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Ask HN: How are you coping with all the (mostly bad) news around you?

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Re: Ask HN: How are you coping with all the (mostly bad) news around you?

#111

Post by rayhendricks »

keiferski wrote: post #65

Basically every other generation before you in history faced a much greater threat with far less resources, technology, and desire to cooperate. Cold War, WW2, WW1, American Civil War, Chinese Civil War, Napoleonic Wars, French Revolution, Black Death, Mongol Invasions, etc. since the beginning of time. I personally find it comforting to know that no matter how bad this virus gets, it’s essentially nothing when place…

This is entirely true. Even my parents generation had to face much larger odds of getting killed in the Vietnam conflict or coming back with severe substance/mental health issues. Or they could go to Canada for 15 years, put the career on hold until Carter pardoned everyone.

So while the millennial and gen x have a 0.2% chance of death from coronavirus which of course all precautions should be taken, this is nowhere near the hazards our parents and grandparents faced in ww2/Korea/Vietnam.

Re: Ask HN: How are you coping with all the (mostly bad) news around you?

#112

Post by froh »

nicbou wrote: post #106

I help. I run a website that helps people figure out life in Berlin in Germany. It covers important topics in plain language. These days I maintain an overview of the Coronavirus situation in Berlin, and spread correct information in various communities. The government is doing a poor job at propagating information, and most sources are only in German. Save a few surprisingly hostile people, the response has been ver…

Great positive support!

Nitpick: The official information is clear, simple and plenty, albeit indeed primarily in German language: https://www.infektionsschutz.de/coronavirus-sars-cov-2.html

This is advertised in social media anywhere.

Your site (link?) presumably links to the English documents there as they are updated regularly?

Re: Ask HN: How are you coping with all the (mostly bad) news around you?

#113

Post by cameronbrown »

kranner wrote: post #81
cameronbrown wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why I really do believe that family (or the opportunity to have a fam) is all we have.

What about art, mathematics, fiction, music, etc?

Those things are important, even special, but at the end of your life, you'll want family by your side, not a painting.

Re: Ask HN: How are you coping with all the (mostly bad) news around you?

#114

Post by kranner »

cameronbrown wrote: post #113
kranner wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about art, mathematics, fiction, music, etc?

Those things are important, even special, but at the end of your life, you'll want family by your side, not a painting.

But that's quite different from your original statement. We weren't talking about what matters at the end of one's life.

You simply said "[family is] all we have". I think it's fair to interpret that as applicable to any point in one's life, or broadly all of one's life (barring emergencies), not just on one's deathbed.

Life is pretty long. It's great to have family, and I love mine. But I can't admire them all day.

Re: Ask HN: How are you coping with all the (mostly bad) news around you?

#115

Post by jordanpg »

kranner wrote: post #81
cameronbrown wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why I really do believe that family (or the opportunity to have a fam) is all we have.

What about art, mathematics, fiction, music, etc?

My instinct tells me that the fraction of the human population which derives substantial, enduring meaning from art, mathematics, fiction, music, etc. is extremely slim. These things are complementary or perhaps supplementary to a larger void of cosmic meaning.

As Camus wrote:

> There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy.

To me, art, mathematics, fiction, music, etc. are not what comes to mind when I answer that question.

Re: Ask HN: How are you coping with all the (mostly bad) news around you?

#116

Post by kranner »

jordanpg wrote: post #115
kranner wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about art, mathematics, fiction, music, etc?

My instinct tells me that the fraction of the human population which derives substantial, enduring meaning from art, mathematics, fiction, music, etc. is extremely slim. These things are complementary or perhaps supplementary to a larger void of cosmic meaning. As Camus wrote: > There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answeri…

As I recall about The Myth of Sisyphus, Camus concluded that life is fundamentally absurd and meaningless, and "what counts ... is the most living." The absurd man of Camus "enjoys a freedom with regard to common rules." [had to look that up]

So I don't think Camus would necessarily accept family as universally what makes life worth living, if that is what you meant.

To me, the rejection of art, mathematics, fiction, music makes life that much less worth living. Family is one of my essential values, but so are many other things. It is not a competition in any sense.

Re: Ask HN: How are you coping with all the (mostly bad) news around you?

#117

Post by voisin »

devchix wrote: post #78
aweiland wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a great perspective. Thanks!

I take the dimmer view: this is not even a real emergency, and we're not doing very well. I'm not down-playing the seriousness of the pandemic, by "real" I mean it's not a dirty nuke, a large-scale bio-chemical act of terrorism, a virus like ebola where death is faster and more graphic, geographical disaster of continental proportion, or an alien invasion (could happen - we think about it, write about it, make lots o…

Did anyone really think two weeks would be sufficient? I don’t know anyone that did, and I suspect this is what led to what you call “panic buying” which I call “rational preparation for a long sequestration”

Re: Ask HN: How are you coping with all the (mostly bad) news around you?

#118

Post by sten »

jannes wrote: post #11

I am notorious tab hoarder (100+ tabs in Firefox open right now). I have decided that now is a good time to go through all those pre-pandemic tabs. This limits my exposure to covid news and allows me to stay sane.

Thank you sir. I know what I can do for the next few days!

Re: Ask HN: How are you coping with all the (mostly bad) news around you?

#119

Post by nicbou »

froh wrote: post #112
nicbou wrote: post #106

I help. I run a website that helps people figure out life in Berlin in Germany. It covers important topics in plain language. These days I maintain an overview of the Coronavirus situation in Berlin, and spread correct information in various communities. The government is doing a poor job at propagating information, and most sources are only in German. Save a few surprisingly hostile people, the response has been ver…

Great positive support! Nitpick: The official information is clear, simple and plenty, albeit indeed primarily in German language: https://www.infektionsschutz.de/coronavirus-sars-cov-2.html This is advertised in social media anywhere. Your site (link?) presumably links to the English documents there as they are updated regularly?

I don't spend much time covering the virus itself. My main concern is to keep people updated about closures, financial support and other things that directly affect them.
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