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Today you, tomorrow me

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Re: Today you, tomorrow me

#81

Post by snth »

edw519 wrote: post #77
snth wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I appreciate the sentiment, but "it'll all work out in the end" seems like a warning sign of wishful (poor) thinking.

Who am I going to listen to, the man who taught me more than I ever could ever imagine (and is now retired and giving away his millions) or some stranger who thinks he knows better? I often share thoughts like this in the OP's spirit of "pass it on" so that it may benefit someone else. Take it or leave it. But doubting it, commenting on what it "seems", or downvoting it only makes you look like a fool. [Sorry for the…

Of course you're free to listen to whomever you like; I wish you would take my comment more as an alternative viewpoint than as an insult. I do appreciate the sentiment of your story, that people should help others, but personally I think the attitude "it'll all work out in the end" ruins more lives than it saves.

Re: Today you, tomorrow me

#82

Post by sudont »

sanj wrote: post #80
snth wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I appreciate the sentiment, but "it'll all work out in the end" seems like a warning sign of wishful (poor) thinking.

Not in my mind. Doing the right thing is a solid way to run your life. It lets you sleep better at night and build solid relationships when you're awake. And, strangely, it does work out in the end. It has for me, every time.

That's confirmation bias, you never hear from the people who try and fail. They go away to the gutter, a shitty sales job; silence.

I'm glad it worked out for you, but it's rarely ever "just worked out" for me. So, be happy, because you're very lucky!

Re: Today you, tomorrow me

#83

Post by rick888 »

A story like this still doesn't make me want to pick up hitchhikers.

I used to live in the metro-Detroit area and there have been at least 3 or 4 cases in the past year where people have been robbed at gunpoint by alleged hitchhikers. This is what makes me think that this country has gone to hell.

Re: Today you, tomorrow me

#84

Post by lazyant »

mrcharles wrote: post #46
sliverstorm wrote: post #12

I try to give rides to hitchhikers when it's especially dark and lonely and cold out. I ride a motorcycle, and people usually aren't interested in a ride with no helmet unless it's really dark, lonely and cold. Used to help people on the side of the road a lot, but a childhood friend was hit by a truck & killed just recently while helping someone change a flat and I almost broke my ankle in the dark another night whe…

That's the problem in a lot of places. The highway I use most often is the 401 in the greater toronto area -- the busiest highway in north america. Stopping on the side of the road is extremely dangerous at the best of times, and walking along it, even worse. However, I have called 911 on occasion. It always amazes me how few people call in collisions and accidents. On a recent road trip to the US, I was travelling N…

People in groups tend to look at each other for signals instead of acting; this is explained in "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion" by Cialdini.

Re: Today you, tomorrow me

#85

Post by jonathanwallace »

edw519 wrote: post #47

Funny, as I read this post I thought, "Not hacker news." Then I read all the comments (42 as of this writing) and still thought, "Not hacker news." Then I realized, "Perfect hacker news." Let me explain... I try to approach my business just as the Mexicans in the story did. Not to make money, not to change the world, not to build cool stuff (well maybe just a little), but to genuinely help people. For a business pers…

Thank you for this story. I shared your sentiment when I saw this story pop up on hn but I've been struggling to find the right mindset for marketing my next project.

Your mentor's philosophy is exactly what I needed to hear.

Re: Today you, tomorrow me

#86

Post by jmeyers »

Qz wrote: post #20

I've never seen a hitchhiker while driving, but maybe that's because I live in the middle of Pittsburgh.

You have to get out of the the city a little bit. The last hitchhiker I picked up was on Rt 422 north of Pittsburgh. It was cold, dark and raining so I stopped to pick him up. We got to talking and he told me his story on why he was hitching. Seems his buddy was having a bachelor party and he wanted to go. His wife hid the keys and said he couldn't go so he hitchhiked to the party and back. I dropped him off at his house and I can only imagine the hell he got from his wife when he got home...

Re: Today you, tomorrow me

#88

Post by theycallmemorty »

mcantor wrote: post #63
nodata wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Americans are some of the most friendly, optimistic and outgoing people in the known universe. I'm going to get downvoted to hell, but I have to say this: I agree completely. The reason why Americans believe that they are hating elsewhere is people transferring their strong dislike of American politics ("let's invade/interfere (with) countries and call it freedom") onto the American _people_. It's an emotional and in…

I sort of agree, but a lot of us really are douchebags.

Could it be that the optimism mentioned by dazzawazza and nodata is admired when it is directed inward but not when directed externally? Nobody likes it when an ignorant person tries to solve all of their problems and it just so happens that the USA has a ton of optimism and wealth.

Re: Today you, tomorrow me

#89

Post by jamesbritt »

dbingham wrote: post #75
arvinjoar wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, "I'm going to get downvoted to hell" belongs on reddit, where people actually downvote people out of spite. I've not seen the same behavior here on HN (might just be that I haven't posted too much here). A better and more constructive preface would be "You are welcome to disagree with me here" or something like that, something that would be used in ordinary conversation.

I've seen that behavior here. But then, I have some beliefs that sorely challenge many HNers world views.

" I have some beliefs that sorely challenge many HNers world views."

Many people come to HN precisely for that.

Re: Today you, tomorrow me

#90

Post by klbarry »

Azuldolphin wrote: post #61
nodata wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Americans are some of the most friendly, optimistic and outgoing people in the known universe. I'm going to get downvoted to hell, but I have to say this: I agree completely. The reason why Americans believe that they are hating elsewhere is people transferring their strong dislike of American politics ("let's invade/interfere (with) countries and call it freedom") onto the American _people_. It's an emotional and in…

Not to be a jerk, but I'm genuinely curious. Why did you feel the need to preface your comment with "I'm going to get downvoted to hell"? I can't see a reason why this comment would get downvoted. Edit: I see you've been downvoted. I wonder if it's BECAUSE of your preface, rather than IN SPITE of it.

When I upvoted him, he was in the negatives. So maybe it was necessary.
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