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Ask HN: What are we even chasing?

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Re: Ask HN: What are we even chasing?

#101

Post by [deleted] »

jl6 wrote: post #87
Waterluvian wrote: post #32

My 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…

The value of family is one of those things that's a huge blind spot for "intellectual-types", but completely obvious to most normal people over the age of 25. It's too easy to think you're above it all, that your intelligence means you must have a higher calling, or that you're Not Like Other People. But it's not true. It takes humility to acknowledge that you're behind the curve in figuring this out, but better to l…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What are we even chasing?

#104

Post by drewcoo »

wrldos wrote: post #44

Stop looking at the carrot. Enjoy now. “Dead yesterdays and unborn tomorrows, why fret about it, if today be sweet.” - Omar Khayyám Disclaimer: life may now contain booze and floozies.

> Stop looking at the carrot.

Is that the carrot from "carrot and stick?"

I'm pretty sure that ignoring the carrot means you get the stick instead.

Disclaimer: maybe some light spanking happens with booze and floozies.

Re: Ask HN: What are we even chasing?

#105

Post by iExploder »

jnsaff2 wrote: post #53
Waterluvian wrote: post #32

My 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 b…

you have described only the biological component of existence, but being alive is more complicated than that

Re: Ask HN: What are we even chasing?

#107

Post by trabant00 »

jl6 wrote: post #87
Waterluvian wrote: post #32

My 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…

The value of family is one of those things that's a huge blind spot for "intellectual-types", but completely obvious to most normal people over the age of 25. It's too easy to think you're above it all, that your intelligence means you must have a higher calling, or that you're Not Like Other People. But it's not true. It takes humility to acknowledge that you're behind the curve in figuring this out, but better to l…

You are guilty of "thinking you are above" by thinking people who don't have children are "behind the curve". I don't think you should rank people lower because of a personal decision.

Re: Ask HN: What are we even chasing?

#108

Post by wrldos »

drewcoo wrote: post #104
wrldos wrote: post #44

Stop looking at the carrot. Enjoy now. “Dead yesterdays and unborn tomorrows, why fret about it, if today be sweet.” - Omar Khayyám Disclaimer: life may now contain booze and floozies.

> Stop looking at the carrot. Is that the carrot from "carrot and stick?" I'm pretty sure that ignoring the carrot means you get the stick instead. Disclaimer: maybe some light spanking happens with booze and floozies.

sounds good to me!

Re: Ask HN: What are we even chasing?

#110

Post by dinosaurdynasty »

jl6 wrote: post #87
Waterluvian wrote: post #32

My 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…

The value of family is one of those things that's a huge blind spot for "intellectual-types", but completely obvious to most normal people over the age of 25. It's too easy to think you're above it all, that your intelligence means you must have a higher calling, or that you're Not Like Other People. But it's not true. It takes humility to acknowledge that you're behind the curve in figuring this out, but better to l…

Oh, I've definitely figured it out. My family holds relatively little importance to me and I absolutely loathe the mere idea of raising children, and no amount of additional life experience is going to change that (to the point that "having children" is easily one of the worst "realistic/reasonable" things I can imagine happening to me).

Not all of us want to be good little replicators.

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