this post was submitted on 29 Dec 2023
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted, clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts: 1

Rules

  1. All posts must be showerthoughts
  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
  3. No politics
    • If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
    • A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
    • If you feel strongly that you want politics back, please volunteer as a mod.
  4. Posts must be original/unique
  5. Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct

If you made it this far, showerthoughts is accepting new mods. This community is generally tame so its not a lot of work, but having a few more mods would help reports get addressed a little sooner.

Whats it like to be a mod? Reports just show up as messages in your Lemmy inbox, and if a different mod has already addressed the report the message goes away and you never worry about it.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Not technically correct, superficially correct. "A cat on a pillar and a caterpillar are basically the same thing! Amirite?"

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I would definitely argue that it is at least technically correct.

Your example points to a vague resemblance in how it sounds spoken, which has barely nothing to do with the meaning. This much ought to be obvious.

My thought points to an unlikely lesson found in both phrases. That is, both remind to make the most out of life, because inevitable death. As others have pointed out, the connotations just have been formed such that YOLO ends up generally achieving that with recklessness and "Memento Mori" generally with caution and healthy respect for mortality.

However, that does mean that the same lesson is still found in them, which indeed makes them mean pretty much the same thing. Note that I don't claim them to be synonymous, like a certain comment claims, or interchangeable, which they aren't.

TL;DR: Your example relies on how it sounds and it is indeed superficial. In my thought the similarity indeed exist in the language and is technically correct.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You're focusing on the wrong part of my argument. The cat bit was a humorous throwaway.

Memento mori is directly and explicitly tied to humility and mindfulness. This is well documented from both contemporary and historical sources and is absolutely distinct from the indulgence of "making the most out of life". YOLO is about risks and embracing the experience rather than contemplating the consequences. YOLO is closer to "hold my beer" than anything else.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Making the most of life doesn't necessarily mean indulgence. It can mean living a long and meaningful one.

Also in my previous response I already made a point about the connotations, which I feel responds pretty well to this too.

EDIT: typo