51–60 of 101 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
pokemon and football are higher up on the universally accepted scale of morally justifiable hobbies than internet forum flamebaiting. sorry about this - someone needed to let you know.
I'm serious. You, apparently, aren't. You're just calling me a troll. I think on PG's scale that is DH0 - Name Calling. http://www.paulgraham.com/disagree.html
Instead he told me the following story about Sam Walton, the founder of a somewhat successful retail venture.
A newly hired executive had made a multi-million dollar mistake and he too was summoned to the corner office. Before Sam could get a word in, the executive said "Save the lecture and just fire me."
Sam studied the young executive for a few moments and replied "Fire you? I just invested millions of dollars in your education - you don't even get to resign".
Like Sam Walton's freshly minted executive, I learned an important lesson that day. Mistakes, even those of the multi-million dollar variety, are inevitable. What is of utmost importance is that we learn the lessons taught.
(Only later did I fully grasp that small mistakes are actually desirable).
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they are guilty ... they ought to find better things fun I'm pretty sure what the downmodders are reacting against is the absoluteness of your moralism. Personally, I'm not offended by it. I'm flabbergasted by it. Edit: this just reminded me of one of the best pieces of advice I ever received: Judge not, lest ye be judged. How's that for swinging back on topic?
Yes, I know what they are responding to. I also noticed that they, and you, failed to comment on whether what I said is true . They could do better, but don't, that's practically the definition of immoral. They value the wrong things, again, that's practically the definition of immoral. What am I wrong about? That some of the best things ever made are better than football?
There's absolutely nothing wrong with deciding you don't want to devote enormous amounts of time and effort to something creative. For example, you can touch plenty of people's lives and have a tremendous positive impact on the world just by being there for your friends and family, something that devoting yourself to an intensely creative endeavor probably interferes with.
Don't get me wrong - entrepreneurs, authors, and other creative people are special people. That's why they are rewarded (sometimes) with praise, admiration, or money. But that most emphatically does not mean that they are better or more moral people than those who choose to live more ordinary lives.
The best advice that I ever received was from my father. He is one of the hardest working men I have ever met (construction) and never seems to complain no matter how tough things or life can get. This bit of advice may have been given to him at one point, but not too long ago he said to me, "Don't ever feel like you are missing out on something. There will always be another party".
While this advice is somewhat simplistic on the surface, it really has given me the ability to put life and the choices I make into perspective. It is easy to put your future on the back burner and get caught up in the feeling that it's a necessity to go out all the time (I am in college if that put things into perspective). I am gifted with the uncanny ability to rationalize to myself that the poor decision I am about to make is the somehow the appropriate one at the time(/sarcasm). Opportunities sometimes only come once in a lifetime and how we handle those situations is often the true determinant of our character.
Sometimes it is hard to stay in and direct my time and efforts into my current side project. Hopefully there will be many parties (celebratory I would like to think ;) ) to make up for the time that I am spending to make an impact and reach success outside of the norm. Sometimes I laugh at some of the comments people around me make, believing as though they can spend 6 out of 7 days a week drunk and then magically be granted a seven figure salary as the CEO of some organization right out of college. The other day someone I am unfortunate enough to know said to the people in a class "In ten years, you will all be working for me!". Well, I sure hope that in ten years I am not the katsup man in the McDonald's assembly line.
I am actually excited to submit an Ask YC question of my own in the next day or so because I really feel like I could use some direction on after college decisions. Cheers!
Earlier quoted context omitted.
they are guilty ... they ought to find better things fun I'm pretty sure what the downmodders are reacting against is the absoluteness of your moralism. Personally, I'm not offended by it. I'm flabbergasted by it. Edit: this just reminded me of one of the best pieces of advice I ever received: Judge not, lest ye be judged. How's that for swinging back on topic?
Yes, I know what they are responding to. I also noticed that they, and you, failed to comment on whether what I said is true . They could do better, but don't, that's practically the definition of immoral. They value the wrong things, again, that's practically the definition of immoral. What am I wrong about? That some of the best things ever made are better than football?
But is it a waste of talent for a good doctor to quit his job and pursue a less philanthropic effort? Yeah, that's probably valid.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, I know what they are responding to. I also noticed that they, and you, failed to comment on whether what I said is true . They could do better, but don't, that's practically the definition of immoral. They value the wrong things, again, that's practically the definition of immoral. What am I wrong about? That some of the best things ever made are better than football?
No, I wouldn't call that immoral at all. Immoral, to me at least, is when you cause harm to other people. There's absolutely nothing wrong with deciding you don't want to devote enormous amounts of time and effort to something creative. For example, you can touch plenty of people's lives and have a tremendous positive impact on the world just by being there for your friends and family, something that devoting yoursel…
But anyway, use whatever words you want, I've told you what I meant: living better, more fruitful lives with more learning and thinking. And people who could do that, but don't, are guilty of living badly, living below their abilities.
This is not just a matter of opinion or taste. For example, we are only able to communicate here because of scientific achievement; that is objectively more important than pokemon. And, for example, no one is perfect, so people who correct more of their mistakes end up better than those who don't. People who think and learn more are more able and effective at correcting their mistakes to improve themselves.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, I know what they are responding to. I also noticed that they, and you, failed to comment on whether what I said is true . They could do better, but don't, that's practically the definition of immoral. They value the wrong things, again, that's practically the definition of immoral. What am I wrong about? That some of the best things ever made are better than football?
I upmodded you because I think you raise a valid argument. But I do disagree, because I don't think it's immoral for a highly skilled doctor to quit his profession and open up a comic book store to sell Pokemon cards instead. Yes, society will be worse off for it. But does society have a right to tell the former doctor what profession he should take up? Morals would dictate that people have a basic right to do what t…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I upmodded you because I think you raise a valid argument. But I do disagree, because I don't think it's immoral for a highly skilled doctor to quit his profession and open up a comic book store to sell Pokemon cards instead. Yes, society will be worse off for it. But does society have a right to tell the former doctor what profession he should take up? Morals would dictate that people have a basic right to do what t…
I don't think he owes anything to society. I think he should do what's best for himself. If that's pokemon, so be it, but he'd be better off, and live a better life, if he cared more about thinking and learning and doing great things. Good ways of life reward the doer most of all.