Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#201

Post by Zetice » Tue, May 30, 2023, 9:21 PM UTC

xboxnolifes wrote: post #90

Zetice wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For Jehovah's Witnesses specifically, this could not be further from the truth [0], and for Christian groups generally, you beg the question here by ceding one must believe in that religion's concept of a deity/afterlife/etc. Such a belief is extremely hard to come by if not raised in that religion, and even harder if you're attached to reality's cause-effect relationships. Not impossible! But hard. And you're right;…

Citing a disciplinary rulebook is not citing reality.

Yeah it is, when you’re talking about being a “casual” Jehovah’s Witness.

That’s not a thing. They’re probably among the worst examples of religion as a hobby.

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#202

Post by samtho » Tue, May 30, 2023, 9:21 PM UTC

I’ve been doing ground school and getting into flying lessons, but what has been really interesting and surprising was the strong community that lurks just behind the wall you have to climb to enter. It can be a cost prohibitive hobby but a lot of people make it into a career. You get a lot of different types of people and they are welcoming. I’ve done work for people in exchange for for some wet hours on their plane

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#203

Post by nostromo » Tue, May 30, 2023, 9:21 PM UTC

donnfelker wrote: post #160

A fitness community. This could be either a BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) place or even a CrossFit gym. I've done both and while I'm not here to promote CrossFit, I am here to say that a group fitness class is awesome for meeting other people and finding a community of people that do something similar as you, but have absolutely nothing to do with your work. I workout with Police officers, Lawyers, Doctors, Dentists, Sta…

Or a team.

I joined a rugby team that is open to everyone but highlights lgbt inclusivity in sport. We practice twice a week, have games, and have other events. I've made so many good friends from the team it's hard to keep up with them all.

Staying fit with them is an added bonus.

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#204

Post by trailrunner46 » Tue, May 30, 2023, 9:22 PM UTC

Might seem like and odd one to some but I became a volunteer firefighter and it has been very rewarding for many reasons but the connection with the community is a big one (most members grew up in the town and a central part of it).

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#205

Post by BubbleRings » Tue, May 30, 2023, 9:22 PM UTC

I met a guy in the parking lot of Sugarloaf Mountain here in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC, when we were both about to walk to the top of the mountain. (About a 40 minute climb.) So we walked up together. He smiled and said hi to everybody we walked past, it was kind of impressive how good he was at it. It influenced me, and now I try to smile and wave at people when I pass them while I am out running.

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#206

Post by bombcar » Tue, May 30, 2023, 9:22 PM UTC

abnercoimbre wrote: post #55

Take matter into your own hands. "Be the change you want to see" basically. For example I organize software meetups at a nice coffeehouse. It started out with like four people a year ago, and now we average ~25-30 each month, and growing. Consistency is key. P.S. If you live in Seattle, and you're a software engineer, shoot me an email: abner at handmadecities dot com

You can do this really simply, if you're willing to eat alone for awhile - just put a notice in appropriate places that you'll be at the restaurant/bar/whatever every Thursday at 7:00 PM for "whatever topic you come up with". It'll eventually grow.

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#207

Post by Zetice » Tue, May 30, 2023, 9:23 PM UTC

geocrasher wrote: post #149

Zetice wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh, it's genuine as long as you subscribe to their set of beliefs. This may not be a problem for you, but for folks who care about reality, it could be more difficult. The difference between this and say, a rec soccer team, is that it's an all-or-nothing endeavor. You can't "casually" become a Jehovah's Witness (or any other religion), you have to decide that your entire life is aligned to those principles. I'm not k…

but I would hesitate to join a religion to make friends. Agreed. That isn't what I suggested. I answered the question asked. Nowhere did I say somebody should attain to becoming a JW to have more friends. That's the exact wrong reason in fact.

So is “community” or anything else OP asked about, if you aren’t capable or comfortable with disregarding reality.

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#208

Post by SaintGhurka » Tue, May 30, 2023, 9:23 PM UTC

I joined the Texas State Guard and found a lasting connection with my group. When I'm there I feel like I'm with family.

About half the states have a state guard. The organizational structure is military-ish, but we don't have weapons. We wear essentially the same uniform as the national guard, and sometimes work with them, but it's not related to the national guard except that we both report to the governor. The difference is the state guard ONLY reports to the governor and doesn't have any federal connection.

Since I joined I've helped run a shelter after hurricane Harvey and run water distribution centers after the freeze 2 years ago. But most of the time I just do the same thing I do at my regular job.

When I joined they needed programmers. They need everybody, tbh. It's not hard to qualify.

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#209

Post by bombcar » Tue, May 30, 2023, 9:24 PM UTC

samtho wrote: post #202

I’ve been doing ground school and getting into flying lessons, but what has been really interesting and surprising was the strong community that lurks just behind the wall you have to climb to enter. It can be a cost prohibitive hobby but a lot of people make it into a career. You get a lot of different types of people and they are welcoming. I’ve done work for people in exchange for for some wet hours on their plane

I would recommend this - you don't even have to get your license, just start hanging around on weekends at the local airstrip and you'll find the groups.

Re: Ask HN: Where have you found community outside of work?

#210

Post by nostromo » Tue, May 30, 2023, 9:24 PM UTC

silisili wrote: post #88

My neighborhood. When we moved in we sat out front every evening, and made small talk with every single person who walked by. Some were caught off guard, some kinda just waved and moved on, but most stopped to talk. What's interesting is that people who had lived in that neighborhood nearly 20 years together had never talked, and met for the first time as both stopped to chat at nearly the same time. Then we started…

I'm prepared for this to be an unpopular opinion, but I'm glad my neighbors don't do this.

I know my neighbors well enough. We check each other's mail when they're away and will help out in other ways.

But I have lots of friends to keep up with outside of my neighborhood -- people I have a lot in common with -- my neighbors, not so much. If they wanted to talk with me each time I saw them coming or going, I would likely start actively avoiding them so I could get on my way.