Long Term Goals

[Ivorak]

We tend to think in the short term. This is good when we need to make decisions quickly, but given the extent that we fail to look and plan ahead it is easy to say that we should make a bit more of an effort at forward thinking. Now that is all rather obvious, but even the obvious is often forgotten amidst the deluge of information and opinion that this modern world is so good at dredging up.

 

What am I going on about? Well, it's just that the confluence of several trains of thought have got me thinking about the long term. Again (because I'm always pondering the future and what it holds for me), but differently than before.

 

1) First there's the realization that even once I'm long gone there will be people who suffer and that those people matter just as much as those I can affect directly in my lifetime. I used to scoff at the mission of The Long Now Foundation. What did it matter to me what the environment and quality of life was like 10,000 years in the future? But if I'm called to do good work in the here and now, why shouldn't it last? Why should everything that gives my life meaning now cease to be meaningful once I'm gone?

 

2) The other thing I've been thinking about is the notion of "50-year projects", which I'll define as requiring at least a decade of work (but preferably more) to complete and undertaken by an individual (with some help, of course). I tend to work on many small projects (that most of them don't get anywhere is another story). I do this because it gives me more freedom, more variety, and also the possibility of actually finishing something for once. But I think large scale / long term projects have value as well. But I can't come up with very many examples. Here are a few:

• I'm intrigued by Loper OS, one man's attempt to create a modern Lisp operating system.
• I don't know how long it took Christopher Alexander to write A Pattern Language but I'm sure it involved years of careful thought.
• I'm sure there are many constructed worlds that have been developed over multiple decades; it can be an obsessive hobby.
• How about building a house from scratch? Hewing lumber, clearing land, and laying a foundation is often just the beginning.
• MagicDuel? It's getting there.

This is not a call to action. I just wanted to see if it sparked any further thoughts. If so, I'd love to read them. Specifically, are there any "50-year projects" that have inspired you? Do you have one of your own?

 

I'm also curious (thought 5 years might be a better number than 50 here) what some ambitious long term projects/goals in MD might be. Or are you all just living in the moment? :P

 

[Tom Pouce]

Ivorak

your looking for 50 years projects?

 

maybe you can plant an oak, its an slow growing tree , i suppose it will be mature in 50 years and still where you will plant it, if you chose the right location

 

... building an house from scratch, seem to me that 50 years is really to long for that kink of project, should be construct in at most an few years if you take your time

 

thinking of some more 50 years projects

- you can go in flowers growing and try to make an new variaty .... it will take years of crosspolinating to get something that is an new kind of flower that you will want and reproduce true

 

- you can go in dog raising, try to make an stable new race, it take many generation to get an new and stable race that breed true, and more so to curb genetic defects of that new race in the gene pool

 

- you can make what most of people do, make kids ... when he will be 50 , if you are in your 20 -30 you will be probably still be around and and see your children's childrens

 

- take one martial arts, it will take you years of steady work and introspection to grow and master your art and body ... its an always work of self improvement , physical and spiritual

Edited July 19, 2013 by Tom Pouce

[No one]

I will not talk about long term objectives in RL as it is RL.

 

In MD, just check my page, I keep it just for that : No one

So, my biggest long term project would be 10k from each herb. NOTE: I gathered those myself so far and I plan on keeping it like that.

 

As with stats I can never get on top, I will just stick to resources and a creature collection. ;)

[Jester]

In MD I want to do something significant to the story, like search for the book of principles again using new ideas, or something more original. I have since I joined MD. Its why I joined. Sadly this looks less and less possible as time goes on, but I still want to.

Edited July 19, 2013 by Jester