"A final common manifestation of the desire for time mastery arises from the unspoken assumption described in chapter 8 as the causal catastrophe: **the idea that the true value of how we spend our time is always and only to be judged by the results**. "It follows naturally enough from this outlook that you should focus your time on those activities for which you expect to be around to see the results. But in his documentary A Life’s Work, the director [[David Licata]] **profiles people who took another path, dedicating their lives to projects that almost certainly won’t be completed within their lifetimes**—like the father-and-son team attempting to catalog every tree in the world’s remaining ancient forests, and the astronomer scouring radio waves for signs of extraterrestrial life from her desk at the [[SETI Institute]] in [[California]]. "All have the shining eyes of people who know they’re doing things that matter, and who relish their work precisely **because they don’t need to try to convince themselves that their own contributions will prove decisive** or reach fruition while they’re still alive." --- **Tags** -- [[quotes]], [[humility]], [[expectations]], [[momento-mori]], [[expertise]], [[character]], **Source** -- [[202410130434 - B - Four Thousand Weeks]]