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

Do What You Love

blogs.valvesoftware.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 83 posts

Re: Do What You Love

#61

Post by JoeAltmaier »

potatolicious wrote: post #43
staunch wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think your complaint goes away if you complete the sentence: Do what you love to create Most people live read-only lives. They never create music, food, or art. They merely consume them. But if you love creating music, food, or art you absolutely can make a career out of it. Of course, a middling chef or musician won't make it very far, but neither will a middling programmer really (though they may at least stay em…

I don't think his complaint goes away at all. For one thing, in my experience, most people don't love to create. Most people aren't artists, programmers, writers, chefs, or carpenters because they wake up in the morning and look forward to it. My overwhelming impression from the vast majority of people I've met in my life indicates that creating things is simply not a driving force. If given a complete lack of want,…

Most folks haven't been exposed to creative activities since the 2nd grade. When they took the crayons away (only babies use crayons). Its deplorable that the most creative species on the planet provides so little support for expression, even quashing it. Color inside the lines! Park between the lines. Be a team player. Sit down, shut up and listen to the teacher.

Re: Do What You Love

#62

Post by heathlilley »

potatolicious wrote: post #43
staunch wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think your complaint goes away if you complete the sentence: Do what you love to create Most people live read-only lives. They never create music, food, or art. They merely consume them. But if you love creating music, food, or art you absolutely can make a career out of it. Of course, a middling chef or musician won't make it very far, but neither will a middling programmer really (though they may at least stay em…

I don't think his complaint goes away at all. For one thing, in my experience, most people don't love to create. Most people aren't artists, programmers, writers, chefs, or carpenters because they wake up in the morning and look forward to it. My overwhelming impression from the vast majority of people I've met in my life indicates that creating things is simply not a driving force. If given a complete lack of want,…

It reminds me of something my father told me when I was figuring out what to take in college..."Find something you like to do and you will never work another day in your life."

His advice was not absolute, there are bad days, but overall he was correct. I wake up almost every morning looking forward to what I will solve/build that day. He was a chef, provided a great life for his family and still experiments in the kitchen even in retirement.

I think the "software as a craft" argument also fits here as people who like to program like to tinker at home much like wood working in your garage.

Re: Do What You Love

#63

Post by heathlilley »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #61
potatolicious wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think his complaint goes away at all. For one thing, in my experience, most people don't love to create. Most people aren't artists, programmers, writers, chefs, or carpenters because they wake up in the morning and look forward to it. My overwhelming impression from the vast majority of people I've met in my life indicates that creating things is simply not a driving force. If given a complete lack of want,…

Most folks haven't been exposed to creative activities since the 2nd grade. When they took the crayons away (only babies use crayons). Its deplorable that the most creative species on the planet provides so little support for expression, even quashing it. Color inside the lines! Park between the lines. Be a team player. Sit down, shut up and listen to the teacher.

Because you can't make money off somebody's creativity unless you can control and direct it.

Re: Do What You Love

#64

Post by paulhauggis »

potatolicious wrote: post #43
staunch wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think your complaint goes away if you complete the sentence: Do what you love to create Most people live read-only lives. They never create music, food, or art. They merely consume them. But if you love creating music, food, or art you absolutely can make a career out of it. Of course, a middling chef or musician won't make it very far, but neither will a middling programmer really (though they may at least stay em…

I don't think his complaint goes away at all. For one thing, in my experience, most people don't love to create. Most people aren't artists, programmers, writers, chefs, or carpenters because they wake up in the morning and look forward to it. My overwhelming impression from the vast majority of people I've met in my life indicates that creating things is simply not a driving force. If given a complete lack of want,…

This is why my new passions are business, marketing, and making money.

