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bradhetoday at 10:11 AM12 repliesview on HN

When you're successful and rich (enough, at least), this is a nice whimsical thing to say. When you're suffering in the trenches, this isn't very helpful.


Replies

julienmarietoday at 10:42 AM

On the contrary, read the piece. He's not saying it from comfort, he's saying it after a heart attack, after his kids grew up, after the form he loved became a young man's game. The farce isn't a punchline delivered from above; it's what's left when the registers that used to hold you don't anymore. And his answer isn't despair, it's "we've got to keep trying… there's a breeze beneath my wings." That's not whimsy. That's the thing the trenches actually teach you, if you survive them.

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reedf1today at 10:40 AM

I'm not sure what you are trying to express here. Is it "rich people shouldn't express their worldview" or "the idea that life is inherently meaningless is incorrect"? A younger me ingested this sentiment as a call to action to create the meaning I wanted in the world.

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djeastmtoday at 12:30 PM

Did you read the interview? He basically says as much.

>There’s no question that the security that you feel from not being afraid of a health issue or housing is a great comfort and helps you to be more at peace with life. It’s just not as much help as you think it should be.

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coldteatoday at 11:30 AM

That's backwards: it is helpful to keep that in mind precisely when you're suffering in the trenches.

Rich and succesful people try to forget that, which is their hubris.

mrleinadtoday at 11:23 AM

I doubt Bill Hicks was that rich. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgzQuE1pR1w

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AndrewKemendotoday at 11:46 AM

Having been in both, literally and metaphorically, it’s a useful mantra both places

You can also use “this too shall pass” if you want a lighter version

bell-cottoday at 10:27 AM

Yeah - but it may be a good way to articulate a bleak, from-the-trenches perspective on the world.

sphtoday at 10:29 AM

Your comment is exactly what successful and rich people say. You can find a lot of joy and acceptance among the poorest of people: the mind is remarkably adaptable, yet it's only those that always strive for more that cannot enjoy life's little moments.

I truly dislike this recent trend of making people feel bad if they have learned to just slow down and be content with life. "It's privilege being able to take a break and smell the roses, I'm too busy for this nonsense" is protestant crab mentality that I find revolting.

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lo_zamoyskitoday at 10:50 AM

Strictly speaking, meaninglessness is opposed to farce. You can’t have both utter meaninglessness and farce, because meaning is intrinsic to farce.

Comedy presupposes meaning, because comedy hinges on the absurd, but the absurd is a departure from meaning or a deviation from it. Something is absurd when it fails to be meaningful and fails to satisfy the rational in the broader context of rational meaning.

There is no laughter in the utterly meaningless. There cannot be silliness without an overarching context of seriousness.