Critical thinking
Ask HN: What are good life skills for people to learn?
271–277 of 277 posts
Re: Ask HN: What are good life skills for people to learn?
#272Earlier quoted context omitted.
> which is externalized onto regular folks You appear to be very mistaken about the meaning of "externalized" (this is, of course, the charitable interpretation). Paying for a good or service you yourself consume does not constitute an externality. In fact, the exact opposite is true: if you forces others to pay for your open transportation, that would be an externality.
In NYC and other major cities, the mid-century city planners were convinced / bribed by oil and car companies to tear down their elevated tracks and install freeways; remove their cable cars and replace them with slower, less efficient bus routes. The common good of affordable and reliable public transportation was transformed into an everybody-must-own-a-car system. Thus you and I and other people are paying tens of…
This reply confirms my suspicion that you are mistaken about the meaning of "externalize". What you describe does not constitute an externality, although I do appreciate the explanation. This holds even though I tend to agree that what happened was a bad thing, though for different reasons.
However, it is important to remember that words mean something, and anyone who tells you different is trying to sell you something (usually something involving the deaths of millions, but I digress...).
Re: Ask HN: What are good life skills for people to learn?
#273I like your list. 2 of the things you included are the 2 things I would put at the top of my list. I am 58, and I didn't always know how to make a list like this in a way that makes sense to me now. Would you mind if I ask how old you are, and what you imagine will be important to you when you are looking back on your life, as an old, old, old person?
Your comment is unattached, therefore the OP can't know that you asked a question.
Re: Ask HN: What are good life skills for people to learn?
#2741. How to spend less than you earn. Lots of people desire “financial freedom”, meaning they can spend what they want when they want it. Solving this via revenue leads to the hedonic treadmill, and you’ll never out earn your growing wants. Instead solve this by controlling your wants, and you’ve achieved financial freedom immediately. 2. How to take risks. Finding the balance between recklessness and absolute risk avo…
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Could you point me towards books or some other resources that go in to more detail about number 2. that you`ve found useful, and others(although they are more or less self explanatory).
Re: Ask HN: What are good life skills for people to learn?
#275Earlier quoted context omitted.
3 - I'd agree that it is not really a skill so much as an effect with many possible actionable causes, some of which can be trained. I think you and OP are actually coming at this from a similar angle if you indeed don't really care about winning. OP's point is that many people get sucked into doing things for reasons other than their impact on their long term happiness. Competitiveness, addiction, lack of experiment…
That’s a fair response. The reason I’d call this a skill is because you could screw it up on purpose—-it’s not random. To achieve this outcome you need to know of your values, be aware of your current emotional state (and the outside factors influencing it), and have the techniques to exert more control over your internal state than the outside factors are seeking to exert. To me, it’s like driving a van in very wind…
I`ve made a reply to your original post, but I`d like to add to my earlier question. Any books or resources or suggestions on defining values, techniques to exert more control over my internal state?
Thanks again.
Re: Ask HN: What are good life skills for people to learn?
#276I always think of this poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson: To laugh often and much; to win the respect of the intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that one life ha…
love it. Thanks for sharing
Re: Ask HN: What are good life skills for people to learn?
#277Earlier quoted context omitted.
That’s a fair response. The reason I’d call this a skill is because you could screw it up on purpose—-it’s not random. To achieve this outcome you need to know of your values, be aware of your current emotional state (and the outside factors influencing it), and have the techniques to exert more control over your internal state than the outside factors are seeking to exert. To me, it’s like driving a van in very wind…
I`ve made a reply to your original post, but I`d like to add to my earlier question. Any books or resources or suggestions on defining values, techniques to exert more control over my internal state? Thanks again.
I've been thinking about how to answer your question, and I realized I just can't do it in this form.
One of the things I've learned over the years is that advice must be tailored to the individual to be useful, and I don't know anything about you.
Feel free to reach me at biren@birenshah.com.