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In praise of blowing up your life

sashachapin.substack.com

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Re: In praise of blowing up your life

#291

Post by unethical_ban »

varjag wrote: post #137

As someone who is getting older, I have this to say: don't take a life advice from a 20-something, no matter how well meaning they are.

This is the definition of ad hominem.

I am in my mid-30s and highly resistant to change; the article resonates. I'm not ready to leave my job (I have two more years of RSUs to collect), but I am moving houses within my city solely for the change of scenery and pattern. I expect in the next few years, unless I meet someone life-changing, that I will leave my city or even take a multi-year sabbatical until I feel the urge or need to go back to my profession.

Notable quotes:

>But for the relatively sane, by the time you’re mostly ready to leave a job, or a city, or a relationship, you probably have good reason to.

>At any given time, your motion is being constrained by an agglomeration of previous decisions made by a previous you, decisions that might have little to do with your current wants.

I think these are good points to consider if one is the kind of person who accumulates "stuff" or has existential anxiety.

Re: In praise of blowing up your life

#293

Post by Wonnk13 »

lm28469 wrote: post #157
Wonnk13 wrote: post #6

I don't entirely disagree, but the first thing that this article brought to mind is the old cliche "wherever you go, there you are". I'm 34, lots of ex girlfriends and lots of past cities. There's a fine line between breaking out of the status quo hamster wheel and running away from your baggage. Moving cities, or relationships, or jobs isn't worth as much if you aren't simultaneously working on yourself

It's as old as humanity > Do you suppose that you alone have had this experience? Are you surprised, as if it were a novelty, that after such long travel and so many changes of scene you have not been able to shake off the gloom and heaviness of your mind? You need a change of soul rather than a change of climate. Seneca, 2000 years ago More people should read the classics, lots of wisdom you can speed run instead of…

Thanks for replying- I completely agree. Which writing is that quote from and/or any goods tips for where to start with Seneca for someone who didn't study the classics in college?

Re: In praise of blowing up your life

#294

Post by stronglikedan »

Xcelerate wrote: post #105
jrumbut wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It sounds like this author believes in going really big. They didn't move cities, they moved continents. They didn't date and break up, they married and divorced. I think there is something to be said for getting some big experiences. Moving from Pittsburgh to Cleveland might be a waste of energy. Moving from Pittsburgh to Paris is a guaranteed adventure. I don't know if I agree or not, but it is interesting to think…

It’s interesting that a lot of people don’t like big changes, because I’m generally the exact opposite. If I haven’t had a big change in a few years, I start feeling really anxious—like I’m letting life pass me by. Most people crave constancy and routine; I seem to crave novelty and adventure. To your example, I moved from North Carolina to Paris when I was 3, and ever since then have wanted to go more places. It’s a…

I been on great adventures throughout my life, and the result is that I learned I'm happy right where I'm at. The place where I grew up, left a few times, returned to every time (gladly, every time), and still call home. Could just be that different people are different.

Re: In praise of blowing up your life

#295

Post by scarface_74 »

bmoxb wrote: post #290
scarface_74 wrote: post #284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I’m sure the plane wouldn’t fly if I weren’t on it…

On an individual-level then sure, but less people buying flight tickets will obviously lead to airlines eventually running less flights.

It’s even more nuanced. Airlines don’t make money on main cabin for the most part. They make money from business class

https://www.zippia.com/advice/business-travel-statistics/

and selling miles to credit card companies.

https://airlinegeeks.com/2021/12/17/here-s-why-airline-loyal...

If main cabin dropped by half, they would still fly the routes.

Re: In praise of blowing up your life

#297

Post by lm28469 »

Wonnk13 wrote: post #293
lm28469 wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's as old as humanity > Do you suppose that you alone have had this experience? Are you surprised, as if it were a novelty, that after such long travel and so many changes of scene you have not been able to shake off the gloom and heaviness of your mind? You need a change of soul rather than a change of climate. Seneca, 2000 years ago More people should read the classics, lots of wisdom you can speed run instead of…

Thanks for replying- I completely agree. Which writing is that quote from and/or any goods tips for where to start with Seneca for someone who didn't study the classics in college?

You can start here: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_letters_to_Lucilius

That specific quote is from letter 28 "On travel as a cure for discontent"

Seneca is always a good intro, easy to read and pretty low level, as in scenarios that you would face in your everyday life instead of more metaphysical topics.

Re: In praise of blowing up your life

#298

Post by MuffinFlavored »

scarface_74 wrote: post #112

I’ve mentioned the last year of my life on HN where my wife and I decided to get rid of everything we own that wouldn’t fit in four suitcases including our cars and we became “hybrid digital nomads”. We fly to different cities across the US and stay in midrange extended stay hotels and stay in our own “Condotel”[1] the other six months in Florida. What I haven’t talked about is what got us to this point. I grew up in…

> and stay in midrange extended stay hotels

What does this cost roughly?

Re: In praise of blowing up your life

#299

Post by MisterBastahrd »

amrocha wrote: post #92
MisterBastahrd wrote: post #20

I guess, if you're well off, perpetually single and childless, and have the sort of connections that allow for taking a 6 month break for no reason.

Why would you need connections to take a 6 month break? All you need is a bit of money, 2-4 months of your salary at most. Obviously if you have dependents it's harder to move physically, but not impossible, and quitting a job is totally doable.

Because a 6 month absence can be a deal breaker in a lot of circumstances where a job is on the line. Employers are going to choose the people with constant employment over the people who quit "just because."

Re: In praise of blowing up your life

#300

Post by cutenewt »

scarface_74 wrote: post #112

I’ve mentioned the last year of my life on HN where my wife and I decided to get rid of everything we own that wouldn’t fit in four suitcases including our cars and we became “hybrid digital nomads”. We fly to different cities across the US and stay in midrange extended stay hotels and stay in our own “Condotel”[1] the other six months in Florida. What I haven’t talked about is what got us to this point. I grew up in…

Condo rental pool is a term I've never come across before.

What rental pool service did you use?

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