3/ If nobody is trying too hard to stop you doing what you want, your itches will determine what you do.
Conversation
Replying to
4/ Good exercise to figure out your itches is to ask what your life would have been like 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400 years ago
1
5
8
Replying to
5/ That's coming of age in: 1964, 1914, 1814, 1614, 1214, 414, 1187 BC, 4387 BC. All of post hunter-gatherer history basically.
2
1
1
Replying to
6/ Spanning all history averages out skills of era and grand narrative biases (passions). That leaves basic itches that drive you.
1
2
Replying to
7/ Do it with some, but not too much historical accuracy. Adopt artistic license. Then ask what's common to those counterfactual lives.
1
2
1
Replying to
8/ I did the exercise and discovered my 2 drives are: a) getting the hell away from strong community ties, b) seeking beauty in ugliness.
3
1
5
Replying to
I've always imagined I'd be a Thomas Jefferson-like farmer ordering seeds and farming journals from overseas. Always experimenting.
1
1
Replying to
You have to get more historically accurate for the exercise to work. Enough that stories at diff time points differ.
1
Replying to
yeah, haven't ever tried putting myself in time without somewhat advanced science. That was a persistent day dream I had growing up
1
1
Replying to
I go the most insight out of my pre-1200 AD what-ifs. Older is better.
Replying to
I likely would have been the orchestrator of attempting to invent something then bundling a marketplace around it.


