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Obituary for a quiet life (2023)

bittersoutherner.com

231–240 of 311 posts

Re: Obituary for a quiet life (2023)

#231

Appreciate you posting this. For what it's worth, I'm in the same boat. I basically achieved my goals in life and am now very comfortable. I could just continue to work and keep up-to-date and find myself old and tired in short time. I'm poignantly aware of this window of opportunity which is closing. I'm still young(ish), and still have some physical and mental energy... The question is what will I use it for? What…

For what it's worth, you can still have an impact on youth without being a parent yourself. There's gradations from adoption and fostering to teaching and mentoring. Empathetic inter-generational experiences are beautiful for everyone involved in them. As you age, it literally keeps you young.

Re: Obituary for a quiet life (2023)

#232
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That takes money, although in a different form: time > That’s the price. It’s always money Tell that to unemployed people. To children. To retired people. To people with serious sickness. Time is not money.

It isn’t, but it has similar uses. With more money you have more time. not needing to wait in line at a check cashing or payday loan office, not needing to wait in the ER because you can’t afford primary care, not needing to get your car fixed every year because you can afford one with fewer miles. There’s a lot of hidden time costs if you’re not well off.

> There’s a lot of hidden time costs if you’re not well off.

Of course and that's my point.

Re: Obituary for a quiet life (2023)

#233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here are a few key paragraphs from a sermon that has the most compelling explanation of that sentence that I've heard: > When Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:10, “The love of money is the root of all evils,” what did he mean? He didn’t mean that there’s a connection between every sinful attitude and money — that money is always in your mind when you sin. I think he meant that all the evils in the world come from a certain k…

I get what you're saying, but as someone completely unfamiliar with the Bible but familiar with the common phrase, "Money is the root of all evil", I agree that the GP's original statement is much clearer. > For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. This reads not that money itself is the root of evils, or even that a desire for money ensures you live a sinful life. To me this reads that money, as a moti…

> But someone who uses their desire of money as a catalyst for bringing world change via a new product, service, knowledge, is well found in their desires and implementation, as they are making the world better while achieving their goals.

For what it's worth – and I think it is a worthwhile thing to note – I do not believe that Jesus would condone this.

To Christ, the root of "well-founded" behavior is the golden rule – treat others as you would want yourself to be treated. This comes from the Sermon on the Mount.

Capturing value (a requirement to satisfy the desire for money) from exchange with your customers is not how you would want to be treated, as a customer. If you become wealthy from this exchange, you are violating the Golden Rule.

This sentiment is corroborated elsewhere, with another a famous saying of his that's often "explained away" but should probably be taken seriously.

> It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

Martin Luther (of Lutheranism) has some interesting writings/interpretations on this subject [1], if you're interested.

[0]: https://biblehub.com/mark/10-25.htm, the larger story has more interesting context https://biblehub.com/bsb/mark/10.htm#17.

[1]: https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=501...

Edit just to make it clear in a TLDR; the severity of the "money is the root of all evil" translation is warranted. I'd interpret the "all kinds of evil" translation as "every kind of evil", rather than "many kinds of evil" (which is how we colloquially interpret 'all kinds' in contemporary english).

Re: Obituary for a quiet life (2023)

#234

I’ve met and seen a lot of people in life and while it’s nearly impossible for a life to be stress-free, the content and successful people I’ve seen — poor, rich, whatever — seem to share one commonality: they found their passions in life, whether be it running a successful company, working with charity, hanging with neighborhood inline skate friends or raising cattle in the country side, and they get to do it nearly…

[deleted]

Re: Obituary for a quiet life (2023)

#235
post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel the same. I spent the first 15 years of my career climbing out of poverty. Now, I've got stability, so the last few years I'm focusing on service towards others. I've been volunteering for the last two years as a firefighter, and yesterday just finished the required ride alongs to complete my EMT. It feels good to deeply integrate with my local community, caring for neighbors when they need help. Between emerg…

> I spent the first 15 years of my career climbing out of poverty. I am at this stage of life's journey where I understand that just a little bit more and I will be able to enjoy my existence...

Same. Still climbing out. It’s been a decade for me, but that’s counting college where I was working to keep my family okay alongside school. Been a full time software engineer since 2020, still wading through debt and helping my family stay afloat. Reading this thread has done some good for my soul.

Re: Obituary for a quiet life (2023)

#236
post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

This opinion is the reason that cancel culture exists today, and why academics are increasingly finding it difficult to have intelligent debates about taboo subjects. Have an example: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/12/this-isnt-ho...

Absolutely wonderful article that says things I have noticed and haven’t been able to properly explain to people. Many people weaponize science as a tool to defend their moral beliefs, arguing that anyone who disagrees with them is “literally against the facts”. They fail to realize we’ve reached a stage where the only research studies seeing the light of day are those conforming to the popular opinion. Anything else is killed and discredited as nonsense, not based on truth, but based on emotion.

Reminds me of those days where every scientist told us cigarettes are totally safe. If you said otherwise you were an anti science fool, clearly an idiot. Look at us now. What a world we live in. Modern science is closer to religion than anyone would like to admit.

Re: Obituary for a quiet life (2023)

#237
I came across the quote "Happiness is a choice" recently. I haven't read the context yet (Suppliants by Aeschylus); but I feel like "Working towards removing unhappiness and increasing happiness is a choice" is a more complete idea.

Re: Obituary for a quiet life (2023)

#238
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe but it makes much less sense to me. The meaning of “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” is very different to “the love of money is the root of all evil”. The former seems like a reasonable claim. The latter is surely untrue? I know of lots of evil acts NOT motivated by money or the love of money.

Here are a few key paragraphs from a sermon that has the most compelling explanation of that sentence that I've heard: > When Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:10, “The love of money is the root of all evils,” what did he mean? He didn’t mean that there’s a connection between every sinful attitude and money — that money is always in your mind when you sin. I think he meant that all the evils in the world come from a certain k…

I am giddy seeing a link to Desiring God on HN. John Piper, good stuff.

Re: Obituary for a quiet life (2023)

#239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here are a few key paragraphs from a sermon that has the most compelling explanation of that sentence that I've heard: > When Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:10, “The love of money is the root of all evils,” what did he mean? He didn’t mean that there’s a connection between every sinful attitude and money — that money is always in your mind when you sin. I think he meant that all the evils in the world come from a certain k…

I am giddy seeing a link to Desiring God on HN. John Piper, good stuff.

HN and Desiring God are my two favorite websites.
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