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Gregg Kellogg has died

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Re: Gregg Kellogg has died

#11

Post by zwnow »

wjnc wrote: post #6
weinzierl wrote: post #3

Very sad to hear. If you read Gregg's Health FAQ be sure not to miss the "You seem oddly calm about this." section. You could otherwise get a wrong impression. Life really was not kind to him, but he doesn't seem to have let it get in his way. https://greggkellogg.net/health-faq.html

"If you know Rebecca (many reading this won't), you know how amazing she is. She's worked with many cancer patients, though her work at Commonweal, and her numerous award-winning cook books. She would call me her "rock", but really, she's mine. I have been unbelievably lucky in life, and particularly in my relationship with Rebecca. I've really accomplished my life goals – my family is well looked after, I've had a v…

Professional joy does not matter. Do not make your job your life. Family matters, personal goals matter, professional goals however do not. When my father had cancer the only question his employer ever asked was "when is he coming back to work? We need him here". He passed not long after. Your work does not care about you, no matter if its a corporation or a tiny business. If your personal goal is to be a professional at your job making as much money as possible, honestly, that's just sad.

Re: Gregg Kellogg has died

#12

Post by [deleted] »

dcminter wrote: post #10
poszlem wrote: post #2

> In August 4th, I went into the MarinHealth Emergency Room, due to increased stomach pain on top of symptoms which became more acute in June. I've had a reduced appetite, with consequent weight loss, for about the last year. I had been fighting to keep weight on for some time, then in July, Rebecca and I went back to our usual haunt at the Hotel Wailea in Maui, which we love. Towards the end of the trip, I had a sud…

Pancreatic cancer can be curable in some cases - see the Whipple procedure: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancreaticoduodenectomy That said, it would depend on several other factors, not least catching the tumour early enough - and it looks like a pretty tough thing to go through even if successful.

[deleted]

Re: Gregg Kellogg has died

#13

Post by radlad »

zwnow wrote: post #11
wjnc wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"If you know Rebecca (many reading this won't), you know how amazing she is. She's worked with many cancer patients, though her work at Commonweal, and her numerous award-winning cook books. She would call me her "rock", but really, she's mine. I have been unbelievably lucky in life, and particularly in my relationship with Rebecca. I've really accomplished my life goals – my family is well looked after, I've had a v…

Professional joy does not matter. Do not make your job your life. Family matters, personal goals matter, professional goals however do not. When my father had cancer the only question his employer ever asked was "when is he coming back to work? We need him here". He passed not long after. Your work does not care about you, no matter if its a corporation or a tiny business. If your personal goal is to be a professiona…

Professional joy usually doesn't come from making as much money as possible. It comes from creating work that you are proud of, doing the best of your abilities, or making a difference in others' lives - were I Greg Kellogg, I would find my career at W3C rewarding too.

Re: Gregg Kellogg has died

#15

Post by [deleted] »

zwnow wrote: post #11
wjnc wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"If you know Rebecca (many reading this won't), you know how amazing she is. She's worked with many cancer patients, though her work at Commonweal, and her numerous award-winning cook books. She would call me her "rock", but really, she's mine. I have been unbelievably lucky in life, and particularly in my relationship with Rebecca. I've really accomplished my life goals – my family is well looked after, I've had a v…

Professional joy does not matter. Do not make your job your life. Family matters, personal goals matter, professional goals however do not. When my father had cancer the only question his employer ever asked was "when is he coming back to work? We need him here". He passed not long after. Your work does not care about you, no matter if its a corporation or a tiny business. If your personal goal is to be a professiona…

[deleted]

Re: Gregg Kellogg has died

#16

Post by googlryas »

zwnow wrote: post #11
wjnc wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"If you know Rebecca (many reading this won't), you know how amazing she is. She's worked with many cancer patients, though her work at Commonweal, and her numerous award-winning cook books. She would call me her "rock", but really, she's mine. I have been unbelievably lucky in life, and particularly in my relationship with Rebecca. I've really accomplished my life goals – my family is well looked after, I've had a v…

Professional joy does not matter. Do not make your job your life. Family matters, personal goals matter, professional goals however do not. When my father had cancer the only question his employer ever asked was "when is he coming back to work? We need him here". He passed not long after. Your work does not care about you, no matter if its a corporation or a tiny business. If your personal goal is to be a professiona…

I'm pretty sure everyone gets to choose what makes them happy. Sorry, I guess, if criticizing the life choices of a dead person are what makes you happy.

