Lots of the experience described here, of living in the “fast world”, has significant overlap with manic or hypomanic episodes for those who experience bipolar disorder. A balance of fast and slow might be essential for some people, in order to maintain mental health / a grip on reality.
I’m not at all trying to diagnose the author: it may well be that some folks can experience these things in a perfectly mentally healthy way.
However, I know from my own experience that the ‘fast world’ of mania or hypomania can be just as, or even more damaging, than despair and depression.
Feeling an overriding sense of urgency about a topic of extreme importance, talking and thinking much faster than usual, being unusually productive and working much longer hours, a sense of self importance or need to share one’s unique insights, feeling that one is special or has a particular power over the future of humanity, feeling a sense of alienation from social norms, making decisions that others might consider reckless, greater need to enjoy life and indulge in hedonism—all of these resonate very strongly with manic or hypomanic episodes.
Now, I’m not saying the author is doing all those things, but they are things which the fast world can encourage. And you know what, it’s really hard to distinguish between grandiose delusions and genuine rational conclusions when you are working on things which do feel like they are immediately critical to the future of humanity.
If others can be stable, sane and genuinely productive living in a world of fast work and fast life, I wish them all the best. But for others, some balance and slowness might be required to maintain mental health. Unsustainable productivity is not morally superior if it leads to burnout, opportunity cost, and increased suffering.
Lots of the experience described here, of living in the “fast world”, has significant overlap with manic or hypomanic episodes for those who experience bipolar disorder. A balance of fast and slow might be essential for some people, in order to maintain mental health / a grip on reality.
I’m not at all trying to diagnose the author: it may well be that some folks can experience these things in a perfectly mentally healthy way.
However, I know from my own experience that the ‘fast world’ of mania or hypomania can be just as, or even more damaging, than despair and depression.
Feeling an overriding sense of urgency about a topic of extreme importance, talking and thinking much faster than usual, being unusually productive and working much longer hours, a sense of self importance or need to share one’s unique insights, feeling that one is special or has a particular power over the future of humanity, feeling a sense of alienation from social norms, making decisions that others might consider reckless, greater need to enjoy life and indulge in hedonism—all of these resonate very strongly with manic or hypomanic episodes.
Now, I’m not saying the author is doing all those things, but they are things which the fast world can encourage. And you know what, it’s really hard to distinguish between grandiose delusions and genuine rational conclusions when you are working on things which do feel like they are immediately critical to the future of humanity.
If others can be stable, sane and genuinely productive living in a world of fast work and fast life, I wish them all the best. But for others, some balance and slowness might be required to maintain mental health. Unsustainable productivity is not morally superior if it leads to burnout, opportunity cost, and increased suffering.