• Log In

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

A Philosophy Podcast and Philosophy Blog

Subscribe on Android Spotify Google Podcasts audible patreon
  • Home
  • Podcast
    • PEL Network Episodes
    • Publicly Available PEL Episodes
    • Paywalled and Ad-Free Episodes
    • PEL Episodes by Topic
    • Nightcap
    • Philosophy vs. Improv
    • Pretty Much Pop
    • Nakedly Examined Music
    • (sub)Text
    • Phi Fic Podcast
    • Combat & Classics
    • Constellary Tales
  • Blog
  • About
    • PEL FAQ
    • Meet PEL
    • About Pretty Much Pop
    • Philosophy vs. Improv
    • Nakedly Examined Music
    • Meet Phi Fic
    • Listener Feedback
    • Links
  • Join
    • Become a Citizen
    • Join Our Mailing List
    • Log In
  • Donate
  • Store
    • Episodes
    • Swag
    • Everything Else
    • Cart
    • Checkout
    • My Account
  • Contact
  • Mailing List

Unreasonable & Unrealistic: A New Year’s Resolution

January 16, 2010 by Seth Paskin 6 Comments

I am considered by family, friends and business acquaintances to be calm, level-headed, rational, analytic, thoughtful, etc.  It was part of what made me successful in my many roles in corporate life.  And something that has perhaps prevented me from honoring my feelings and emotions in my personal life.  While I don't think I fetishize reason and rationality, I seem to be coded to make them my primary mode of being (PEL is perhaps a reflection - or symptom?).

So my New Year's resolution is to be more 'unreasonable'.  By that I mean not only cut down on the rational, analytical approach to things, the measured intake of data and attempt to view things from multiple perspectives, but also to stop being so accomodating to everyone else's requests - to be a bit 'unreasonable'.  Open myself to interpersonal energy and the immediate Zeitgeist.  And guess what world, that might mean I take more risks and am a bit more selfish.  I'm 41 and I deserve it, so deal.

A corollary to this is that I am going to start setting unrealistic expectations and goals.  Got this from The 4 Hour Work Week, but it seems to fit.

Unlike Mark, I'm not going to commit to either doing or sharing weekly with y'all.

Cheers, seth

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Filed Under: General Announcements Tagged With: 4 hour work week, 40s, new year's resolution, take risks, unrealistic, unreasonable

Comments

  1. Dan B says

    February 1, 2010 at 8:18 pm

    That’s a nice logical analysis of what you need to do Seth. It makes perfect sense and I am sure it will make everyone very happy.

    If your intention was to not be reasonable, you appear to be contradicting your intentions by sounding so reasonable about your intention to not be reasonable. So I take it that was not your intention. That is if you were being reasonable. But since your intention was to be not reasonable then the contradiction of being reasonable and not reasonable is ok, so in a way it is still reasonable, which was not your intention if you were being reasonable about being unreasonable. If you are unreasonable, then you are reasonable. If are reasonable, then you are reasonable and unreasonable, which is unreasonable, which was your intention, so it is reasonable. Is there a worry here? Only if you are being unreasonable. So happy new year dude.

    Reply
  2. Seth says

    February 2, 2010 at 8:30 am

    This makes my brain hurt. Either I intentionally or unintentionally did or did not achieve my goal through the stating of it. Intentionality is irrelevant, however, how did it make you feel?

    Today is the next best day of our lives and 2010 will be the best year. Happy new year to you too!

    Reply
  3. Dan B says

    February 5, 2010 at 6:32 am

    I was joking. I agree with you. I was just demonstrating being silly. I know what you mean. Sometimes it is not necessary to be analytical or logically consistent in everyday life. If you take apart every argument about who should should do the dishes or something like that, somebody is going to whack you upside the head. Sometimes we can be almost OCD in our desire for for everything to be neatly organized within our mental schemas. It may be that lot of the world just doesn’t make because we aren’t capable of understanding it from the narrow band of information available to us from our perspective. Our brains create our worlds a of a sea of wandering energy. There is Order and Random in the universe. We have to figure out how to juggle both of them.

    Reply
  4. Seth says

    February 7, 2010 at 5:56 pm

    I got the joke. Just having a bit of fun.

