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[TempAcc]

Rome was pretty damn advanced for its time, at least during the roman republic and the empire before it started to fall. Not only that, the reason Rome was very succesful where other failed was because Rome was incredibly adaptable. Your army has better weapons then rome? They stole them and learned to make them, then used it all against you. Rome was also strategically geopolitically very efficient in its expansion, and had ways of quickly relaying info and orders through great distances at a time in which about 0,1% of all human population could read, and every nation it conquered became a de facto part of the empire.
In fact, Rome won the war against the many gallic tribes because it was able to make a fair bit of them into allies and citizens of the Empire. Rome also adapted the knowledge, teaching and agricultural methods of Greece, which was basically the most culturally advanced civilization in Europe for hundreds of years, not to mention they took greek architecture and took it to a whole new levels. In fact, there are Roman arches and monuments that stand even to this day.

Yes, Rome was very brutal in war, but that doesnt change the fact Rome is responsible for basically creating western civilization as we known it. In fact, when Rome finally fell, Europe sunk into the dark ages and got behind in technological, cultural and social progress for hundreds of years, due to all the turmoil caused by the sudden power vacuum.

[Neonivek]

Don't forget that Rome had VERY good real-estate when it comes to their land.

[nenjin]

Have anyone ever felt like they were unhappy with what they want?

Like I don't mean "Now that you have it, it isn't what you wanted"

But... you have it in your hands... it is what you want... but you just aren't really happy about it?

Kinda, sorta. I wanted independence and financial self-sustainability, and I've had it for a while now. Except....didn't really have a battle plan for after I got it. And I spend a lot of time doing nothing now. Which, honestly, was the plan all along. To do nothing and not feel like a POS for doing so. But I'm starting to feel trapped despite being free, kind of by my job, kind of by the habits I've settled into.

So I'm trying some "experiment wildly with life" stuff, and going to Europe for a month so I can scratch that off my bucket list. It's always been a dream, but in truth, I've become such a hermit lately I'm a little afraid I've forgotten how to enjoy myself around other people for long periods of time, even in a place like that.

You might as well come clean, if it's about a love interest. Had that happen more than once and it taught me to be really deliberate about "want." If I'm honest, I've had some relationships that felt like a disappointing video game. You get hyped out of your mind for it, your first x hours of playing it are blissful, heavenly. You overdose on playing it a little, and sudden you start seeing all the cracks you'd noticed before but dismissed. You keep playing thinking it's just a small quibble, but the longer you play the more you realize it's not. You start remembering that you liked to go outside, or read a book, hang out with friends doing your thing, instead of just play the game all day. And then you feel regret, for a lot of reasons. It's not that it's a bad game, or isn't what you wanted or expected. You just overestimated how much you wanted it, and suddenly the effort you went to get it with and the excitement seems misplaced.

[Neonivek]

No it isn't about that.

I had a drawing made, by generous donation, and it is what I asked for... and I wouldn't change it... but I am somewhat disappointed I guess?

[nenjin]

No it isn't about that.

I had a drawing made, by generous donation, and it is what I asked for... and I wouldn't change it... but I am somewhat disappointed I guess?

Yeah, you kinda feel like you're obligated to like it without reservation though. I wouldn't feel bad though, it's art after all. If something doesn't take you, it just doesn't.

[Rolan7]

Kinda, sorta. I wanted independence and financial self-sustainability, and I've had it for a while now. Except....didn't really have a battle plan for after I got it. And I spend a lot of time doing nothing now. Which, honestly, was the plan all along. To do nothing and not feel like a POS for doing so. But I'm starting to feel trapped despite being free, kind of by my job, kind of by the habits I've settled into.

Wow, yeah.  This.  I worked so hard to escape and be independent, and now I'm living the dream, but I keep feeling I should do more.

I guess it's not bad to need to create stuff, though.  I just need to get back in the swing of doing it.  I keep getting distracted, and then it's hard to restart.  Maybe it's a good thing that this negative reinforcement pushes me to try.

[Bauglir]

I've gotten to the point that the thought of being satisfied with my life is terrifying. I had a year or so of being basically content and it was honestly one of the most numbing, stifling periods I've ever been through. Simple work in an industry that needs it (and let me feel all morally warm and fuzzy), enough good co-workers, adequate time off, good pay, comfortable home, all the video games I could ask for. But it was a dead end. Staying with it, that's all I'd ever have.

Everything good and worthwhile seems to be a process or an experience, not a state of being. Happiness and satisfaction always seems to come from the pursuit of a goal, or the success (but not the subsequent having of the thing). Even the very notion of "good" only seems to make sense as a direction, like left or right. Getting better, not getting good. I dunno, I'm rambling. Point being, I don't ever want to stop. I feel like that'd be the same as dying. I'd rather push the stone uphill forever than actually get it up there.

Anyway, as far as that's relevant, yeah, I get where you're coming from on the picture, maybe. "What now?" is a thing.

[Eric Blank]

Have anyone ever felt like they were unhappy with what they want?

Like I don't mean "Now that you have it, it isn't what you wanted"

But... you have it in your hands... it is what you want... but you just aren't really happy about it?

I had thought that was the standard human experience. We want something, we get it, we don't feel better off/content once we've achieved that goal and we either go overboard with that one thing or find some other goal to chase down and maul to death. May it never end.

[Frumple]

Contentment is really hard to maintain, even if you've got every material thing you'd need to do so. Human psych just has trouble with sustained action, to all appearances.

Which is honestly really goddamn annoying. Would like it if the bloody chemical cocktail would stop fucking with me when I'm in an objectively and sustainably happy situation, yeah. Can learn to ignore it, but 'tis a ruddy nuisance.

[nenjin]

I'm sort of careful about using creativity as a panacea. For me at least, it becomes an obsession when I really get inspired. I like that I have a final product to look back and reflect on, but at lot of it is wasted effort, half measures and working off unspent mental energy and drive because I've got a goal to focus on.

I dunno, I give my dad and my brother a lot of crap for being too "task-oriented" about their time because I thought I was above that level of mania. Not so sure these days. It's not like I enjoy the things I've typically done less, it's just that, sorta like being an unemployed bum, I'm starting to feel guilty about it again. Or getting the idea I should be doing something else despite not really wanting to do something else.

So yeah. Fuck dis shit, I'm going to Europe! I saved all this money for some reason. I need a change of scenery and a good dose of "life is grand."

Contentment is really hard to maintain, even if you've got every material thing you'd need to do so. Human psych just has trouble with sustained action, to all appearances.

I think you honestly just need variety sometimes, even unpleasant variety, like a job to break up an otherwise placid and self-indulgent existence. Right now my job affords me the luxury of a place to live and my vices, which help me tolerate my job, which affords me a...it's sort of a cycle fueling itself, not leaving a lot of room or motivation or real energy for anything else.

Blergh. Adulthood. My folks always said there'd be days like this!

Maybe I should volunteer some of my time when I get back, although I've already done plenty of that in my day. That'd be at least a worthy use of time rather than doing forums every day for hours on end until the weekend hits and I can do some uninhibited gaming.

[EnigmaticHat]

Contentment is really hard to maintain, even if you've got every material thing you'd need to do so. Human psych just has trouble with sustained action, to all appearances.

I read nenjin's post first and I could still tell this was Frumple.

[penguinofhonor]

.

[Insanegame27]

head... shop?


I'm going to go now...

_{like... far away}

[hops]

The question is whether they sell heads in exchange for money, or if they give heads in exchange for money.

[~Neri]

There used to be a lil chinese buffet that was nearby that got shut down cause the health inspector found a head in the fridge.