[markdestouches]

There are two different types of "want". You want to live a full and meaningful life. You also want another cigarette if you're addicted to smoking. Sure there are people who would consciously choose a cigarette, but they are a minority. Most people would rather be productive and do something that makes their lives better even if they end up lighting a cigarette.

[ad404b8a372f2b9]

You're already positioning yourself in a very specific value framework when you put productivity and self-improvement at the forefront. There are many other frameworks in which finding pleasure in the present has value.

I've known people who chased the future so hard they never took the time to live.

[markdestouches]

I believe I've addressed that saying that some would consciously pick a cigarette. I think it is reasonable to say that such people are a minority.

[dools]

So if they had watched more TV would that have constituted “taking the time to live”?

[ad404b8a372f2b9]

If watching TV had brought them pleasure in the present, yes that would fit the definition I was using.

[yamazakiwi]

Don't confuse output with productivity.

You can also do "productive" things while you smoke a cigarette (albeit physically unhealthy).

Many people do a lot of things they think are productive but see no improvement in outcomes. i.e. reading articles

[bscphil]

> Many people do a lot of things they think are productive but see no improvement in outcomes. i.e. reading articles

Or to put a different spin on this, some people spend so much time producing things that they never pick up a book.

[sneak]

Consider a moment the framework where people's actions tell the truth about their true wants, and the possibility that many people constantly and effortlessly tell lies (to themselves and others) about what they actually want.