QotD [Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος]

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"I knew I'd crossed a boundary when, some time in my twenties, I simply stopped caring if I was geeky, or chic, or cool, or nerdy, and that life was too short to fret over such things. I had my interests and my enthusiasms and if I could embrace these things with others, boffo. If not? Well, again, boffo. It didn't matter to me who thought I was being a dork. Most of the people who thought I was a dork when I was in my late teens and early twenties have more or less confessed to thinking I am cool in my late thirties; simply because I forged ahead with my passions, and have gone on to do a few things (military, writing, civilian career, etc.) they find laudable." -- Brad R. Torgersen, 2012-07-26

[I reached a similar point intellectually in high school. I think it's kind of important.]

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There are 4 comments on this entry. (Reply.)

It's a pity he took his undauntability a bit too far, but I do like this philosophy even if I don't think Mr. Torgersen would care to share it with me.

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Ugh, I completely failed to make the connection to that mess.

I wonder ... is the difference between {not caring whether one is geeky, or chic, or cool, or nerdy}, and {not caring whether others think one is an ass, or a jerk, or mean-spirited, or bigoted} a difference merely in degree, or a difference in kind? I can see how one could reach both from the same starting place, but also how other starting points can lead to one-but-not-the-other ... or is that just the possibility of stopping before getting all the way to both?

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I think it's a difference of degree; both involve saying to oneself, "I think I'm right but others think I'm wrong -- who is actually right?" And it's totally possible to stop anywhere along the continuum -- I know bunches of nifty people, including you, who are good at liking what they like regardless but also caring to not actually contribute to society's ills.

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