How do I become the smoking man?

[Maastricht]

Heh. Okay, but Gorby is no longer president, so biographers can write the truth about him without having to fear getting pulled out of bed by the KGB.

[Noel_Prosequi]

@Maastricht

…

Nothing bad about Schopenhauer, but do you want to channel him and follow his lead? The guy severely disliked almost everyone he met. He hated his mom, who was by all accounts a nice lady, he hated his students on the university where he taught and spent more time writing about them with contempt then actually preparing useful lectures. He once kicked his maid so hard in anger, he had to pay her damages.
His writings on mankind reflect his hate and contempt. They can be read as a rationalization of his socially withdrawn and misanthopistic attitude. “I hate people, and they in turn regard me as Grumpy Mc Temper, but because <insert well written philoshopical argument> that makes me actually cooler and more insightful then everyone else, so there!”
So if you want to be like Schopenhauer, by all means channel him (he was financially independent, by the way, so he could afford it; can you?). If you want to be a 'smoking man" find yourself an example and learn from him/her.

So… Schopenhauer was Dr House? Who woulda thunk?

[chowder]

If all else fails you could pour petrol over yourself and light up a cigarette