So beautifully voices exactly what I've been thinking.
Beautiful and depressing.
“People simply empty out”
411–420 of 477 posts
Re: “People simply empty out”
#412Earlier quoted context omitted.
Okay, you have an excellent point that modern slavery is a kinder, more gentle version. Now, instead of being beaten physically, you are gutted mentally via long hours and unreasonable schedules. Now, you "choose" to live away from the rest of your family because a job could earn you so much more money. Even the punishment has become more moral and more evenly applied to all to of course avoid discrimination. You are…
I have to disagree. Strong people will pursue their passion and find their ways. Weak people will succumb and be scared. It depends entirely on the person. Most people simply prefer stability, that's all there is to it. Not everybody has this amazing idea they are absolutely passionate about and prioritize above everything else. I just started working in a corporate environment. I'm the best at what I do. I work beyo…
The attitude that came through in your comment is exactly what I try to uphold. I say 'try', because after 21 years of complacency the discipline needed to bring this attitude into the next day has humbled me for how often I fail to do so.
I'm in the middle of making monumental changes in my life, and if I had helped ingrain a lesson or mindset into another person as much as your outlook helped me, I would've liked to know.
Re: “People simply empty out”
#413I have three things to say about this: 1. Many people are horrified by the thought of not being a simple worker bee. They say they want change, but they don't. They want the security of someone else taking care of them. The reason wealth exists is because there are people that cannot live this way, and thus, make their own way. You cannot fault hard working business owners because their employees put themselves in a…
Governments always have all of the money. They issue it, and they define it by only accepting their type of money in order to pay their taxes. They hold that value by being strong enough and/or well-connected enough to defend themselves from physical threats from inside and out, and enough to extract taxes and fees from individuals in order to pull that money back out of circulation. In order to do this, they have al…
> Governments always have all of the money.
Unless you use bitcoin!
In the past, the best solution to a government you didn't agree with was to leave. Head into the unknown and try new things. That, in practice, rarely ever happened on a macroscale (the new world was firmly cut out and brought under the European model of ownership in centuries as its colonies with no real room to experiment, while simultaneously slaughtering entire civilizations of actual divergent societies) but I'd like to think space presents us with a real opportunity to pick up a few thousand people, find a rock in a habitable zone with water, and try things differently.
Re: “People simply empty out”
#414Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wow. Just wow. Simply amazing you can think that given the distribution of wealth in the world. The only reason the vast majority of us have to work to eat is because the vast majority of the proceeds from our labor go to benefit a tiny global elite. For quite a long time now, the technical means have existed to provide the basics of life to every human being on the planet at a modest cost. And yet we don't – instead…
I don't think you understand basic economics. > For quite a long time now, the technical means have existed to provide the basics of life to every human being on the planet at a modest cost. Are you sure we have all the fuel and land to feed, house and clothe everyone? And if so, who's going to work for that? If everyone gets food and shelter for free, I'm not working to provide that. The reality is, food needs to be…
Are you or are you not included in the group consisting of 'everyone'?
Re: “People simply empty out”
#415Earlier quoted context omitted.
There's a way out of the looking-the-part problem. Cultivate an image of an eccentric genius (and work hard to actually have genius level skills) and people will start to focus more on what you can do and less on what you look like you can do . In fact, that's why the tech industry seems to get an exemption -- they're mostly perceived as eccentric geniuses. Also, spend lavishly on the best clothes, eat lavishly, but…
Jesus, you people are delusional! You are not perceived as eccentric geniuses, not by anyone. Never, ever. They might say that to keep you on the treadmill but the the truth is that (especially by VCs) you are perceived as cannon fodder with a personal hygiene problem. You are kept around as long as you are useful and don't bitch too much. The minute that stops you are out on your ear. Welcome to the real world.
You're clearly thinking of IT support and entry level programmers. They're not judged at that level. However, if you have 5-10 years industry experience, a degree and have worked in some management capacity, you're expected to look a certain part. Unless, that is, you're known for doing things that other people say can't be done. Then you get to live simply. Anecdotally, and off the top of my head, I can name at least half a dozen people like that I've worked with in just the past six months.
Also, might want to work with that resentment problem of yours.
Re: “People simply empty out”
#416Earlier quoted context omitted.
