Quote:
Originally Posted by RNauta
On the other side a guy who is delusional, turns to self-pity and evasion instead of selfimprovement when faced with a problem (losing at poker). It's a good example of busywork, doing something that takes a lot of effort but accomplishes nothing useful. From what he says all his walking doesn't seem to have any effect on him regarding meditation, realising what his problem is or what to do with his life. He still says he wants to be a professional poker player but he has no views at all on how to reach his goal except stalling because postponing is better than failing because you feel you haven't failed at it yet.
You're right about me being delusional -- I thought I could be a winning poker player. However, I'm not sure where you get the self-pity and evasion. This short is a little misleading, because some of it was scripted by the director. All the canned stuff is omitted from the final cut. The truth is, I quit gambling in April 2010, following my second college suspension. I went on a long walk to clear my head (you can read all about it at
www.MichaelWalksAmerica.com), and then I went back and finished school.
So, I didn't evade anything, or induce self-pity. I figured out that I had a problem, committed to resolving the problem, and did so.
I never said I want to be a professional poker player. I said that I wanted (past-tense) to be one, when I was delusional. As you'll see in the final cut, this walk was one of the products of the decision I made to quit gambling, which I made before this was filmed. This footage was of me reflecting on the history of my gambling problem, not my self-pity about how poker "almost ruined my life" (that was the canned line I was fed).
Gambling isn't for me. Most people can gamble just fine, but I can't, because I'm an addict.
BTW, thanks for engaging in this discussion. I am entertained by people saying stuff like "lol he's pulling a cart just like a donkey!!!" but this conversation is much better for all of us.