Greek mythology also shows underdog preference. Sure, the heroes are demigods, but they're battling against gods, monsters, and mighty forces of nature. The Greek heroes are strong but usually the forces they contend with are even stronger.
If you want to get better, what you need to do can be summed up in a single word: write.
Anything beyond that depends on exactly what type of writer you want to be, so I'd need to know more specifics. Reading very frequently helps too in my experience.
Thank you for posting this. I have also been suspicious of whether we should keep this cultural norm. Pretty much everybody underestimates the harm from alcohol.
The interesting thing is that we're not the first people to question this. Throughout the entire western world, there was a movement in the early 20th century that saw alcohol clearly: the prohibition movement. It was a global movement, spanning not just the US but also in Canada and the Nordic countries. In the latter it was so successful that the Nordics retain strict controls on alcohol.
By many lights, prohibition was successful: alcohol consumption did decrease during the period (Alcohol and Temperance in Modern History: An International Encyclopedia [2 ... - Jack S. Blocker - Google Books) and rates of liver cirrhosis, alcohol psychosis, and infant mortality declined (Did Prohibition Really Work? Alcohol Prohibition as a Public Health Innovation - PMC). But because the government was unable to control the crime syndicates that profited from selling illegal liquor, prohibition was retroactively deemed a failure. Now nobody is allowed to question the cultural norm of alcohol, because "we tried that already."
Hey there, this is such a neat opportunity! Would you mind confirming that my application was sent? I didn't get an email. Mine was the application that links to https://collisteru.net and was sent today.
Surely the author's proposal would make things worse, since then you'd have to scan to the end of each number to realize that they're 3-and-a-bit billion.
No matter how mediocre your year is or how much you are floundering, when you are 70, 80, 90 etc. years old, you will wish so badly you could be back in your situation today. I'm not saying your current situation is better than you think, but being older is probably much worse than you think, so cherish the lack of oldness now.
True and horrific. Everyone underestimates the badness of aging.
If you don’t feel like what you are doing now is already in some sense “great”, you likely will not be great. You've got to really believe and lean into what you are doing. Be more ambitious and daring in your work.
I sort of agree with this, but assuming it's true, the following sentence seems like a non-sequitur. If the seeds of greatness aren't already there, why would it help to "lean into" anything? Why would being more ambitious or daring help? Those help grow seeds, not create them.
If you will keep consuming a non-expirable household item forever, and if you have plenty of free space, why don't you have a lifetime supply?
This may apply to soap, shampoo, toilet paper, detergent, paper towels, sponges, aluminum foil, trash bags, sandwich bags, most household cleaners, q-tips, rubber gloves, nails, screws, paper, matches, band-aids, light bulbs and (if these never expire) toothpaste, batteries, markers and pens, and many over-the-counter pharmaceuticals.
There are legitimate arguments against stockpiling, like ease of moving and expecting technology to improve. If you weigh these explicitly rather than just following the crowd, you're much more likely to find the optimal supply.
Exactly. Horses are intelligent enough to understand involuntary body language, but they still can't create societies. Harari argues that this is a point in favor of the idea that communication alone is not sufficient for mass cooperation.
Interestingly, none of this seems India-specific.