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

Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

hello-world.io

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 351 posts

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#71

Post by atmosx »

torrent-of-ions wrote: post #19
_halgari wrote: post #9

It's funny to see this stuff go full-circle. My parents left the city in the early 90's to move to a small WI farm in the middle of nowhere (15min to get to a town of 5000 people). I can see the appeal of a simpler life. But the funny thing is, as a kid, I hated it. My parents got tired of the suburbs, I longed for it. They longed for simplicity, I longed for convenience. I hated the idea of having to drive long dist…

I grew up in the suburbs and hated it. I hated the idea of having to go long distances to get milk and eggs. I'm happy now in a city centre.

I live in a small town in Northern Greece and hate the idea to drive a long distance[1] to get milk and eggs.

[1] A long distance where I live is anything more than 8 minutes drive.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#72

Post by Immortalin »

nkozyra wrote: post #24
torrent-of-ions wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I grew up in the suburbs and hated it. I hated the idea of having to go long distances to get milk and eggs. I'm happy now in a city centre.

I have this feeling that kids tend to hate where they grow up due to all of the perceived failings and things they're missing out on. I grew up in a relaxed beach town in Florida, and hated it. My family all moved from NYC and fell in love in a heartbeat. Something about not being in the same place for too long applies here, too.

After all, the grass is always greener on the other side..

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#73

Post by dasmoth »

tsunamifury wrote: post #69
iagooar wrote: post #28

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and this post definitely gives me some motivation. I'm a programmer who loves to code and build stuff, learning new programming languages and frameworks, discussing about architecture, etc. I love shipping new features and making customers happy. BUT inside of me a desire has been growing to go back to the roots, to live a life closer to the nature. I feel the need to spend…

You may have to accept a world where you need other people besides engineers.

World, maybe. But in terms of building a somewhat-self-sufficient community -- which seems to be what's being suggested here -- why wouldn't all-engineers work?

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#74

Post by tsunamifury »

charlysisto wrote: post #20

Not to question this guy's remarkable decision or the article itself, just one expression I see quit often and makes me cringe each time, that is : the real world (referred here as a little haven of nature). Is the 19th century Industrial revolution just an illusion, the factories, the cars, the towns, the wars just a view of the spirit, and the little birds singing in the trees the real world ? Is the current (elect…

I think, comparatively, given all the human and computer driven computation to create simulations on a screen resulting in something 1/100,000,000th as complex as a sqft of rainforest... Yes its not real.

Computation has been trapped inside boxes and tiny screens, virtualization with behaviors that don't even approach the richness and complexity of reality outside that box. Don't get me wrong, it's a noble and passionate endeavor, but it's misguided if it traps you there forever.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#76

Post by liquidise »

jader201 wrote: post #16

Sounds like the OP was never a "programmer", but rather a farmer trapped inside a programmer's job. I think it takes courage (and a bit of risk) to completely shift the course of your career, especially while you have a family to support. I will be curious to hear if he sticks with it long term, but to me, it sounds like he never was designed to be a programmer. To be a programmer, it takes someone that doesn't mind…

> Sounds like the OP was never a "programmer"

"We are problem solvers by nature, we just happen to be engineers and designers by trade."

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#77

Post by javajosh »

iagooar wrote: post #28

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and this post definitely gives me some motivation. I'm a programmer who loves to code and build stuff, learning new programming languages and frameworks, discussing about architecture, etc. I love shipping new features and making customers happy. BUT inside of me a desire has been growing to go back to the roots, to live a life closer to the nature. I feel the need to spend…

Yup, similar thought for me as well. A kind of high-tech commune/company (perhaps a consultancy) where people work and live together in a healthy community in a beautiful place. Of course a key factor to me would be daily meditation group-sitting. Peer pressure really helps with that one, and meditation done properly is the best happiness/productivity tincture you can get, for any price.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#78

Post by Dewie3 »

artursapek wrote: post #11

I wonder how many people here will feel uncomfortable after reading this. I wonder how many will realize this man pursued aspects of life that they've been fantasizing about or putting of for "later." I can relate somewhat, after having a child at a young age (22). My son makes me feel more full of life than I ever felt before, when I really had nothing and nobody to take care of besides myself. It sounds like the OP…

> My son makes me feel more full of life than I ever felt before, when I really had nothing and nobody to take care of besides myself.

Children do seem to provide a fantastic relief for self-loathers.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#79

Post by icebraining »

PerfectElement wrote: post #30
HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #6

That bit about coming down with the 22 got to me a bit. I had a dog attack on my chicken flock last week and one of the last remaining birds was still alive but obviously dying. Even though I see them as livestock, not pets, it was still not easy to pick her up, break her neck to kill her quickly then stand back and watch it end. Never easy to kill something you're supposed to be taking care of.

> "Even though I see them as livestock, not pets" Isn't it funny how this is a completely arbitrary definition? The most sensible explanation I've seen about this phenomenon is called carnism and it's brilliantly explained by Dr. Melaine Joy in this TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0VrZPBskpg

No, it's not arbitrary at all, it's just subjective and depends on your personal relation with the animal.

Frankly, that video sounds like BS to me. How much time did she spend within family farms that raise animals? The idea that you need "invisibility" or to abstract animals as non-individual or as objects is so untrue it's not even funny.

Re: Death of a Programmer, Life of a Farmer

#80

Post by snikeris »

javajosh wrote: post #77
iagooar wrote: post #28

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and this post definitely gives me some motivation. I'm a programmer who loves to code and build stuff, learning new programming languages and frameworks, discussing about architecture, etc. I love shipping new features and making customers happy. BUT inside of me a desire has been growing to go back to the roots, to live a life closer to the nature. I feel the need to spend…

Yup, similar thought for me as well. A kind of high-tech commune/company (perhaps a consultancy) where people work and live together in a healthy community in a beautiful place. Of course a key factor to me would be daily meditation group-sitting. Peer pressure really helps with that one, and meditation done properly is the best happiness/productivity tincture you can get, for any price.

I would sit with you.
Post reply on HN