We are trying to create value for key stakeholders. When does it end? It's always ending. And yet it is also always beginning anew each fortnight.
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Ask HN: What are we even chasing?
51–60 of 167 posts
Re: Ask HN: What are we even chasing?
#52Read Marx (for real, not just skimming) then the Bible (for real, not just skimming). Worked for me.
I think that if God is really there (not just as a word, not just as an idea, but as Someone who really exists), and if He can be known, then that's worth chasing.
A shiny new car? Not so much. As Dion said, "Cadillacs end up in the junkyard."
Money? As Tim O'Reilly said, "Money is like gasoline during a road trip. You don't want to run out of gas on your trip, but you're not doing a tour of gas stations. We need to pay attention to money, but it shouldn't be about the money."
Me? It really shouldn't be about me, either. I've seen that "me" is a really small space. "Me" isn't enough to make me happy.
To the parent: If I may ask, where did you wind up? A Christian Marxist? An atheist that respects some of the teaching and who is skeptical of capitalism? Or where?
Re: Ask HN: What are we even chasing?
#53My answer was found by having kids. For me, one of the absolute best things about having kids was that it eliminated all doubt: I now had a 100% crystal clear main quest that trivially answers, "what should I be doing right now?" if I'm ever not sure. Everything else in life, especially my career, is just a side quest now. Why am I working? Before kids I foolishly thought it had something to do with being part of a t…
I mean, we are hugely complicated gene-replication/improvement machines. So you have come to the ultimate conclusion without actually spelling it out.
If you really go to the basics then ones life is about attracting the best other-side of the genes to replicate with (this is the part where you try to impress with brains/humor/sportscar that you have the best available genes) and make sure they survive + get a nice boost in their part of attracting best genes.
I'd say there is an extra dimension now to make sure the environment where generations down genes of yourself have a good chance of surviving, but this is not yet programmed into genes.
Re: Ask HN: What are we even chasing?
#54Try not to let the negative feelings overwhelm you. You can experience them, but let them flow over, around, and past you. Stay connected to your physical body in the present moment. Don’t focus so much on what’s ahead or what’s behind. Every moment is a fresh new moment and experience.
Suggest you try meditation. And maybe make some room for frivolous, creative activities, if you can.
Re: Ask HN: What are we even chasing?
#55You might enjoy a bit of Camus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Myth_of_Sisyphus
Re: Ask HN: What are we even chasing?
#56I don't know what anyone else is chasing, but I know precisely what my primary goal is. I want to live a life of idle leisure. I'm 20% of the way to my goal now that I only work 4 days (32 hours) a week. It may be that I don't get to 100% until retirement, if I'm even able to retire at all. It may be that I have a setback and end up working 5 days again. It may be that I get extremely lucky earlier than that. I know…
How did you achieve 4 days a week? Curious to hear about your strategy.
Re: Ask HN: What are we even chasing?
#57You could be suffering from depression, and it may be worth speaking to a doctor.
Doctors don’t have answers. They’ll give you SSRIs which will numb your emotions and ruin your drive, or they’ll refer you to a therapist who will take your money in exchange for listening to you vent once a week.
Is your comment really necessary?
Psychiatrists (and meds) have saved a lot of people’s lives, both figuratively and literally.
Not sure why you would even mention therapists. Having a trained third party listen and help you navigate things in your life has been a god send for many people I know, including myself.
Re: Ask HN: What are we even chasing?
#58Purification — Deification — Theosis. 6 Remember him—before the silver cord is severed, and the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, and the wheel broken at the well, 7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. 8 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Everything is meaningless!” ... 13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclu…
This is also my answer as you can see from my username.
Re: Ask HN: What are we even chasing?
#59First of all, these are valid feelings so don't just discard them. They are normal. They reflect your values. You want your life to have meaning, you want to have an impact on the world, you want to be happy. These are good things. They get you out of bed each day and motivate you.
Now, just learn to tone your emotional response to these thoughts from 100% to like 20%. Remember that your desire to grind is rooted in positive values, but don't let them run amok and take over your life. Acknowledge them, but realize they are not the be-all end-all.
Re: Ask HN: What are we even chasing?
#60Yes there is an end, when you die. We aren't chasing life, we are running away from death. All that we really have is the current moment.