(01-14-2013 10:17 PM)Tenerife Wrote: I agree with much of your post, but this argument here doesn't really hold. Of course after initial breakthrough success a man is going to keep at his craft. The hard work of obtaining exposure and name recognition has been accomplished, now it's time to keep pumping out the material. If you "fall off" and become a has-been, pussy can definitely stop flowing. A one hit wonder musician can still tour years later, but frankly, just because they "keep going" doesn't mean they're doing it purely for the love and not for the status/pussy.
But you are assuming you know why they keep touring which is your assumption, not fact.
And keep in mind you assume the one hit wonder musicians are doing it for sex, but I disagree in that they keep going because they love their craft, whether they are on the cover of
Rolling Stone or they are working the bar/club circuit like when they first started out.
Dave Chappelle gave up a large paycheck, fame, money, status (atleast at a much higher level than now) when he gave up The Chappelle Show and decided to pursue what he enjoyed more than the popularity of his show, doing stand up.
There are numerous examples of men giving up great heights of fame, money, and sex in order to pursue their passion. Not everybody is obsessed with obtaining sex, though I agree there are some who may be in it just for the sex and money.
(01-14-2013 10:17 PM)Tenerife Wrote: And also, I totally understand that there is enjoyment from hobbies outside of getting pussy, but is there enough motivation to truly succeed with these hobbies? Being "perfectly balanced" often times leads to mediocrity, not achievement. To truly achieve something in one field, skill, or pursuit you HAVE to be unbalanced, and sacrifice a large part of your life.
Yes, doing the hobby is enough motivation to keep doing it if you love what you do. It is enough motivation if it is your passion.
To be a nestor in one's field does require a huge amount of time.
The degree of sacrifice of time, which includes missing out on friends, family, lovers, etc, to obtain a high level of proficiency in one's practice can be detrimental to one's emotional health. However, more than likely, the "genius" would see that the other areas of his life outside of his art would be a waste of time so judgement is in the eye of the beholder on whether it is worth sacrificing so much of one's life to obtain expert level proficiency.
Hemingway said in his Nobel Prize speech that "Writing, at its best, is a lonely life." And I agree.
But it was a lonely life HE wanted. Whether the topic creator wants that for himself is up to him.
I think it is safe to say that most people who pursue their passion to the point of having a "lonely life" are already mentally ill and it is there behavior that is a result of their mental illness (writing for ten hours a day, everyday, for the rest of their lives, shooting a basketball into a hoop nine hours a day, etc).
For instance my examples:
Tarantino is a little loony for sure. Many believe he has Asperger's syndrome.
Captain Ahab was insane...
Hemingway was at the very least manic depressive, very eccentric man (living in a house alone filled with tons of cats), killed himself.
Jordan and Kanye are very egotistical, narcissistic, and bitter men. They are walking douche bags who are notorious for treating people like shit.
I guess an answer can be no. It is not worth going insane to become a creative genius. But if one is mentally ill and pursue it anyway there is nothing that person can do since they are controlled by their mental disorder.
I guess since the topic creator is trying to arrive at this decision rationally he is better off chasing women since a truly crazy person wouldn't even entertain the thought of sacrificing his creative endeavor whatsoever.
(01-14-2013 10:17 PM)Tenerife Wrote: I'm not really talking about whether a man should have hobbies for "balance" in life. I'm talking about whether a man should really make the hard sacrifice of trying to achieve in some endeavor, or just chase pussy. I guess there's no really good answer.
I see some compartmentalizing.
It is not an all or nothing sorta deal. Life is more nuanced than that. One can make time for sex, passion, work, exercise, etc. It may take a certain amount of time management but it can be done.
But you are right that there is no "right" answer since it is subjective so trying to find a solution through rational argument is futile.