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You’re not burnt out, you’re existentially starving

neilthanedar.com

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Re: You’re not burnt out, you’re existentially starving

#411

Post by nzeid »

johnnyanmac wrote: post #267
nzeid wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Man, posts like these always strike a nerve. I graduated in 2008. "Everything" wasn't just handed to us, we had our own share of horrible to deal with as well. And guess what? You'll get through it too. I wasn't a fan of the article either but I think at any point in history you can make a convincing argument that the world is ending. I don't have any good advice as to how to defeat this perspective, but I am constan…

>And guess what? You'll get through it too. Will you? https://siepr.stanford.edu/publications/policy-brief/recessi... Maybe you did, but statistically those people are permanently behind. >I wasn't a fan of the article either but I think at any point in history you can make a convincing argument that the world is ending There's hoplessness of impending doom, and hopelessness of no progression. I do think Gen Z has a…

Agree to disagree. I don't appreciate that you glossed over the second worst economic crisis in US history.

Re: You’re not burnt out, you’re existentially starving

#412

Post by brailsafe »

s1artibartfast wrote: post #392
brailsafe wrote: post #331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A personal prison can mean many things, and if low wages automatically mean precarity, then that's a type of stress that would be worthwhile to try and create a lesser draw on, imo. For me, I'm always framing whatever I currently earn as "right now". Right now I'm doing ok, but it's fairly likely it won't last longer than 2 years, because it never has, and I have no reason to think it will this time. That means that…

Ive come to realize that there is very little that would make me truly comfortable with big risks, so I decided to just start taking them. If they dont work out, I will have the consolation that I tried, and so far, it has been working out well. I Got myself liable for a 7k mortgage, about 80% of my take home. Nervous about commitment but married my wife. Nervous about kids, but have one on the way. If it all comes t…

I've actually started taking the same approach—despite the content of my comment—just not with huge amounts of debt for things that only offer tenuous personal value. So, for me I've decided that it makes way more sense to fully commit to my long term relationship, and if it fails eventually, it won't be because I was trying to keep one foot out the door. That said, aside from automatic common law designation, marriage is not something I'm planning atm, even after many years.

> I Got myself liable for a 7k mortgage, about 80% of my take home.

That is... spicy. I guess context matters though, if you're already financially secure and the ongoing income would otherwise just be added to other investments, and the remaining 20% is enough to cover you, and if you're in a place that locks in your interest rate for the whole mortgage, then I could see that being less dramatic. Likewise if you're both working or stand to inherit something.

Additionally, a mortgage is one of those things where if you've consistently earned whatever income it is, then it's more a matter of being excessively cautious. I've probably only ever earned an income for half of my working life; year on year I might make zero or full-time income, and the economy (in Canada) is indeed tangibly precarious right now.

Broadly I agree though. I wouldn't be in the relatively good position I'm in now without a series of scary bets earlier, moving to a new city, trying harder at more ambitious career moves etc..

It's just that there have been multiple times where I've lost a job, couldn't find _anything_ to pay bills with for long enough that I've literally dropped all the way to zero financially, losing the rental, and needing to live out of a car, so those kinds of liabilities just don't (yet?) make any sense. My hunch is that for people who haven't had that experience, it's more of a major milestone that they're eventually going to do without a doubt in their mind, they just need the raw salary number

Re: You’re not burnt out, you’re existentially starving

#413

Post by anon291 »

anal_reactor wrote: post #151

I'm burned out because: 1. I'm intelligent enough to raise questions about the point of life. 2. I've always been an outcast, having it extremely difficult to build meaningful relationships, which are number one predictor of quality of life. 3. I live in a dirty, noisy, overcrowded city full of people who don't share my culture and work for a company that has no morality. There is nothing for me to look forward to, a…

How can you have a sense of culture if you cannot build relationships? One person cannot have a culture.

Re: You’re not burnt out, you’re existentially starving

#414

Post by anon291 »

llmslave2 wrote: post #46

Maybe this hits for millennials and older but as a gen-z I think it's safe to say we're burnt out because everything we want is simply too expensive, our degrees are useless, dating and relationships have become damaged because of the apps, and we are inheriting a world that is broken and continues to shatter. The older generations have everything and still feel burnt out and unhappy? Cool. Cool cool cool. That will…

Maybe don't want as much?

Re: You’re not burnt out, you’re existentially starving

#416

Post by klez »

kledru wrote: post #152

the number of comments indicates that MANY OF US crave for some wise words about burnout... but the text we are presented with feels strangely empty of substance -- as if the author just wants to make some money with a book on a hot topic...

On the other hand I find that the real value of such posts are in the comment section here on HN, especially with posters who don't agree with the article.

Re: You’re not burnt out, you’re existentially starving

#417

Post by LeftHandPath »

highfrequency wrote: post #237
LeftHandPath wrote: post #235

For the first time in a long time, I can look at a title like this and not feel like it necessarily relates to my current situation. The past few months have been the happiest and most satisfied with life I have been in many years. Grateful.

What were the main drivers?

Moved to NYC. Have a good team at my new job. Satisfied with my income. Have enough free time. Made a lot of good friends really fast, and now I see a rotating cast of them 3-7 days a week. Happy with my apartment. Have an east facing window so I don't have to set an alarm to wake up in the morning, I wake with the sunrise. Getting plenty of exercise and walking a 8-12k steps a day.

Re: You’re not burnt out, you’re existentially starving

#418

Post by aebtebeten »

thanedar wrote: post #368
jojobas wrote: post #309

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Worse, it's canvassing for a political movement.

I will keep arguing that canvassing for a political movement is the highest potential thing most Americans could be doing now. I'm not talking about running for office yourself. You don't have to do it full-time. But try it. Focus on one issue and one bill. You could solve a key problem in weeks. See how this changes your life!

If you vote with your feet, you can solve many structural problems with a time investment of only 2-5 years.

Re: You’re not burnt out, you’re existentially starving

#419

Post by LightBug1 »

unlikelymordant wrote: post #245
thanedar wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You get off the hedonic treadmill by getting into something deeper like politics. I do feel like I'm an example of someone who's juggled marriage, kids, startups, etc. where how I finally got a clean source of sustainable energy was having a part of my life to truly chase my highest potential. And to me that's politics, and specifically anticorruption and Positive Politics. Glad that the "go into politics" ideas piqu…

Would you mind expanding on what you do for anticorruption? It has been something ive been thinking about and wanting to get into lately. It seems like complete poison to democracy, and more should be done to bring it to light wherever it occurs

I'd argue that the trend - that seems now deeply, deeply embedded - of alternative facts and straight lying is more important. As it opens the door to all manner of corruption.

Re: You’re not burnt out, you’re existentially starving

#420

Post by LightBug1 »

thanedar wrote: post #368
jojobas wrote: post #309

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Worse, it's canvassing for a political movement.

I will keep arguing that canvassing for a political movement is the highest potential thing most Americans could be doing now. I'm not talking about running for office yourself. You don't have to do it full-time. But try it. Focus on one issue and one bill. You could solve a key problem in weeks. See how this changes your life!

Depends if you behave like some current canvassers and/or candidates. Of course, I mean those who are straight forward corrupt liars.

And the problem is there seems to be no shortage of canvassers who'll advocate for such candidates.

So, your 'highest potential' argument is somewhat poisoned.

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