Re: Do What You Love

#65

Post by spacemanaki »

kamaal wrote: post #54
lotharbot wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "that's still not sufficient for what one would call an awesome life." For what who would call an awesome life? I stay at home with my family. We get up when we want to get up. My wife does contract work, enough to pay the bills and put a bit away at considerably less than full time, and she does it from the next room. My son has me as a dedicated full-time caretaker and educator. We don't go to Europe, but we can…

>>You can take your Ferrari on the Autobahn; I'll be out playing in the dirt with my kid. Most people would be OK with that, the problem only starts when you start comparing the Ferrari guy and play-in-the-dirt-with-kid guy. Objectively everyone is happy, subjectively they are not. And no human ever exists in isolation.

I downvoted a few of your comments in this thread and all for similar reasons, but I'll just reply to this one.

You're putting forth your ideas about money buying happiness as if they were facts that you have proven or that have been proven elsewhere. But human happiness is much more complicated than you think it is, and I think the spirit of most of the replies are merely suggesting that things are not as black and white as you have made them out to be.

> the problem only starts when you start comparing the Ferrari guy and play-in-the-dirt-with-kid guy.

That seems to be what you're doing, is introducing this "problem" by comparing these two situations, or comparing some other abstract ideal rich life with the life of middle class or "normal" lives, when in fact comparing them and trying to find out who is happier is very hard.

Here's another one to compare: I hate driving, so I think I would rather ride a bicycle than drive a Ferrari. But that's just me; I can't even articulate why I dislike driving. I would never suggest that someone else isn't happy driving a Ferrari and would be happier on a bike, because it's a senseless comparison. Same with the dad and his kid playing in the dirt.

Re: Do What You Love

#66

Post by fallous »

Do garbage men and sewage workers love what they do? I doubt it. Are their jobs absolutely vital to the very existence of modern civilization? Absolutely.

"Do what you love" seems to fail if you wish it universal as a categorical imperative.

Re: Do What You Love

#67

Post by [deleted] »

lotharbot wrote: post #39
kamaal wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>>"shit careers" how? Because they don't pay well? You won't get rich? Contrary to whatever you think 'getting rich' is very important. Its also fun to be rich. Its fun to know you don't have to worry getting up early in the morning and do all you have to to in a hurry just to hit the work desk. Its also fun to not come home tired wanting to do something you love but not having energy or the time to do it. Its also f…

> "that's still not sufficient for what one would call an awesome life." For what who would call an awesome life? I stay at home with my family. We get up when we want to get up. My wife does contract work, enough to pay the bills and put a bit away at considerably less than full time, and she does it from the next room. My son has me as a dedicated full-time caretaker and educator. We don't go to Europe, but we can…

[deleted]

Re: Do What You Love

#69

Post by mnutt »

kamaal wrote: post #54
lotharbot wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "that's still not sufficient for what one would call an awesome life." For what who would call an awesome life? I stay at home with my family. We get up when we want to get up. My wife does contract work, enough to pay the bills and put a bit away at considerably less than full time, and she does it from the next room. My son has me as a dedicated full-time caretaker and educator. We don't go to Europe, but we can…

>>You can take your Ferrari on the Autobahn; I'll be out playing in the dirt with my kid. Most people would be OK with that, the problem only starts when you start comparing the Ferrari guy and play-in-the-dirt-with-kid guy. Objectively everyone is happy, subjectively they are not. And no human ever exists in isolation.

While wanting a ferrari as a kid may or may not make you unhappy, I don't personally know anyone who was given a ferrari as a kid and was ultimately happy. They usually tended to end up less happy than children who weren't spoiled by their parents.

Re: Do What You Love

#70

Post by aangjie »

iamgopal wrote: post #46
potatolicious wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think his complaint goes away at all. For one thing, in my experience, most people don't love to create. Most people aren't artists, programmers, writers, chefs, or carpenters because they wake up in the morning and look forward to it. My overwhelming impression from the vast majority of people I've met in my life indicates that creating things is simply not a driving force. If given a complete lack of want,…

well put. "socializing, fucking and eating" sums up 90% of the population and it is very good as it provide huge consumer market to the other 10%.

Exactly. I used to get outraged/saddened/furious when i see that attitude 90% of the population, till i realized, it's inevitable in any economy, except perhaps a communist style, forced one.
Post reply on HN