    I like your comeback – “a sea of wandering energy’. Suggests the dynamic force we suppose drives everything is itself dynamically driven (if perhaps without aim).

    My larger concern is creating space in my life for emotion, beauty and – as you indicate – recognizing the right kind (positive) of energy. And I do believe this will be the best year ever…

    Reply
  5. Laura says

    October 30, 2011 at 4:18 pm

    I am clearly way behind in commenting here given that it Oct 2011 but I love you guys and this podcast/blog that I’m reading everything…anywaaaay…my thought was when I reading this that you didn’t say anything about merely seeking to be happy. Or did you suppose that state would necessarily follow?
    So–did you find happiness? (given the power of hindsight….)

    Reply
  6. Seth Paskin says

    October 30, 2011 at 10:22 pm

    Hey Laura, thanks for the shout out. It’s never too late to comment – the internet is forever, isn’t it?

    Happiness was never the goal – wisdom, beauty and virtue were. Not so well articulated, but in hindsight…I think happiness is a byproduct of those things. In any case, 2010 was an interesting growth year with a lot of great things. 2011 has taken a slightly different turn but I’m pleased to report that the strategy is working. Despite what my participation in this podcast might lead you to believe.
    –seth

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

PEL Live Show 2023

Brothers K Live Show

Citizenship has its Benefits

Become a PEL Citizen
Become a PEL Citizen, and get access to all paywalled episodes, early and ad-free, including exclusive Part 2's for episodes starting September 2020; our after-show Nightcap, where the guys respond to listener email and chat more causally; a community of fellow learners, and more.

Rate and Review

Nightcap

Listen to Nightcap
On Nightcap, listen to the guys respond to listener email and chat more casually about their lives, the making of the show, current events and politics, and anything else that happens to come up.

Subscribe to Email Updates

Select list(s):

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Support PEL

Buy stuff through Amazon and send a few shekels our way at no extra cost to you.

Tweets by PartiallyExLife

Recent Comments

  • Randy Strader on Ep. 309: Wittgenstein On Certainty (Part Two)
  • Wes Alwan on PEL Nightcap February 2023
  • Kunal on Why Don’t We Like Idealism?
  • Ronald Cogen on Ep. 311: Understanding the Dao De Jing (Part One)
  • Brian Grindel on PEL Nightcap February 2023

About The Partially Examined Life

The Partially Examined Life is a philosophy podcast by some guys who were at one point set on doing philosophy for a living but then thought better of it. Each episode, we pick a text and chat about it with some balance between insight and flippancy. You don’t have to know any philosophy, or even to have read the text we’re talking about to (mostly) follow and (hopefully) enjoy the discussion

Become a PEL Citizen!

As a PEL Citizen, you’ll have access to a private social community of philosophers, thinkers, and other partial examiners where you can join or initiate discussion groups dedicated to particular readings, participate in lively forums, arrange online meet-ups for impromptu seminars, and more. PEL Citizens also have free access to podcast transcripts, guided readings, episode guides, PEL music, and other citizen-exclusive material. Click here to join.

Blog Post Categories

  • (sub)Text
  • Aftershow
  • Announcements
  • Audiobook
  • Book Excerpts
  • Citizen Content
  • Citizen Document
  • Citizen News
  • Close Reading
  • Combat and Classics
  • Constellary Tales
  • Exclude from Newsletter
  • Featured Ad-Free
  • Featured Article
  • General Announcements
  • Interview
  • Letter to the Editor
  • Misc. Philosophical Musings
  • Nakedly Examined Music Podcast
  • Nakedly Self-Examined Music
  • NEM Bonus
  • Not School Recording
  • Not School Report
  • Other (i.e. Lesser) Podcasts
  • PEL Music
  • PEL Nightcap
  • PEL's Notes
  • Personal Philosophies
  • Phi Fic Podcast
  • Philosophy vs. Improv
  • Podcast Episode (Citizen)
  • Podcast Episodes
  • Pretty Much Pop
  • Reviewage
  • Song Self-Exam
  • Supporter Exclusive
  • Things to Watch
  • Vintage Episode (Citizen)
  • Web Detritus

Follow:

Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | Apple Podcasts

Copyright © 2009 - 2023 · The Partially Examined Life, LLC. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Copyright Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in