The road less travelled is less travelled for very good reasons

[robinturner]

It has come to my attention that almost all of the problems in my life are the result of taking responsibility. In particular, taking responsibility for the well-being of others is the kind of good intention which the road to Hell is said to be paved with.

My advice to those who are still young enough not to make the mistakes I made ...

1. Live for transient pleasures - they are much better, and provide better memories than the fruits of diligent labour.
2. Only enter into relationships where the other person is unlikely to make demands on you. One-night stands are the best, but casual dating is OK.
3. Never take any job that offers the prospect of long-term employment. Jobs that involve helping people are OK, so long as the people concerned piss off quickly - school crossing attendant is good.
4. Donate a small part of your income to worthy causes, so that you can forget about them.

Comments

[brigid-shine.livejournal.com]

hello mr. pessimistic. want a sucker?

[thewasteland.livejournal.com]

humbug. i think you are wonderful...so spend your duly-noted moment in cynicism.

[agonis.livejournal.com]

I recently read a line like your subject in 'Beloved' by Toni Morrison. And then a poem by Robert Frost. I also like a few lines on this subject from Steppenwolf. Perhaps I should stop reading so much and write down some of my own thoughts, for a change :)

[solri.livejournal.com]

The Frost poem is the source of the phrase, I thnik. "The road less travelled" was also the title of a popular psychology / self-improvement book. It makes a few good points, and was maybe a good antidote to all the psychobabble consumed by the "me generation" but I found it rather strained and unconvincing in the end. Roman philosophers like Cicero and Marcus Aurelius do that duty/discipline/moderation stuff much better.

[xlnyc.livejournal.com]

Please elaborate on
Transient Pleasures
give some examples

[solri.livejournal.com]

Welll I suppose all pleasures are transient really, so you can take your pick ;-)

I am soooo not believing this

[solri.livejournal.com]

Cmon Sol, will you get real already? It's you that keeps telling us to read that Roman dude, Marcus Platypus or whoever.

[macarkedimerges.livejournal.com]

heyyy good idea :-)
i added u to my list
i am a student at boğaziçi university and interested in also bilkent uni.
c ya

[solri.livejournal.com]

Actually probably not such a good idea, but I needed to let off steam!

What's your interest in Bilkent - are you thinking of doingpostgraduate work here?

ah, Christmas!

[cf.livejournal.com]

Now I wonder what drove down this line of thinking? I must say from my brief visits that winter in Bilkent is glorious, so its definitely not the weather or the term ending. And it couldn't possibly be a hangover either, unless you used a spellcheker. hmm...

So i hope that your stoic philosophers will turn up with a line like" the road less traveled for very good reasons is absolutely ignored in the shitty winter discontent of the expat living in ankara" to cheer you up.

happy hannukah!

[dtlw.livejournal.com]

Stop stealing my list of lifes rules, you bastard :-)