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On the contrary, read the piece. He's not saying it from comfort, he's saying it after a heart attack, after his kids grew up, after the form he loved became a young man's game. The farce isn't a punchline delivered from above; it's what's left when the registers that used to hold you don't anymore. And his answer isn't despair, it's "we've got to keep trying… there's a breeze beneath my wings." That's not whimsy. That's the thing the trenches actually teach you, if you survive them.

I'm not sure what you are trying to express here. Is it "rich people shouldn't express their worldview" or "the idea that life is inherently meaningless is incorrect"? A younger me ingested this sentiment as a call to action to create the meaning I wanted in the world.

That's backwards: it is helpful to keep that in mind precisely when you're suffering in the trenches.

Rich and succesful people try to forget that, which is their hubris.

I doubt Bill Hicks was that rich. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgzQuE1pR1w

Having been in both, literally and metaphorically, it’s a useful mantra both places

You can also use “this too shall pass” if you want a lighter version

Your comment is exactly what successful and rich people say. You can find a lot of joy and acceptance among the poorest of people: the mind is remarkably adaptable, yet it's only those that always strive for more that cannot enjoy life's little moments.

I truly dislike this recent trend of making people feel bad if they have learned to just slow down and be content with life. "It's privilege being able to take a break and smell the roses, I'm too busy for this nonsense" is protestant crab mentality that I find revolting.

Yeah - but it may be a good way to articulate a bleak, from-the-trenches perspective on the world.

oh yes, it becomes like this s/farce/curse

Strictly speaking, meaninglessness is opposed to farce. You can’t have both utter meaninglessness and farce, because meaning is intrinsic to farce.

Comedy presupposes meaning, because comedy hinges on the absurd, but the absurd is a departure from meaning or a deviation from it. Something is absurd when it fails to be meaningful and fails to satisfy the rational in the broader context of rational meaning.

There is no laughter in the utterly meaningless. There cannot be silliness without an overarching context of seriousness.

The title reminded me of this too, but it was Bill Hicks, not Richard Hicks.

So basically, Buddhism?

I came here to say this.

Once you realize that life has no meaning, except that which we arbitrarily assign, you can only go a few ways with it. Of all the 'ism's you could choose in that moment, absudism is perhaps the least worst.

"Credo quia absurdum est."

It's my favorite comedy of all time. It's been going for over 10 years with a lot of little spin offs along the way. For those that want to take the plunge you can watch the first first ten seasons, Oscar specials, Decker, etc. for free on YouTube. Use this playlist to watch everything in chronological order.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qFHLfmoLchI&list=PLRT5PdjVF-ip...

> How many people who were living in the 1700s do you think sat around thinking life is a farce?

The name for this view of the universe is "absurdism". It was first espoused, as far as I can tell, when the discourse of Qohelet was recorded in the book of Ecclesiastes. So yes, they had it in the 1700's although perhaps not by that name.

> If you're working every day in a coal mine so you can feed your children otherwise they will go hungry, then you don't have these kind of thoughts.

This is almost the opposite of the truth. Those with careers that do not occupy their minds do not sit around with their brains idling and empty all day. They spend much of that time thinking about exactly this sort of thing.

I believe he addresses this point:

> There’s no question that the security that you feel from not being afraid of a health issue or housing is a great comfort and helps you to be more at peace with life. It’s just not as much help as you think it should be.

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing

-William Shakespeare

Already ranted about comments like yours: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47919820

It's shows true ignorance about what happiness is and where it's found. You can probably find more smiles and hope for the future in the Ukrainian trenches than reading comments from Silicon Valley workers making $150k a year.

I mean, do you guys even know Buddhism any more? It was such a hip thing in the 70s over there.

Miners had elevated suicide rates and alcoholism rates. And when you read stories of families from such environments, similar thoughts were present. Yes, they did had these kind of thoughts. It is not just perfectly possible to be poor hard worker with family and have depression or missing meaning of life, but entirely common.

So you're saying that life isn't a farce? Or that it is, and poor people don't ponder it? Just expressing disapproval of rich people?

Your last sentence claims that he should appreciate how lucky he is. But this is a different question from what, at face value, the statement that life is meaningless or absurd is about. The two choices (first being operative in this thread):

1. Life is meaningless: descriptive claim

2. You ought to appreciate life to the best of your ability: normative claim

Your argument has no bearing on the first claim.

> I think if Bob Odenkirk lived on a community farm where everyone had to work together to survive he would be far happier and think life is far more meaningful.

So you think everyone was happier in the USSR? /s

Most people, including me, beg to disagree. Better Call Saul was a masterpiece.

https://www.metacritic.com/tv/better-call-saul/

I really enjoyed Better Call Saul and thought it was much much better than Breaking Bad. Walter White was such an irritating character. Saul was a brilliant hustler.

Is this some kind of ragebait?

Cinemagraphicly wonderful, storyline? awesome. Characters and Character development? great

I have watched it several times. Every time it hits different. It surely is a masterpiece.

I couldn’t make it through Breaking Bad, but I couldn’t put down Better Call Saul. Different boats for different floats.

I respect you shitting on something that is nearly perfect. Your hatred is pure and that makes it special.

I'm curious what makes you say that

Said no one ever.

Terrible? Nah it was good. Really slow in places tho.