Reasons Not to Subscribe to This Blog

"When I find the road narrow, and can see no other way of teaching a well established truth except by pleasing one intelligent man and displeasing ten thousand fools—I prefer to address myself to the man." ~ Maimonides

I've had the honor and priveledge of communicating with many of this blog's readers.  You are truly some of the most impressive humans I've experienced in my life.  From time to time, I also come across some readers (or I may imagine those who quietly come and go without my knowledge) and think to myself, good riddance.

In that spirit, here are some reasons why you should not subscribe (or if you are currently subscribed, should unsubscribe) to this blog:

• You are afraid of what you might find inside yourself once the layers of physical world distractions (e.g. media noise, conventional thought, social pressures, excuses for failure) are removed.
• You are looking for some kind of a shortcut (e.g. get-rich-quickly schemes, answers to your questions).
• You may judge me, your humble author, after reading one blog post or, even worse, you perceive value from this blog for an extended period of time then unsubscribe after one blog post does not please you.
• You think "self-improvement" means reading other people's words, becoming inspired for a while, then returning to your mindless existence.
• You don't want to challenge your biases or pre-conceived notions.
• You don't realize, if you are still reading, that all of the above reasons not to subscribe to this blog are actually and absolutely the reasons you need this blog or others like it!

"The worst readers are those who proceed like plundering soldiers: they pick up a few things they can use, soil and confuse the rest, and blaspheme the whole." ~ Friedrich Nietzshe

I could go on with a longer list but I think you get the idea:  At the core, I am a philosopher, which explains why I don't have 100,000 readers, why I am not financially wealthy and why I may seem arrogant or non-feeling to people who don't know me.  I suspect this may be why most philosophers in history never married (I'm fortunately an exception to this pattern).  But I digress...

My writing will never speak to the wants and whims of your brain; this is a job for media sources having the ultimate purpose of making money by attraction and distraction.  My writing, at least as it is intended, will speak to your mind, which will hopefully become the master of your brain and ultimately of your life.

If you are still reading, good for you and thanks for enduring my rare but sincere rant.

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Related:

Thanks for Reading The Financial Philosopher

Hell is Other People

Comments

[Greg Linster]

Kent, you are the type of writer who writes because he has something to say and not because he is seeking fame or fortune. I admire you for that! In my opinion, writers like you are the only types of writers worth reading. The fact that your writing is making some people upset and uncomfortable means that you're doing a great job.

Keep on philosophizing, Kent!

[Kent @ The Financial Philosopher]

Thanks, Greg. I thought it was time for a bit of clarity...

"Whoever knows he is deep, strives for clarity; whoever would like to appear deep to the crowd, strives for obscurity. For the crowd considers anything deep if only it cannot see to the bottom: the crowd is so timid and afraid of going into the water." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science

[siredge]

The point about philosophers being married was an interesting bit. I look at my own life and it kind of fits. Before my wife, I was constantly annoying other people with my idealism and impracticality. Now that I'm married (to a very practical wife), I've received enough feedback about how annoying my tendencies were, so I manage to repress them more often and instead manage to say things that might lead to people listening.

Without a mate, it's too easy to become wrapped up in the world of your own making and then neglect the real one.

[Kent @ The Financial Philosopher]

Good points, siredge.

I can only guess that the reason why so many philosophers throughout history never married is because of the tendency to be extremely introverted and reclusive. Perhaps they were "married to their thoughts."

I am also introverted in the sense that most of my energy comes from within my own mind and I do not receive much energy from outside influences.

My wife is almost exactly the opposite in personality as me. I've learned a lot from her and I've grown as a person, especially because she lets me be who I am and I let her be who she is.

I like your final thought: "it's too easy to become wrapped up in the world of your own making and then neglect the real one."

[Art Gueli]

I just went through a subscription purge. I unsubscribed to the vast majority of blogs and newsletters I was previously subscribed to. So therein lies another reason to unsubscribe: conserving attention. I think every once in a while we need to take inventory of our lives and purge the useless majority and keep the useful minority.

But I'm happy to say your blog was one of the few to survive the "clearing of the inbox."

And here's another great quote from Nietzsche, perhaps helping explain philosophers as individuals, I've always loved it...

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."

Keep up the great work Kent.

[Reader]

I've been a silent reader for 3+ years. I'll keep reading and thinking. Thanks Kent.

[Kent @ The Financial Philosopher]

Art: I love the Nietzsche quote. Which of his works is it from? I'd love to use it again some time... Thanks for adding your thought and for reading.

Reader: I'm happy to have you and others like you as readers. I look forward to many more years of making sense of the world together...

Kent

[georges V]

I love this : "it's too easy to become wrapped up in the world of your own making and then neglect the real one."

Sabrina