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Ask HN: Did you learn any life changing lessons this year?

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Re: Ask HN: Did you learn any life changing lessons this year?

#81

Post by websitescenes »

dang wrote: post #74
websitescenes wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> “God is, at least, a very real force that exists, in part, within us all in Western culture. We've inherited God. That's my conclusion anyway.“ That’s some strong Kool-aid you’re sipping on.

Please don't do religious flamewar on HN. If a comment is provocative in some way, please resist the provocation. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Fair enough.. I’ve honestly never read those guidelines and appreciate you pointing them out.

I found the parent comment to my reply very disturbing and thought it needed to be called out because it’s a dangerous point of view that enables very real atrocities both here and abroad. A belief in an inherent superiority is what led to historical events like the holocaust. It’s very difficult for me to stand by and not comment.

To us living on the border, this a very real issue that affects us daily not only socially but economically.

Re: Ask HN: Did you learn any life changing lessons this year?

#83

Post by dang »

websitescenes wrote: post #81
dang wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please don't do religious flamewar on HN. If a comment is provocative in some way, please resist the provocation. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Fair enough.. I’ve honestly never read those guidelines and appreciate you pointing them out. I found the parent comment to my reply very disturbing and thought it needed to be called out because it’s a dangerous point of view that enables very real atrocities both here and abroad. A belief in an inherent superiority is what led to historical events like the holocaust. It’s very difficult for me to stand by and not c…

The problem isn't in responding at all, it's in the internet calling-out culture. This doesn't do any good at all, and it damages the container here.

Re: Ask HN: Did you learn any life changing lessons this year?

#84

Post by JoshCalbet »

There is so much inertia in a big organization if you want to do something, it is better not to ask and work on it and keep pushing things forward until someone explicitly ask you to stop. It is not productive and possibly dangerous to be waiting for approval or even guidance, when there is so many things to do and no one offer to help, stop looking for guidance, dive deep into the code, solve the problems and make a defense of your solutions.

That was a life changing lesson. I became more productive I got rejections a couple of times, but the rate of success was way more than I expected.

Re: Ask HN: Did you learn any life changing lessons this year?

#85

Post by websitescenes »

dang wrote: post #83
websitescenes wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fair enough.. I’ve honestly never read those guidelines and appreciate you pointing them out. I found the parent comment to my reply very disturbing and thought it needed to be called out because it’s a dangerous point of view that enables very real atrocities both here and abroad. A belief in an inherent superiority is what led to historical events like the holocaust. It’s very difficult for me to stand by and not c…

The problem isn't in responding at all, it's in the internet calling-out culture. This doesn't do any good at all, and it damages the container here.

I completely disagree but will abide.

Re: Ask HN: Did you learn any life changing lessons this year?

#86

Post by Kevin_S »

I learned I'm more capable than I imagined. I was a mediocre student through HS and undergrad, and managed to talk my way into a really good PhD program I started this fall. All the other students were stellar students and just seemed so much more qualified, and I really doubted if I could make it.

I did well enough in my fall classes (hardest math I've ever taken, skipping multiple pre reqs) to move on and I feel I've found my research interest at least for now. I'm excited every day to work on my research/coding and honestly am 100x happier than I was at my old job even though I'm working about 5x the hours.

I was really worried from the get-go I would not be able to pass the hard classes. But shit, I did it! I feel I can just do so much more.

Sorry for the ramble haha.

Re: Ask HN: Did you learn any life changing lessons this year?

#87

Post by drieddust »

JoshCalbet wrote: post #84

There is so much inertia in a big organization if you want to do something, it is better not to ask and work on it and keep pushing things forward until someone explicitly ask you to stop. It is not productive and possibly dangerous to be waiting for approval or even guidance, when there is so many things to do and no one offer to help, stop looking for guidance, dive deep into the code, solve the problems and make a…

But why do you want to take initiatives nobody wants?

I have been your shoe a lot of times and it usually ends in your work of useful openly taken advantage of with no attribution.

So unless you are in right position, don't do it.

A have resorted to running these ideas as personal project outside work.

Re: Ask HN: Did you learn any life changing lessons this year?

#88

Post by sgillen »

Kevin_S wrote: post #86

I learned I'm more capable than I imagined. I was a mediocre student through HS and undergrad, and managed to talk my way into a really good PhD program I started this fall. All the other students were stellar students and just seemed so much more qualified, and I really doubted if I could make it. I did well enough in my fall classes (hardest math I've ever taken, skipping multiple pre reqs) to move on and I feel I'…

Awesome dude! I was in a really similar situation last year. I still felt I was unqualified until earlier this year (oh I passed that class but it was supposed to be easy etc etc). But I passed the “screening exam” that many very qualified driven students fail the first time. That definitely helped with the imposter syndrome.

Re: Ask HN: Did you learn any life changing lessons this year?

#89

Post by squirrelicus »

janlin1999 wrote: post #72
squirrelicus wrote: post #11

This year I learned that God is real. I'd been an atheist since 14 and have spent the majority of my life an atheist. I believed that there was insufficient evidence for the existence of God. In many ways I still believe that. I dont believe in a magic transdimensional entity most people believe in when they talk about God. However, much like you feel the spirit of celebration when your team scores a goal, or the spi…

> To be clear, I'm Christian now, as of August. I take the Bible seriously now. But to be extra clear, I believe it's all metaphor. Isn't that an odd position to take when parts of the Bible insist that it is not metaphorical? (e.g. Paul's argument in 1 Corinthians 15 about why he believes in Jesus' bodily resurrection and his conclusion that "If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be…

I do believe it is extraordinarily likely that the Bible describes a legendary account about real events or people (and their beliefs) from time to time.

With respect to resurrection there is no end of depth to be extracted from the theme. As a general summary, Christianity introduced the notion to the world that one could even be redeemed at all. When someone returns from the pit of nihilism and jealousy and transforms themselves into a person that faces the world forthrightly, you bet your ass I believe in Resurrection of the Dead. Not the least of which because aforementioned nihilism is a key source of suicide and violent crime. But even metaphorically, there is no life in the pit of nihilism, of hell. When people describe hell as maximal distance from God, what they are saying is true.

Re: Ask HN: Did you learn any life changing lessons this year?

#90

Post by squirrelicus »

janlin1999 wrote: post #72
squirrelicus wrote: post #11

This year I learned that God is real. I'd been an atheist since 14 and have spent the majority of my life an atheist. I believed that there was insufficient evidence for the existence of God. In many ways I still believe that. I dont believe in a magic transdimensional entity most people believe in when they talk about God. However, much like you feel the spirit of celebration when your team scores a goal, or the spi…

> To be clear, I'm Christian now, as of August. I take the Bible seriously now. But to be extra clear, I believe it's all metaphor. Isn't that an odd position to take when parts of the Bible insist that it is not metaphorical? (e.g. Paul's argument in 1 Corinthians 15 about why he believes in Jesus' bodily resurrection and his conclusion that "If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be…

I realized I may not have directly addressed your comment, and I definitely didn't address your last question. In reverse order,

I do believe God is the one setting me free. God, in my view, is at least (and maybe more) a cultural spirit we have inherited. Much of the condition I've been born and raised into was not my choice, God included. I believe I am recognizing and embracing that which is a part of me, and a part of the Christian West in general, at least. Something I've ignored or resisted for most of my life.

With respect to the specific claims of the reality of the legends and metaphors, I try act as if God is real and Christ was resurrected, sure. But I'm not burdened by the question of the nature of the god of Job, for example. It's clear to me that that story is about dealing with tragedy, when it feels like God and Satan are conspiring against you.

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