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Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

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561–570 of 585 posts

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#561

Volunteering. And before you brush it out skeptically, like "oh yeah right, those people", it really doesn't have to be anything you don't care about. I volunteer at a boat house on the city lake nearby, just putting kids on pedal boats and kayaks. I don't even call it volunteering, I just love kayaks and water. It's amazing how your perspective of time and people and service shifts, when you spend some time being "i…

Sometimes, The Best Way To Solve Your Own Problems Is To Help Someone Else. - Avatar: Uncle Iroh

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#562
I have a few people in my network that do triathlons / ironman races. It seems like they get along with each other very well. Great mix of smart, accomplished people who are constantly trying to challenge themselves in all aspects of life. When in doubt, sign up for a triathlon club nearby.

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#563

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue I have with churches, specifically Catholic and other large ones, is belonging to and participating in an organization that has collectively done so many bad things to humans just doesn't sit well with me. Then there's the element of collecting money and hoarding it and its a huge turn off. You may say "the doors are open" and in fact they may be in your local church but official membership has requirements…

> I don't believe the Catholic church (or other denominations of Christianity, or Mormon church) would allow a LGBT couple to officially join. That's not entirely true. No legitimate catholic church would prohibit lgbtq couples from joining. The more conservative ones definitely would not condone their lifestyle, however, and probably none would agree to marry them. So if you are lgbtq you should probably just give s…

I was pointing out an obvious example of a facade of "welcoming all" from the community (would not prohibit people from joining, anyone can show up and volunteer) vs. really welcoming all where anyone could be full members through all of their ceremonies like baptism, confirmation, marriage, etc. or even allowing anyone to pursue theological leadership positions like pastor, deacon, priest, etc.

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#564

A fitness community. This could be either a BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) place or even a CrossFit gym. I've done both and while I'm not here to promote CrossFit, I am here to say that a group fitness class is awesome for meeting other people and finding a community of people that do something similar as you, but have absolutely nothing to do with your work. I workout with Police officers, Lawyers, Doctors, Dentists, Sta…

I've had the same experience with the BJJ community. Very positive and welcoming, and an incredible sport for training the mind as well as the body. Some people get turned off by the behavior of certain fans of UFC but in my experience the groups of people who are starting fights in pubs and people who are actually showing up to intense physical training on a regular basis are mutually exclusive.

Same with where I train BJJ. Everyone is supportive and it helps make training fun.

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#565

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There's something about "shared misery" that brings people together and builds a comrade. That turns into a community where you start to hang out with them out of the gym/etc. Agreed; my outside work community IS my martial arts community. There are the brief moments while waiting that you end up chatting with your partners. Eventually you learn what they do, if they have kids, etc. and since you see them weekly yo…

My experience with the hierarchy stuff was a lot worse in "traditional" martial arts versus something like BJJ. You've got a lot of "fake" black belts in TKD in part because it's mostly forms work and not really tested. Some sparing matches go hard, but that's rarely the case as you don't really want to be kicking with full force with your sparing partner. So the skill vs skill tests are much more limited. In BJJ, yo…

Everything you said is aligned with my experience in training. BJJ is pure pressure testing of what you are learning and it is as close to fighting without striking and other dirty tactics like eye gouging. I have done traditional martial arts and it was not as close to experience under-pressure training. Also, I find myself in autopilot as well as in a focused, calm state when rolling at times.

I think in a real fight situation, someone who trains would be more calm to deal and, most likely, deescalate the situation because we are accustom to intense situations and our egos are tested so much that we are indifferent to silly challenges that can be fatal in some situations.

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#569
A few things for me:

- A search and rescue team. Not only do I get exercise, fresh air, and the good feels of helping someone on their worst day, I also build very strong bonds with people I'd never have met otherwise.

- Tabletop RPG's. I've joined a few groups and while not all have worked out, a couple have really stuck and we've become great friends. It's also a great excuse to sit around a table without digital distraction and really enjoy one another's company.

- Finally, Burning Man. The burner community has been a godsend for me. Always interesting and engaging, sometimes sarcastic and snarky, never a dull moment.

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#570

Church. My wife and I sit in the cry room with out little kids, and have gotten to know the people that are there with us. It's gotten to the point where we have started recognizing these people all over town. Very cozy and nice. I'll say: having kids is obviously itself incredibly meaningful; as an additional benefit: kids are a fantastic ice-breaker/opener for other families with kids.

There are cry rooms?

Our church has a play room with a TV tuned to the livestream. My toddler can make it to the sermon and then heads for the play room. Honestly, it's pretty nice to kick back in a comfy room and play with my daughter while still attending worship.
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