Setiya, Minecraft and Jesus!!

Jackson Szeliga

 

In my presentation, I provided a broad overview of some of Setiya's philosophy; many of his ideas are interesting, but in this post, I want to focus on just a few. First of which is how we view our goals and activities. Instead of getting our satisfaction from achieving goals, he suggests that we should strive to derive satisfaction from doing the activity itself, rather than from its completion. Setiya calls this a telic versus atelic approach to living. Telic meaning "directed or tending to a definite end or outcome, and atelic in this context meaning an activity that lacks a specific endpoint or goal, focusing instead on the process. I have heard things similar to what he is describing; however, in chapter 6 of his book "Midlife," Setiya gives an in-depth explanation." So is the fact that you

feel satisfaction, for a while, when each accomplishment

is checked off. For your relationship with the values that

structure your life remains antagonistic to itself: by en-

gaging with them in the mode of pursuit and completion

You aim at outcomes that preclude the possibility of

such engagement. In pursuing a goal, you are trying to

exhaust your interaction with something good, as if you

were to make friends for the sake of saying goodbye."

That last sentence concisely sums up the telic way of living. Often times I find myself living this way. Doing things and tasks for the sake of doing them. This is definitely shown when my friends and I start a new world in Minecraft. We most enjoy the game when we are first beginning. It is the point at which you have all the "goals" and "tasks" ahead of you. As the game progresses, our satisfaction level drops drastically; about a week into playing, we have completed a lot of what there is to do. Our options for what to do next become increasingly limited, and our motivation for continuing to do so dwindles. What is really ironic is that the game is marketed as an infinite sandbox game that offers countless opportunities for creativity; however, I always fall into the trap of beating the final boss, which leads to boredom and a stop in play. This kinda reminds me of the Laozi quote "The man who loves walking will walk further than the man who loves the destination". In the future, I will be taking an atelic approach to the game, focusing on the time with friends and the creativity aspect instead of completing the "next steps". This way, I will not have to "earn" the satisfaction; instead, it's part of the process of playing the game. In a sense, it becomes a renewable source of meaning instead of a one and done type deal. 

I've found that this way of living also goes hand in hand with scripture. For example, a scholar of the law asked Jesus what the greatest commandment in the law is, and Jesus responded with. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the great and foremost commandment. And the second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets." This command is not a one-time goal, but rather a task that is always active and never completed - admittedly, a task that also requires ongoing effort to improve. This way of thinking is also found in the book of Ecclesiastes:"' For what does a man get in all his labor and in the striving of his heart with which he labors under the sun? Because all his days his endeavor is painful and vexing; even at night his heart does not lie down. This too is vanity." and "I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind."

In summary, it is exactly the problem that afflicts so many people today. Striving after things that leave us empty. It's amusing to me that people in the past dealt with the same burnout and unfulfillment when it comes to work/goals. The telic vs. atelic living really stuck with me while reading his book, and if the bible approves this way of thinking, that's enough for me to adopt it into my life. 

Another aspect of Setiya's book, Midlife, that I enjoyed was his thoughts on regret, specifically about the direction you choose for your life. It's very easy to look back on your life and wish you had taken a different path, whether that be in college, pursuing a degree, in relationships, or in where you live. This regret does not always mean we have made a mistake, but rather that every door we walk through shuts the possibilities of others. Setiya says to recognize the dozens of good, meaningful, beautiful possibilities that you could have lived out. And that hurts. It hurts a lot. But this is not because you failed, it's because you are finite. Setiya admits that this kind of regret is basically unavoidable. Still, he wants us to understand that every good life leaves out other good lives. It's okay to be sad about it, but it's important not to let it dominate your life. Asking yourself, "What if I had done this instead?" or "Where would I be if I had taken that chance?" This way of thinking doesn't produce much good and often leaves us wallowing in our misery. Setiya explains that this is the cost of loving good things. Because we value things like family, career, friendships, and passions, it's natural that we will be sad we can't experience the fullness of all these things in our short lives. Taking a stoic route to these problems seems like the best choice. Change what you can, forget the rest. 

Final thoughts: Ultimately, combining Setiya's  philosophy with my own beliefs has shown me to live with intent in the moment instead of striving for the outcome.