A Reason Not to Worry What Others Think

landscape with the fall of Icarus is a large painting from the 1560s that hangs in Belgium's largest museum the museum bazaar and is held to be a meticulous copy of an original work now lost by the Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the elder the painting shows a superficially bucolic scene ships are taking sale a shepherd is tending to his flock distant cities look prosperous and ordered but in the bottom right hand corner of the canvas but tragedy is unfolding all but unheeded reckless Icarus the legendary figure from classical mythology is in the final stages of one of the ancient world's most famous aeronautical disasters together with his father Daedalus the young man had made himself a pair of wings glued together with wax Daedalus had warned his son not to fly too close to the Sun in case its Heat were to melt the structure but the impetuous boy soared too high anyway and in the painting has just tumbled down into the waves to his death Icarus is and is deliberately not the central focus of the painting the eye is drawn instead to the glittering cities and smart ships in the distance as if to emphasize the point the ploughman at the center of the painting references a popular proverb no plough stops for the dying man this neglect of Icarus is tragedy is at one level terrifying and sad we read into it how little the world cares about our own pains and yet from another perspective this neglect is deeply gratifying and importantly redemptive it is one of the central sources of our unhappiness that we spend so much of our lives fearing for our reputations and wondering what others will think of us when we fail as we inevitably will at points the slightest change in our image in the eyes of others can obsess us we lie awake at night wondering how we could cope without the approval of people we don't even like very much we surrender our freedom to the verdicts of strangers but the painters stroke of consoling genius is here to show us how when we really mess up almost no one will be looking or caring very much the farmer is too busy plowing the Shepherd is too taken up with thinking about the weather someone else is overwhelmingly intent on fishing our tragedies don't occupy society the way we fear they will a few people might notice for a moment then swiftly move on to the next thing we are at the center of the galaxy only in our own tortured Minds the world is still filled with humans who haven't heard of us and never will those who might be angry or disappointed with you now will have forgotten all about you soon enough your disgrace will in time be subsumed within the larger amnesia of a consolingly indifferent world it isn't just Icarus who is being swallowed up and obscured by the waves some of the same obscurity awaits our greatest errors and embarrassments we hope you enjoyed this film for more from the School of Life you can subscribe to our Channel and take a look at our range of products on our website you

Channel: The School of Life

Views: 3,227,767

Rating: 4.9598255 out of 5

Keywords: the school of life, relationships, alain de botton, philosophy, London, self, improvement, wellness, mindfullness, psychology, hack, how to, school of life, worry, anxiety, others, think, overthinking, how to stop worrying, stop worrying, dont u worry bout a thing, why do we worry, be happy, PL-SELF, confidence, how to stop caring, motivation, how to stop caring what people think, stop caring what people think, how to be happy, how to be confident, stop caring, inspiration, success, self help, tedx

Id: X75Roe_davA

Length: 3min 33sec (213 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 26 2017

Reddit Comments

[u/polytopey]

You know what they say, the world laughs together with you, but when you cry, you'll cry alone.

[u/flying_pig_trainer]

I love this! It’s a great reminder. Thank you for posting.

[u/MeNotHim]

I very much enjoyed this video. I also can't help but think of the modern dilemma whereby one bad moment, captured on video, can immediately ricochet around the world, and bring immense damage to a person's career or reputation.

[u/jasecutler]

Hey u/JollySpaghetti_ thanks for sharing - really enjoyed that. Also thanks for inadvertently introducing me to the channel 'The School of Life'. Looks like a lot of good content from these guys.

[u/UnfairGarbage]

This channel is the absolute fucking best. I have learned so much from them, and while not everything they say should be taken as hard gospel, I do believe that anyone can benefit from their wisdom. Strong, loving philosophy that will help you endure the pain and joy and everything of life.

[u/jehornahel]

I can’t be silent to say that the video editing is just great. Using classic masterpieces in this way in so supporting for the wisdom of narrative.