Re: Gregg Kellogg has died

#17

Post by toomuchtodo »

googlryas wrote: post #16
zwnow wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Professional joy does not matter. Do not make your job your life. Family matters, personal goals matter, professional goals however do not. When my father had cancer the only question his employer ever asked was "when is he coming back to work? We need him here". He passed not long after. Your work does not care about you, no matter if its a corporation or a tiny business. If your personal goal is to be a professiona…

I'm pretty sure everyone gets to choose what makes them happy. Sorry, I guess, if criticizing the life choices of a dead person are what makes you happy.

I did not take it as criticizing, but holding it up as an example of a life well lived. TLDR "The work won't love you back, pay attention to what can be learned from Gregg's life experience he shared." Certainly, seek out meaningful work, but prioritize loving relationships over it.

> "I have been unbelievably lucky in life, and particularly in my relationship with Rebecca."

(i strongly agree with this, fwiw, based on the data collected about regrets when people approach death [1]; also, we should take the life lessons from someone who has passed as a gift, with value to help us live more full lives with the time we have left)

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Top_Five_Regrets_of_the_Dy...

Re: Gregg Kellogg has died

#18

Post by moron4hire »

zwnow wrote: post #11
wjnc wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"If you know Rebecca (many reading this won't), you know how amazing she is. She's worked with many cancer patients, though her work at Commonweal, and her numerous award-winning cook books. She would call me her "rock", but really, she's mine. I have been unbelievably lucky in life, and particularly in my relationship with Rebecca. I've really accomplished my life goals – my family is well looked after, I've had a v…

Professional joy does not matter. Do not make your job your life. Family matters, personal goals matter, professional goals however do not. When my father had cancer the only question his employer ever asked was "when is he coming back to work? We need him here". He passed not long after. Your work does not care about you, no matter if its a corporation or a tiny business. If your personal goal is to be a professiona…

It's possible to enjoy work and make time for family, too. It can be difficult to find such a job, but it's worth the effort.

I've found having a good job that I enjoy is a significant factor in me being emotionally available to my family. Work doesn't have to be a combative relationship between employee and employer.

Though I do think it's a bit easier to find outside of the tech industry. You can still be doing software development, just don't do it at a software company. Especially any place that has at any time claimed they are trying to "change the world".

Re: Gregg Kellogg has died

#19

Post by mablopoule »

zwnow wrote: post #11
wjnc wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"If you know Rebecca (many reading this won't), you know how amazing she is. She's worked with many cancer patients, though her work at Commonweal, and her numerous award-winning cook books. She would call me her "rock", but really, she's mine. I have been unbelievably lucky in life, and particularly in my relationship with Rebecca. I've really accomplished my life goals – my family is well looked after, I've had a v…

Professional joy does not matter. Do not make your job your life. Family matters, personal goals matter, professional goals however do not. When my father had cancer the only question his employer ever asked was "when is he coming back to work? We need him here". He passed not long after. Your work does not care about you, no matter if its a corporation or a tiny business. If your personal goal is to be a professiona…

Passion, drive, and existential fulfillment can take many form, and "professional joy" can absolutely be one of them.

It's not about drinking the corporate kool-aid, but about taking pride in what you've put in the world (even potentially as a hobby), having a sense of craftsmanship, or even maintaining a certain work ethic.

Even the "making money" part can be tied to a very deep sense of providing for your loved ones, and a sense of personal responsibility.

Re: Gregg Kellogg has died

#20

Post by mlyle »

zwnow wrote: post #11
wjnc wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"If you know Rebecca (many reading this won't), you know how amazing she is. She's worked with many cancer patients, though her work at Commonweal, and her numerous award-winning cook books. She would call me her "rock", but really, she's mine. I have been unbelievably lucky in life, and particularly in my relationship with Rebecca. I've really accomplished my life goals – my family is well looked after, I've had a v…

Professional joy does not matter. Do not make your job your life. Family matters, personal goals matter, professional goals however do not. When my father had cancer the only question his employer ever asked was "when is he coming back to work? We need him here". He passed not long after. Your work does not care about you, no matter if its a corporation or a tiny business. If your personal goal is to be a professiona…

You spend a third of your life at work. Better for it to be something you can enjoy and be proud of than not.

Or, from another lens:

My father was an awesome man, and incredible to his family-- and he went on an incredible personal journey with IBM doing cool stuff that he thought was meaningful as part of that, bringing back stories to his family.

(Like making one of the earliest computerized large industrial control system, to automate a cement plant... and the shenanigans that he and his work friends got up to during this time. Or how much he liked the 650, and what an interesting puzzle it was to try and make a fast program. Or indeed, even the things he failed at: at their programming school he was not good with the accounting special-purpose plugboard machines).

Or-- from mine: I won the startup lottery at 22 and "retired" but that did not last long. I am not a happy person without purposeful work. And I am a better person in my family by virtue of that purposeful work.

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