Live data from Hacker News

Life Is Short (2016)

paulgraham.com

11–20 of 310 posts

Re: Life Is Short (2016)

#13
post #7
post #2

Another stat I read recently: Parents spend ~75% of their child’s life with them before the age of 12. Puts into perspective the good and bad influences long before they fly from the nest.

I was explaining to my 12yo son when he wanted to play video games instead of hanging with the family that I only had 6 more Christmas eves while he lives at home.

It's really not a great argument considering that's all he had.

Re: Life Is Short (2016)

#15
8 years with your kids is short, 8 years with cancer is long, 8 seconds with your hands on a hot stove is very long.

If you succeed in developing a good or at least occasionally enjoyable life, your perspective on life is different than others barely enduring it at all.

In general, it is short in the way of a bell curve. It is long when you are a child or at the end of a long life enduring hardships of old age.

Re: Life Is Short (2016)

#16
post #4

"One great thing about having small children is that they make you spend time on things that matter: them. They grab your sleeve as you're staring at your phone and say "will you play with me?" And odds are that is in fact the bullshit-minimizing option." This. He is right about this.

I mean most of the time there running around breaking things and being loud wouldn't say that's great. It's better when there older.

Re: Life Is Short (2016)

#17
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was explaining to my 12yo son when he wanted to play video games instead of hanging with the family that I only had 6 more Christmas eves while he lives at home.

It's really not a great argument considering that's all he had.

[deleted]

Re: Life Is Short (2016)

#18
There are a lot of great lines in this, but the one that’s always stuck with me is simply “bullshit is the junk food of experience.”

It’s a perfect metaphor in so many ways, there’s some fundamental truth glowing behind it like a lightbulb.

Re: Life Is Short (2016)

#19

There are a lot of great lines in this, but the one that’s always stuck with me is simply “bullshit is the junk food of experience.” It’s a perfect metaphor in so many ways, there’s some fundamental truth glowing behind it like a lightbulb.

Elaborate please

Re: Life Is Short (2016)

#20
post #4

"One great thing about having small children is that they make you spend time on things that matter: them. They grab your sleeve as you're staring at your phone and say "will you play with me?" And odds are that is in fact the bullshit-minimizing option." This. He is right about this.

I mean most of the time there running around breaking things and being loud wouldn't say that's great. It's better when there older.

You will miss these interactions as they outgrow you. No one looks back at their time when their kids were little, to miss that didn't tap more in their screen
Post reply on HN