A day spent without the sight or sound of beauty, the contemplation of mystery, or the search of truth is a poverty-stricken day; and a succession of such days is fatal to human life. - Lewis Mumford

The definition of success in this society is one that liberates from participation in society: material success means that whoever achieves it can finally escape mandatory participation in the productive machine without having to abstain from consumption of society's goods and services. What does this tell us of our present condition? Languages come into play to help us: success in Spanish is "exito", closely related to the English "exit" of course, both supposedly derived from the Greek "Exodus". What about bulding a society where success equals greater and more fulfilling participation in it instead?

@BitBetBot higher

And again: >In the 19th century, fewer than five percent of the U.S. population enjoyed a secondary education, meaning high school or beyond. Today that number is roughly 90%. That’s a staggering civilizational advance. Knowledge has grown and multiplied beyond measure. It begs the question: where are all the wise men and women? What has all this knowledge got us? >The answer is overdeveloped technicians and underdeveloped human beings. The most “successful” people today are those who can concentrate on the task at hand. Master technicians. Champions of productivity. They’re skilled at tuning out all questions of meaning and value. They don’t ask: What kind of life does this serve? What should my gifts be placed in service of? What does any of this amount to? They just keep on producing and optimizing. View quoted note →

>Many people mistakenly believe they suffer from some terrible case of ADHD or depression, when it’s largely just the accumulated effect of stupefying and meaningless work.

Of course you can't focus. You live a life of permanent interruption

Why we can't think clearly anymore

How is Bitcoin going to make it as everyday money given that most countries on earth tax it with capital gains? Are we expecting that legislation will improve one day because the government will suddenly become nicer?