Does what get easier? Living? That's a biological question. As far as I can tell "living" gets harder (organ failures and such). That's obviously not what the question meant. And for that matter, what do you mean by "easier?" I've recently found myself in an existential thought loop. It's depressing, and I haven't quite found the answer yet. My problem goes something like this: We work day in and day out asking "does it get easier?" But what are we working for exactly? Money? Living? We all will die in the end, and there's no way to prevent that. Unless we break the laws of physics. Dying isn't a solution, as consciousness is simply another "law". Past, current, and future consciousness are all different. As are other people's. Or rather, they are the same. Just different instances. Just like gravity. So dying isn't a solution, and living has no goal. So does what get easier? What are we quantifying exactly? And how do we determine whether it's easy or hard? I suppose "easy" is using the definition of "quickly going to your goal state". And "hard" is "slowly going to your goal state". But we still have the problems of "going" and "goal". Going implies we are actively working toward something. And goal is some end accomplishment that we set out to achieve. By that definition most people aren't in the definition of "easy" or "hard". Or perhaps their "goal" is just something different? There's no goal, no direction. And evolution instills in us the goal of "use less energy, and stay alive". That's the "goal". But how does one work toward that? Being lazy, procrastination, eating a lot, gaining weight. We also instill in children the goal of "social compliancy". We want them to follow the herd. Because that's what naturally helps toward goal #1. This is the source of John's problems. As is the source of my own. But objectively looking at these goals, what is the point? What makes these goals desirable? Besides the cruel hand of natural selection, there really isn't any desirable traits. Nature just says "fuck you, I don't care if you feel satisfied or happy! You are alive! that's what my goal is!" But in the end, nature fucks you over and kills you anyway. It's all futile and pointless. And the more you try to ignore nature, the bigger you get fucked over. That's the problem. This prevents people from setting their own goals (which are all meaningless anyway). So really, "does it get easier" is a non-question. You, by default, already are accelerating towards nature's goals just fine. That shit's easy. And that's why everyone does it. You pretty much do it automatically. And if you don't, you die. And nature doesn't care. Nature has billions of others to replace you. So what's the point? Do you set your own goal and say "fuck nature"? I know plenty of people who do that. Who'd rather die than chase nature's goal. Then there are others who want to get to nature's goal faster. So what do you do? Die and let nature fuck you (and consciousness) until the end of time? Break the laws of physics and rewrite your own? (ha!) Define your own arbitrary meaningless goal? This is where I get stuck. I guess "easier" in the end, is really how easily you follow nature's goal. Which is really nothing in particular except fucking you over. Which is why we feel shitty. We work towards pointless goals, which is "hard". Or we work towards nature's goals, which is "easy" but unfulfilling. We apply our own "goals" and rules on top of it which make even obtaining nature's goal "difficult". So really, all you can do is define an arbitrary goal for yourself, and set out to obtain it. For no reason in particular. Just to say fuck you back to nature. So "does it get easier?" Depends. But is "easier" really any better?
Thanks for your comments and questions. Let me start at the top. In another sense, it meant having a set of ethical values and living by them. We could talk all day about "it." Does what get easier?
I like people to define "it" for themselves. My sense of John's original question was that "it" meant being a human being, making tough decisions, doing what we have to do. In this specific case, it meant going to his hometown and breaking off with Chrissie. In other words, being honest and true to himself while being fair to the other person - not just stringing her along.As far as I can tell "living" gets harder.
I'd say that physically living gets harder. We cannot do things in our 60-year-old bodies as easily as we can do them in our 20-year-old bodies .. unless we keep our practice up - yoga, horseback riding, whatever that practice is. However, being a specific person might get easier the more practice we have with that identity.What are we working for exactly?
That's important to know. Many people are working so that they can continue to feed themselves. In the process of staying alive, they might come up with other ideas for work, other reasons to live. Living has no goal.
You make your own goal or decide to live without goals. Nature just says "fuck you, I don't care if you feel satisfied or happy! You are alive! that's what my goal is!"
Yup, nature's more than happy to throw us all on the trash heap of history. But is "easier" really any better?
I don't think better or worse comes into it. For example thefoundation likes it hard. Doing the hard work of having ethical values and living your life by them, of learning as much as you can so you can make thoughtful decisions about things that affect you, your family and community, and your planet - that never gets easier. A lot of other things that can help you do get easier. thx for the badge.