The Universal Good Deal, Chapter 13
3862 sats \ 2 comments \ @cleophas 31 Dec 2023 BooksAndArticles
This is Chapter 13 of The Universal Good Deal, you may want to start at the beginning or go back to Chapter 12.

13

This ancient Martian myth, now lost, seems to have been a fable about a person who was assaulted by a ceaseless parade of hideous random circumstances. The Martians of Flinders' age were an optimistic people, and such fables as these had fallen out of favor—which, no doubt, is why he was able to acquire a copy even in the confines of prison.
In the unlucky hero of the book, Flinders saw himself: poor, miserable, alone on an island of despair, feeling almost dead.1 And yet the hero achieved wealth, success, even fame. For Flinders the epiphany was that success did not come to the hero by any merit or particular industry of his own, but because of this very ill-fortune at the center of the tale.
The bad luck was the thing. Flinders realized that true greatness came from bad luck, not good.
It gave Flinders hope. And having met with, and read, partly by stealth, this fable, Flinders felt inspired with all the spirit of enterprise, and restless desire of fame, which such tales of surprising calamities usually caution youthful minds against.2 Whereas, for most of his young life, he had believed he was too ill-starred to dare anything more than survival, he felt as he read Robinson Crusoe that there was born within his heart the ambition to distinguish himself.3
Over the course of his short life, Flinders wore out no less than six copies of the book with hard work in his service.4 Though out of its chronological order, it may be appropriate to include a few further instances in which this book so profoundly influenced Flinders' life:5 After he had attained some success, he often told people that he was induced to go into advertising against the wishes of friends from the reading of this book.6 He also held the book responsible for working in him a near-miraculous recovery from pneumonia. And it may have been the case that Crusoe was at the core of his reasoning in the Goldner campaign. Only a few days before his death aboard the Investigator, he violated mission protocol and transmitted over the ship's sole antenna a note pre-ordering a copy of a new edition of the book, with astrological annotations.7 It must have been one of the last communications the Martians ever received from him.8 As I have said, the reading of Robinson Crusoe made upon him a profound impression.9 When his spirits were bad, when he wanted advice, when he had trouble in romance, and when he drank too much, in all cases, Flinders turned to Robinson Crusoe.10
Chapter 14 tomorrow, same time, same place.

Footnotes

  1. I, poor, miserable Robinson Crusoe, being shipwrecked during a dreadful storm in the offing, came on shore on this dismal unfortunate island, which I called the Island of Despair, all the rest of the ship's company being drowned, and myself almost dead. Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe 1719 ↩
  2. and having met with, and read, partly by stealth, that book to which Britain is indebted for so many of her most valuable sailors, the venerable recorder of the ship-wrecked narrative, Robinson Crusoe, Flinders felt inspired with all the spirit of enterprise, and restless desire of peregrination, with which those surprising adventures hardly ever fail to fire the youthful mind: so, resolving upon a sea-faring life. Joyce Gold, The Naval Chronicle: Containing a General and Biographical History of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom with a Variety of Original Papers on Nautical Subjects, Volume 32, 1814 ↩
  3. I burned to have adventures of my own, I felt as I read that there was born within my heart the ambition to distinguish myself by some important discovery. Rene Caille, attributed by Paul Gaffarel, La Politique coloniale en France 1908 ↩
  4. I have worn out six stout Robinson Crusoes with hard work in my service. Wilkie Collins, The Moonstone 1868 ↩
  5. Though out of its chronological order, it may be appropriately quoted here to connect it with the other references to the book which so profoundly influenced his life. Ernest Scott, The Life of Captain Matthew Flinders, R.N. 1914 ↩
  6. The reply was: Induced to go to sea against the wishes of friends from reading Robinson Crusoe. Matthew Flinders, attributed by Joyce Gold, The Naval Chronicle: Containing a General and Biographical History of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom with a Variety of Original Papers on Nautical Subjects, Volume 32, 1814 ↩
  7. Only a fortnight before his death he wrote a note subscribing for a copy of a new edition of the book, with notes. Ernest Scott, The Life of Captain Matthew Flinders, R.N. 1914 ↩
  8. It must have been one of the last letters from his hand. Ernest Scott, The Life of Captain Matthew Flinders, R.N. 1914 ↩
  9. The reading of Robinson Crusoe made upon him a profound impression. Paul Gaffarel, La Politique coloniale en France 1908 ↩
  10. When my spirits are bad--Robinson Crusoe. When I want advice--Robinson Crusoe. In past times when my wife plagued me; in present times when I have had a drop too much--Robinson Crusoe. Wilkie Collins, The Moonstone 1868 ↩
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10 sats \ 1 reply \ @k00b 31 Dec 2023
And so, I shall look for a copy of Robison Crusoe. There are too many prints though. Going to be hard to find the right one.
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10 sats \ 0 replies \ @k00b 31 Dec 2023 freebie
Flinders realized that true greatness came from bad luck, not good.
I'm not sure what's wrong with me but I almost agree with this. Misfortune gives skills to deal with misfortune. Presuming the misfortune isn't permanently debilitating of course. If you want to tolerate more pain (for whatever reason) you can usually do so by seeking it.
I'd say true greatness comes from maximizing your exposure to chance in trainable domains without (much) regard for fortune.
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