100K is the point where you have the illusion of financial freedom because you can purchase a BMW, buy a nice home in a bland cul-de-sac with a bunch of nameless white dudes, and it's not until you're in your 40s and you're in danger to losing the job to a robot or a whipper-snapper that you understand that kind of "freedom" is actually enslavement. You made the wrong choice because you wasted your life buying plasti…
I think more and more Gen Y people in advanced European countries see owning a car as a failure - you are a fool for wasting money, when transportation can be done cheaply and also often for free. You are basically penalized for owning a car by high taxes, and for those few occassions in a year when you need a car (moving stuff) it's easy enough to rent. Spending your life in traffic jams is just a plain fail. Having…
Agreed, the absolutely pervasive 1960s car culture in America seems to be vanishing, and it is on its way to becoming more of a quite-popular hobby. Traffic is worse, insurance is expensive and now may incorporate your credit score, and driving a car gives the police carte blanche to search and violate your civil rights under the flimsiest of excuses. More young people, other than those in very rural areas, are interested in re-urbanizing and riding a bicycle. As both a motorsports / driving enthusiast and bicyclist I think this is great.
Re: “People simply empty out”
#417Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is funny you should say this. A friend recently had me interview for his company. He is a great guy, works too much, wakes up in the middle of the nights when he is on call. His boss started off by agreeing that yes, the friend worked too much. He may even have used the word burning out. He then hastened to tell me about his theory in life. Your 20s and 30s are meant to be a time for learning. Apparently, this "le…
My reply to this: anytime I see 50 year old bold fat guy in a Porsche 911 it's depressing. EDIT: should really be pathetic and sad and not depressing, but I think you get my point. Youth and health are so precious that no amount of money compensates ever.
How about a 50 year-old slim guy with a full head of hair and a 911? Is that pathetic? Why? That would be me (minus the 911). I'm too frugal to buy a 911 but if another guy has socked away two or three million $ (or more) over the course of his tech career, how is this different than a 25yo with a big exit buying a 911? You seem a bit misinformed about age, a bit of an age-ist perhaps: I'm healthy and can bench press more now than in my entire weight-lifting life (since about 22). I agree with you that "kids" (i.e. people 20-30 :-) ) in tech are very often suckered into giving up their young lives to their tech employers. I saw this happening in the mid-90s at M$ and in their Seattle-area wannabes. I never participated in that, my time outside of the 9-5 norm was precious to me. You are right that "no amount of money compensates ever" for those years if they are lost.
Re: “People simply empty out”
#418Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is funny you should say this. A friend recently had me interview for his company. He is a great guy, works too much, wakes up in the middle of the nights when he is on call. His boss started off by agreeing that yes, the friend worked too much. He may even have used the word burning out. He then hastened to tell me about his theory in life. Your 20s and 30s are meant to be a time for learning. Apparently, this "le…
My reply to this: anytime I see 50 year old bold fat guy in a Porsche 911 it's depressing. EDIT: should really be pathetic and sad and not depressing, but I think you get my point. Youth and health are so precious that no amount of money compensates ever.
You know what's more pathetic and sad? A 50 year old fat guy with no financial security. Even more pathetic is a 20-30-something thinking life ends at 50.
Re: “People simply empty out”
#419Earlier quoted context omitted.
Governments always have all of the money. They issue it, and they define it by only accepting their type of money in order to pay their taxes. They hold that value by being strong enough and/or well-connected enough to defend themselves from physical threats from inside and out, and enough to extract taxes and fees from individuals in order to pull that money back out of circulation. In order to do this, they have al…
> Governments always have all of the money. Unless you use bitcoin! In the past, the best solution to a government you didn't agree with was to leave. Head into the unknown and try new things. That, in practice, rarely ever happened on a macroscale (the new world was firmly cut out and brought under the European model of ownership in centuries as its colonies with no real room to experiment, while simultaneously slau…
Why go all the way to space? Just head to the oceans:
Re: “People simply empty out”
#420Earlier quoted context omitted.
There are plenty of areas that are cheaper than Boston, NYC, or Seattle, and yet not "fairly shitty". For example, $25k a year can be quite comfortable in Denver, which is a reasonably vibrant urban area.
If you like flyover states (I don't, but I'll grant that you might), Denver with even just one kid and a car--because the RTD isn't very good, and honestly for me at least that's a huge gamebreaker because I am happy to never own a car again--is going to be a pretty shitty life.
> "Denver with even just one kid and a car ... is going to be a pretty shitty life."
I'm living in Denver with one kid, a car, and less than $25k in income. And my life is awesome.
Maybe you have a different definition of "shitty" than me. Or maybe you don't realize how well you can live on that kind of money with a paid off house.