal bondage https://medium.com/incerto/how-to-legally-own-another-person-4145a1802bf6 …
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We’re talking past each other. Bye.
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