Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Remember: Kurt Vonnegut Was 47

joanwestenberg.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 81 posts

Re: Remember: Kurt Vonnegut Was 47

#51

Post by madrox »

I think the people who need to hear this message are not in their late 40s, but are in their 20s thinking that they have to do it now or they never will. I see a lot of ageism on X from people who are clearly young and inexperienced, but when you actually get into the real world and how things are done you see the vast majority of real success happens later in life once you've been around a couple times.

Experience, on the whole, really does get you further than cleverness, but good luck telling that to the inexperienced.

Re: Remember: Kurt Vonnegut Was 47

#52

Post by jfengel »

pinkmuffinere wrote: post #35
jvanderbot wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the difference? The message is "keep trying and don't give up just because you're 40". It's fairly dubious to say "You can feel free to start a new hobby/business at 40 and expect to succeed quickly", but it's in line with this thread to say "If you haven't felt the success you want by 40, it's ok, greatness comes as often as not after".

Ya, i think “keep trying” is absolutely the right message! But some people will read the statistic and say “i shouldn’t start yet!” — just trying to argue against that.

I'm not so crazy about "keep trying". I tried at my business for long after it was obvious to everyone that I should have quit. I wasted well over a decade of my life, and I learned no lessons other than "don't". But they won't be writing articles about me.

As the poster says, "Winners never quit and quitters never win. But those who don't win and don't quit are idiots." This idiot affirms that advice.

Re: Remember: Kurt Vonnegut Was 47

#54

Post by madrox »

saithound wrote: post #14

This piece seriously misrepresents Vonnegut's career just to make a dubious point. Sure, Slaughterhouse Five was Vonnegut's big financial breakthrough, but by that time he was a very well-known writer with several classics, including Player Piano and Harrison Bergeron, and a Guggenheim Fellow, and made a decent living from writing full time. Not glamorous for sure, but in line with most very good writerd. Far from de…

I don't see how what you're saying is at odds with the author. At no point did they say Vonnegut was a failure before Slaughthouse Five. Only that he, like many others, didn't produce their opus until later in life. This isn't just limited to writing. There are examples in all fields if you look, both creative and commercial. This idea is definitely at odds with a lot of current SV rhetoric.

Re: Remember: Kurt Vonnegut Was 47

#55

Post by ojbyrne »

tayo42 wrote: post #25
saithound wrote: post #14

This piece seriously misrepresents Vonnegut's career just to make a dubious point. Sure, Slaughterhouse Five was Vonnegut's big financial breakthrough, but by that time he was a very well-known writer with several classics, including Player Piano and Harrison Bergeron, and a Guggenheim Fellow, and made a decent living from writing full time. Not glamorous for sure, but in line with most very good writerd. Far from de…

I think you need some luck to have picked something early in life to be passionate about that will allow you too be great at something later on. If you were unfortunate enough to be passionate about something physical like a sport or game, not much to look forward to

Passion can be its own reward. People run into their 90s, it is obviously rewarding even if not “great.”

Re: Remember: Kurt Vonnegut Was 47

#56

Post by esperent »

ruricolist wrote: post #7

I'll mention the recent Second Act as an excellent survey of the phenomenon of the late bloomer: https://www.henry-oliver.co.uk/home .

A book surveying late bloomers does sound interesting.

However, this is packaged as a self help book, which probably sells more but doesn't interest me at all.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201064797-second-act

Re: Remember: Kurt Vonnegut Was 47

#57

Post by burnt-resistor »

There is an untold plethora of fabulous artists and creators whom go forth in obscurity because fame is akin to winning the lottery and only a sliver of a hair of an ant's elbow ever finds success. The stories we hear are typical of the famous (biased) survivors, but never those stuck hacking away through the brambles of anonymity.

Re: Remember: Kurt Vonnegut Was 47

#58

Post by tedggh »

madrox wrote: post #51

I think the people who need to hear this message are not in their late 40s, but are in their 20s thinking that they have to do it now or they never will. I see a lot of ageism on X from people who are clearly young and inexperienced, but when you actually get into the real world and how things are done you see the vast majority of real success happens later in life once you've been around a couple times. Experience,…

Something we definitely lose when we age is lack of judgement, and with it the ability to play and experiment. I miss that naïveté and over confidence from my twenties knowing I was allowed to screw up.

Re: Remember: Kurt Vonnegut Was 47

#59

Post by burnt-resistor »

numa7numa7 wrote: post #44

The agism on this site is astounding and completely tolerated by the mods whereas stating negative facts about race or sex is disallowed. Significant double standard.

I'm all for casually pointing out/questioning potentials -isms when they appear more probable than not or perhaps imbued without consideration, but it seems more about the context of a snapshot in the arc of a public figure's life than anything else.

Re: Remember: Kurt Vonnegut Was 47

#60

Post by blind_tomato »

saithound wrote: post #14

This piece seriously misrepresents Vonnegut's career just to make a dubious point. Sure, Slaughterhouse Five was Vonnegut's big financial breakthrough, but by that time he was a very well-known writer with several classics, including Player Piano and Harrison Bergeron, and a Guggenheim Fellow, and made a decent living from writing full time. Not glamorous for sure, but in line with most very good writerd. Far from de…

Well just a few years before the breakthrough, he was broke and considering giving up so not entirely misleading IMO.
Post reply on HN