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You are not running out of time

rahulbijlani.com

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Re: You are not running out of time

#21

Post by Jach »

john_b wrote: post #11
reasonattlm wrote: post #2

Beg to differ. I'd say that if you're not feeling pressed, that you have too little time left, then you don't have anywhere near an adequate view of the plausible future. A golden age lies ahead, of glittering marvels to make all that has come so far pale to insignificance. But unless we step up to the plate and master biotechnology a lot faster and better than is presently managed, all of us reading this now will mi…

I think you missed the author's point. The article wasn't about gaining more (or infinite) time. It was about maximizing your joy in life by living in such a way that you can be proud of your accomplishments without being overwhelmed by the need to continually out-do yourself or others. How long you live is completely irrelevant to that point. And if you are not enjoying your life because you're feeling so pressed an…

While I can agree with the author's point I think it was poorly expressed (your summary is better) and the way he suggests embodying the point seems contradictory to making an effort against Death. Though I think if people did have a certain expectation to live billions of years we wouldn't have very many hurried people around, though that's just my own speculation.

> Not to mention the disappointment you might feel if you die before the onset of the much hyped biotech revolution, having placed your hopes for happiness in its arrival.

At least the disappointment would be brief since by the time you're close enough to death to feel it you won't be alive much longer. Though I would find it pitiable that a person refuses to be happy their entire life and would only be happy being essentially immortal; it seems like many 'immortalists' are actually quite content in their current lives but want that to go on as long as possible.

Re: You are not running out of time

#22

Post by Jach »

The sort of mentality championed here is important to keep in mind, but it can also be dangerous if implemented the wrong way. I keep this in mind, too:

"The ninth virtue is perfectionism. The more errors you correct in yourself, the more you notice. As your mind becomes more silent, you hear more noise. When you notice an error in yourself, this signals your readiness to seek advancement to the next level. If you tolerate the error rather than correcting it, you will not advance to the next level and you will not gain the skill to notice new errors. In every art, if you do not seek perfection you will halt before taking your first steps. If perfection is impossible that is no excuse for not trying. Hold yourself to the highest standard you can imagine, and look for one still higher. Do not be content with the answer that is almost right; seek one that is exactly right." http://yudkowsky.net/rational/virtues

Re: You are not running out of time

#24

Post by danilocampos »

nachteilig wrote: post #16

This seems really inappropriate for HN, to be honest with you. Please, with all due respect, leave this stuff for digg or reddit.

> This seems really inappropriate for HN, to be honest with you. Please, with all due respect, leave this stuff for digg or reddit.

I'm always curious upon what basis comments like this are made.

I mean, if the test for HN-worthiness is "nerds think it's interesting" and you have evidence that, say, 87 nerds find it interesting enough to make the top post, what's missing? Is this an odd myopia/literalism thing where everything must be startups and compilers and funding and nrghlhmm?

Re: You are not running out of time

#25

Post by ivanzhao »

equalarrow wrote: post #18

This essay is definitely something to keep in mind, albeit it's probably easier in theory than practice. I'm probably a little older than most of the Y crowd. I've worked at a few very successful startups - pre and post dot com. For one of them, which changed the travel industry, I was literally one of the first people to put down code and my own stab at defining their architecture - I was there before there were any…

I like your post. Feel really honest.

Re: You are not running out of time

#26

Post by sonnekki »

Jach wrote: post #22

The sort of mentality championed here is important to keep in mind, but it can also be dangerous if implemented the wrong way. I keep this in mind, too: "The ninth virtue is perfectionism. The more errors you correct in yourself, the more you notice. As your mind becomes more silent, you hear more noise. When you notice an error in yourself, this signals your readiness to seek advancement to the next level. If you to…

That link is really cool! Thanks for posting, it will be going on my cube wall at work.

Re: You are not running out of time

#27

Post by zbisch »

lotharbot wrote: post #10

A key mental transition to make is from asking the question "am I winning?" to asking the question "am I doing something worthwhile?"

Your point reminds me of Colbert's speech at Northwestern this year. Towards the end (the more serious part) he says something along the lines that, you don't really "win" at life. I'd say more, but Colbert says it better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6tiaooiIo0

Re: You are not running out of time

#28

Post by nhangen »

john_b wrote: post #11
reasonattlm wrote: post #2

Beg to differ. I'd say that if you're not feeling pressed, that you have too little time left, then you don't have anywhere near an adequate view of the plausible future. A golden age lies ahead, of glittering marvels to make all that has come so far pale to insignificance. But unless we step up to the plate and master biotechnology a lot faster and better than is presently managed, all of us reading this now will mi…

I think you missed the author's point. The article wasn't about gaining more (or infinite) time. It was about maximizing your joy in life by living in such a way that you can be proud of your accomplishments without being overwhelmed by the need to continually out-do yourself or others. How long you live is completely irrelevant to that point. And if you are not enjoying your life because you're feeling so pressed an…

I don't think it's about outdoing others at all, but about outdoing your best self.

Re: You are not running out of time

#29

Post by alnayyir »

reasonattlm wrote: post #2

Beg to differ. I'd say that if you're not feeling pressed, that you have too little time left, then you don't have anywhere near an adequate view of the plausible future. A golden age lies ahead, of glittering marvels to make all that has come so far pale to insignificance. But unless we step up to the plate and master biotechnology a lot faster and better than is presently managed, all of us reading this now will mi…

This is exemplary of the materialistic mindset that some people will get wrapped up in at times, missing the real point.

Disclaimers: I am an engineer, materialist, and a nihilist.

Re: You are not running out of time

#30

Post by felipemnoa »

mechanical_fish wrote: post #19
a3_nm wrote: post #7

> what do I want to see grow? What do I want to build? The problem is that in the vast majority of cases, unless you managed to build something successful by the time you die, then your work will die with you and nobody will care. The article makes the tempting assumption that progress is monotonic, and that the work that you do will eventually find its use. I don't think this is right -- the vast majority of stuff e…

your work will die with you and nobody will care You should care, while you are alive. Whether your successors care or not is optional, and frankly is their problem, not yours. There are many recorded instances of work that was generally ignored by the creator's immediate successors - or even by contemporaries - but was eventually appreciated decades, even centuries later. Classic examples: Bach's fugues went terribl…

Good advise. The takeaway from your advise is that you should make sure that your work can be discovered in the future several decades or hundreds of years after your death. Contributing to a reputable science journal is a good way to make your work last for a long time.
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