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All grown-ups were once children, but only few of them remember it

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Re: All grown-ups were once children, but only few of them remember it

#161

Post by [deleted] »

throw0101a wrote: post #144
burticlies wrote: post #3

I see this clearly at kids birthday parties whenever there is a piñata. Adults hate them. All they see is the goal and the incredibly inefficient path the kids are taking towards it. But the kids love it, they don’t care when they miss, they are just enjoying hitting something with a stick. And every miss heightens the excitement for the eventual lolly scramble.

> And every miss heightens the excitement for the eventual lolly scramble. People under-appreciate (or have forgotten) that a lot of happiness is is related to anticipating as opposed to getting . I think if more people focused on the journey or the process (or the (present) moment), versus the goal, there'd be more joy/happiness around.

[deleted]

Re: All grown-ups were once children, but only few of them remember it

#162

Post by eikeegi »

gambiting wrote: post #118
Markoff wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I read it this year to kids and the book says basically - no biggie, there is no death, you commit suicide to move to another level to be with your brother, you can't lose him, you have infinite lives in this videogame called Life. And what if I F up the next level? no biggie, you just commit suicide again to be with him, there is no such thing as death, after each death you just move to another level. So there is no…

That's such a dishonest read of the book I don't actually know what to say. To me, joining Johnathan at the end is the conclusion of the entire book of love, loyalty and bravery. Nowhere does it say "meh, no biggie just kill yourself". If that's the message you took from it then I strongly encourage you to sit down one evening and read it again. The biggest "proof" of it not being treated lightly is obviously all the…

The "dishonest read" is a strange accusation. I think I was about 11 or 12 when I read the book and my reaction was - "err, so they just going to keep killing themselves willy-nilly? Well thats a bit dumb". I did like the story though and reread the book later several times, but the suicide bits felt always so weird.

Re: All grown-ups were once children, but only few of them remember it

#163

Post by DerArzt »

ryuuseijin wrote: post #108
orlp wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a nice story and all but it isn't a reality for most people. For most people on this planet it's work or starve on the street.

I think the argument is not to not work, but to change the mindset that is so ingrained in our society that you must work. You don't want to starve, so you work, but you can do it with mindset that is fundamentally different, where you choose to focus on being in the moment, and don't let yourself get stressed by outcomes you have no control over, just as you would if you are playing a game or playing music. Changing…

At least in the USA, due to the lack of social safety nets I have to disagree. It's very much work or starve. Yeah you can try to change your perspective, but unless your in a privileged situation where you have a safety net (i.e. a wealthy family to support you if things go wrong) then it's difficult to stop thinking about it.

Re: All grown-ups were once children, but only few of them remember it

#164

Post by ura_yukimitsu »

red_admiral wrote: post #64
thin_carapace wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

is play not an indirect method of practicing the physiological mechanisms designed for violence ? baby lions are both happy to play with other animals, and to eat them ... which inevitably progresses to predation only ... and humans are the apex predator ...

Depends. Dolls' tea parties aren't violent.

I've seen dolls' tea parties that were absolutely violent when I was a kid, with the dolls ending up insulting each other and/or fighting.

Re: All grown-ups were once children, but only few of them remember it

#165

Post by watwut »

Markoff wrote: post #158
watwut wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are sure wast majority of kids had both parents same as today after WWI when childbirth was way more dangerous then today? One of parents being dead was way more commom situation then it is today.

according google in 1925 85% Swedish kids were born to married parents and "Long-term cohort studies tracking historical Swedish registry data from the early-to-mid 1900s indicate that approximately 2.3% to 3.6% of children experienced the death of a biological parent before reaching adulthood (under 15 to 18 years of age)" so less than 4% of the kids experienced parental death, absolute majority was born into regula…

What does it mean "according to google"? Google does not track historical demographic data. Like, use actual source.

Second 4% is actually a lot. In a class of 20 kids, one will have dead parent. That makes it something all kids growing during the era are aware of.

To me it suggest it should be expected for some writers to write about this group.

Re: All grown-ups were once children, but only few of them remember it

#166

Post by boothby »

pred_ wrote: post #40

He also just published this one: https://terrytao.wordpress.com/2026/09/07/finite-time-blowup... While his concerns expressed here aren't new, it looks like the recent cases of scientific misconduct were enough to push for urgency: > But in the immediate term, the most pressing issue is for the entire mathematical community to unite around our core values and objectives, and reject irresponsible and unsustainable usa…

I've been pretty disappointed with those mathematicians who I once respected so acutely, embrace the leopards. Now, they are complaining that even mathematicians' faces are getting eaten. They chose to ignore the claims of rampant plagiarism laundering through training for several years by visual artists and open source developers. And here we are: Tao is finally concerned about the future of the people sharing a cage with this once-cute kitten.

Re: All grown-ups were once children, but only few of them remember it

#168

Post by mvc »

astura wrote: post #140
watwut wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1.) That gambling is not worth of money even if it is fun for a moment. 2.) Something being fun but expensive is skippable and it is good to be able to say "no" to expensive fun.

Yep, for all the moralizing about sports gambling people on HN do, they sure love to prime their children for it. It also just helped me understand the value of money, which to say has served me well is a massive understatement. Plus a real understanding of the fact that there's cons dressed up as fun, not everything is as it appears. It's okay to say 'no' to high pressure sales tactics. But, again, we simply just di…

> Yep, for all the moralizing about sports gambling people on HN do, they sure love to prime their children for it.

Can't get through life without gambling at least a little bit.

Even taking out a life insurance policy is making a bet you're going to die before it expires

Re: All grown-ups were once children, but only few of them remember it

#169

Post by amanaplanacanal »

TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #147
Al-Khwarizmi wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get piñatas, but there is an extreme version of this that I find just too much. Not sure in other places, but in Spain there is a kind of fair stall where children use a plastic fishing rod with a magnet or hook to catch some plastic ducks with the corresponding magnet or hook. The ducks have some points and give you rewards, but the payoff is terrible - maybe you spend €10 and you get a gift that you could buy for…

It's the novelty and rarity. He wants an experience he can't have all the time. It's banal to you as an adult, because it's not rare or new. Adults do the same thing in more exotic and expensive contexts.

It's gambling. I think pretty much all carnival games work like that.

Re: All grown-ups were once children, but only few of them remember it

#170

Post by dpflan »

Wordsworth wrote that “the child is the father of the man.”

————-

William Wordsworth 1770 – 1850

My heart leaps up when I behold

   A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;

So is it now I am a man;

So be it when I shall grow old,

   Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man;

And I could wish my days to be

Bound each to each by natural piety.

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