Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: What influenced your personal growth the most?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 178 posts

Re: Ask HN: What influenced your personal growth the most?

#61

Post by chubot »

dx7tnt wrote: post #13
enkiv2 wrote: post #5

About ten years ago, after my grandmother died, I got really into Robert Anton Wilson. That sort of set the trajectory for the rest of my life. While I think RAW was wrong about a lot of things, the meta-lesson of erring on the side of agnosis -- trusting that, when the world doesn't behave in line with your expectations (and often even when it does) it's because of unknown unknowns, and that the world is stranger an…

I can't agree more with this. Robert Anton Wilson's books are extremely readable, entertaining, and will definitely help you see a new perspective. For programmers and tech people I'd recommend RAW above Godel, Escher, Bach, for example. One of his many intriguing ideas, borrowed from Alfred Korzybski, is that "The Map is Not the Territory". Always know that whatever map or idea you have is only ever, at best, a frag…

Hm I've never heard of RAW, but I will check out his work based on this thread. From what I see here, if you like his ideas, you might also like the books of Nassim Taleb (Black Swan, etc.) He has a style that rubs some people the wrong way, but I believe his ideas are the kind that can "change your life".

I have been a bit obsessed with the idea that "the map is not the territory". I think it's because I grew up with some strong mental models that turned out not to be true.

I used Google and found that I mentioned it at least 3 times on HN, going back years:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15866856 -- Programmers should learn a little philosophy

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7074831 -- With regard to Taleb, "I share Taleb's problem with models". I compare him to Nate Silver. I liked Silver's book very much at the time, and saw a lot of parallels in "learning about the world". (But I have since become disappointed with Silver.)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7913435 -- Static typing doesn't prevent the important bugs. Static types are a map; they're not the territory -- which is runtime behavior, interaction with the end user, interaction with the world.

I still have this rant a brewing: you cannot learn ANYTHING about the world if you don't actually run your program! Of course, most people who use static types do run their programs. But it's not a strawman; there's an extreme solipsistic school of "modeling with types" where programmers try not to run their programs and instead rely on the compiler. I suppose this may be effective for some very limited kinds of software with small interfaces to "the world" (which includes hardware), but IMO it's the wrong default. You can't learn anything about hardware without running your program, let alone end users!

Re: Ask HN: What influenced your personal growth the most?

#62

Post by fruzz »

Most of my growth has been emotional.

When I moved out from my parents place, I was pretty emotionally stunted, equivalent to a 13 year old. I was repeating the cycle of violence that I had experienced at home, displaying anger in the same abusive ways that I had known. At the same time, I was on the receiving end of a physically abusive relationship; not liking it, but not thinking I could do anything. It was just a continuation. I had pretty awful views on women and minorities as well, despite thinking of myself as progressive.

I wish I could say that I realized this and worked on it. I didn't. It took my ex-boyfriend to stand up to me. It took us seeking couple's therapy together. Only then did I start to open my eyes, and pro-actively work on my own shit. I've seen multiple therapists since. I've recognized how past trauma lives in my everyday, and how to manage it. I've grown tremendously and past what my parents will ever be capable of.

So what influenced my personal growth the most? That boyfriend who said no, what you're doing is wrong, and I won't let you do it. And the many times he had to say it to make it stick.

Re: Ask HN: What influenced your personal growth the most?

#64

Post by personlurking »

dx7tnt wrote: post #13
enkiv2 wrote: post #5

About ten years ago, after my grandmother died, I got really into Robert Anton Wilson. That sort of set the trajectory for the rest of my life. While I think RAW was wrong about a lot of things, the meta-lesson of erring on the side of agnosis -- trusting that, when the world doesn't behave in line with your expectations (and often even when it does) it's because of unknown unknowns, and that the world is stranger an…

I can't agree more with this. Robert Anton Wilson's books are extremely readable, entertaining, and will definitely help you see a new perspective. For programmers and tech people I'd recommend RAW above Godel, Escher, Bach, for example. One of his many intriguing ideas, borrowed from Alfred Korzybski, is that "The Map is Not the Territory". Always know that whatever map or idea you have is only ever, at best, a frag…

"The Map is Not the Territory" is a phrase that reminds me of a Jorge Borges story, via Baurdrillard's Simulacra and Simulation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulacra_and_Simulation#Analo...

Re: Ask HN: What influenced your personal growth the most?

#65

Post by [deleted] »

jugg1es wrote: post #58
stef25 wrote: post #30

Not 100% convinced about it, but I wanted to say: that I stopped smoking pot. Told myself well in advance that I'd quit 11 months in to my girlfriend's pregnancy (EDIT - obviously the residual effects are still there. I quit 8 months in to her pregnancy. This is what drugs do, kids.) Since then (now almost a year later) my ability to comprehend and concentrate on technical things has improved a lot. I've learn things…

I gotta disagree with you here. I smoke a little bit every day and I've gone through periods of a month or two without smoking and the only difference I found was that it was easier to get up in the morning if I didn't smoke the day before. My cognitive abilities don't seem to be impaired at all. It's possible that smoking pot for you was associated with other lifestyle affects (like sleep quality/duration) that were…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What influenced your personal growth the most?

#67

Post by thomasmarcelis »

uoaei wrote: post #47

Psychedelic mushrooms, specifically Psilocybe *. Losing that ego-based view of the world and realizing the interconnectedness of all things, and feeling that connection at the deepest levels of your psyche, does wonders for eliminating the adversarial individualism that I feel generates a lot of issues when enacted in all participants of society. Before, I had (and admittedly still have) some aspects of my self that,…

I find it weird people keep saying they lose the ego-based view of the world after taking psychedelics, it has had the complete opposite effecf on me. I know the experience is very personal but I have never read about experiences similar to mine. I become very ego-centric and just think about how I can get the most out of the world.

I do think it has affected me positively overall. I find it easier to work through tough times in order to reach what I want these days.

Re: Ask HN: What influenced your personal growth the most?

#68

Post by uoaei »

datpuz wrote: post #60
overcast wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't advocate drugs in any form, but everyone should experience hallucinogens at some point in their life. It will change your life, for the better.

Not everyone* People with some personality and mood disorders can really be thrown off by psychedelic experiences. A lot of people really struggle to attain stability and control in their lives, and I'm not sure they are good candidates for people who should have their entire reality pulled out from under them.

As always, the key factors are set and setting, i.e., how you are feeling mentally in terms of your comfort zone and confidence that things will go well, and the environment in which you have the experience, especially the kinds of people you surround yourself with.

Meaningful experiences can be had even on quite low doses so I encourage everyone to at least do some research in good faith. One good place to start is Erowid.

Re: Ask HN: What influenced your personal growth the most?

#69

Post by subcosmos »

Two weeks after earning a PhD in medical research, I was driving down the highway and saw a terrible accident right in front of me. I pulled over and attended to an unconscious man in a crushed vehicle. Myself and several other good Samaritans tried to resuscitate him, but failed.

It was fathers day. I would later find out he was about 40 with two kids. Way too young.

For a time I blamed myself for not being a "real doctor", and I developed PTSD and alcoholism. Years later however, what emerged from that pain was a medical research nonprofit that applies genomics and digital health to hopefully extend the most lives. It's my only passion, really.

Sometimes we create the most amazing things by responding to terrible tragedies. It has taken me 4 years to see the silver lining in that scenario.

Post reply on HN