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Old Sep 26, 2015, 08:13 PM
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vital vital is offline
Grand Poohbah
 
Member Since: Oct 2014
Location: Boston
Posts: 1,589
Quote:
Originally Posted by ScientiaOmnisEst View Post
...
The same way I get upset reading about people being crazy-successful in academic fields I don't care much for. The point is they're intelligent enough to do it and, the way I look at it in that moment, displays that they're better people who will undoubtedly have happier, more fulfilling and meaningful lives, the likes of which I'll never experience...

Or at least that's how I think in the moment.
I think a lot of people in academic fields feel intimidated by the top universities and by people there, but if you hang out with those guys, you realize that they're just like everyone else. Being good mostly comes from caring a lot about what you're doing, having good taste, being persistent and flexible and from training yourself rather than from some intrinsic property you have like intelligence.

Besides, what do you really want? Thousands of academic citations? Respect in some field? Fame? The big bucks? None of that stuff compares with breathing fresh air, eating good food, feeling healthy, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, feeling your mind working, having good friends and family.

....Although I have to admit, it would be nice to be a billionaire, I imagine. Soooo relaxing, it would be.