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

Children and Helical Time

moultano.wordpress.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 130 posts

Re: Children and Helical Time

#81

Post by bombcar »

huhkerrf wrote: post #9

> This is a depressing thought to consider in (linear) middle age, but it is hard to escape the feeling that it is essentially true. Childhood memories have an intensity and a vibrancy that it is difficult for the rest of life to match. This is just not my experience at all. I had a great childhood, but ask me about the most vibrant moments, and very few of them came before I was 18. The births of my children, my wed…

The one thing that childhood memories usually have is protection from the “real world” - looking back you realize that exciting vacation to a national park was because your dad lost his job that summer and couldn’t afford anything more, but had time. For you, it was amazing, but probably not as much for your parents worrying about where the next job would be.

Re: Children and Helical Time

#82

Post by bombcar »

nchmy wrote: post #38
rixed wrote: post #10

Sure enough, if you model life experience as a 2d plot, you are going to have to simplify things quite a bit. Yes, time "felt" longer for a child (especially when the child has to wait or wants something yet to come, less so when it's time spent on video games), and children are particularly impatient compared to adults. But is that experiencing life, though? How many strong memories from that "logarithmic first half…

I think you nailed it. This person is not living, and may never live. When their birds fly the coop and, worse, when they themselves retire, they're in for a whole world of emptiness.

This is something more dangerous that people realize, especially those “working for retirement” - if you only live to work, and then retire, you may find you retire from living, too.

Seen it a few too many times. Live life today, people!

“ So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

“ And don't worry 'bout tomorrow, hey Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today”

Re: Children and Helical Time

#83

Post by lotsofpulp »

bombcar wrote: post #69
Taek wrote: post #68

Childhood is only half of subjective life if you stagnate as an adult. If you keep changing your routine, you'll find each year has just as much subjective experience as the previous. Start a company in an industry where you have no experience. Move to a country where nobody speaks a language you understand. Find a new sport and commit to being a top 0.1% participant (for most sports that don't air regularly on natio…

Amusingly enough, one of the easiest way to serve yourself curveballs is to have children of your own. You then are no longer in control of your house, schedule, or really much. And you have someone to cheer on.

In the US, unless you have a few million saved up, children will probably make most people more conservative.

Wake up, drop kid off at school, go to job allowing one to afford health insurance for kids, come home, take kids to after school activity, eat, sleep, repeat.

Re: Children and Helical Time

#84

Post by lotsofpulp »

bombcar wrote: post #82
nchmy wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you nailed it. This person is not living, and may never live. When their birds fly the coop and, worse, when they themselves retire, they're in for a whole world of emptiness.

This is something more dangerous that people realize, especially those “working for retirement” - if you only live to work, and then retire, you may find you retire from living, too. Seen it a few too many times. Live life today, people! “ So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” “ And don't worry 'bout tomorrow, hey Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for…

That’s fine, but the incongruence comes when one expects unlimited supply of healthcare and a cash payment for decades in old age. Especially if one didn’t raise enough productive kids to pay for it, so then the question becomes if you’re not planning for tomorrow, why are others who are planning for tomorrow paying for your tomorrow?

Re: Children and Helical Time

#85

Post by bdangubic »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #83
bombcar wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amusingly enough, one of the easiest way to serve yourself curveballs is to have children of your own. You then are no longer in control of your house, schedule, or really much. And you have someone to cheer on.

In the US, unless you have a few million saved up, children will probably make most people more conservative. Wake up, drop kid off at school, go to job allowing one to afford health insurance for kids, come home, take kids to after school activity, eat, sleep, repeat.

risk averse as well… prior to being a Dad my answer to just about any question was Yes. Now mostly the answer is a No and not because I am older now

Re: Children and Helical Time

#86

Post by bdangubic »

bombcar wrote: post #69
Taek wrote: post #68

Childhood is only half of subjective life if you stagnate as an adult. If you keep changing your routine, you'll find each year has just as much subjective experience as the previous. Start a company in an industry where you have no experience. Move to a country where nobody speaks a language you understand. Find a new sport and commit to being a top 0.1% participant (for most sports that don't air regularly on natio…

Amusingly enough, one of the easiest way to serve yourself curveballs is to have children of your own. You then are no longer in control of your house, schedule, or really much. And you have someone to cheer on.

my best friend had kids before me and told me something before I had kids that changed my life forever - “I was here first and I have my life, the kids need to adapt to my life just as much as I have to adapt to theirs.” I have followed this mantra for the past 12 years and I think both my life and my kids life is much better for it. I see too many parents turning their lives upside down after they became parents, I have not much at all. I am definitely more risk averse which is probably the biggest personal change I made but otherwise I do everything I’ve done before I became a parent and my kid has experienced extreme levels of boredom while waiting for me to finish what I am doing

Re: Children and Helical Time

#87

Post by egypturnash »

smokel wrote: post #6

> This is a depressing thought to consider in (linear) middle age, but it is hard to escape the feeling that it is essentially true. Childhood memories have an intensity and a vibrancy that it is difficult for the rest of life to match. Could anyone who is extremely fortunate and never had to work for money share their experience on this? I find that the years that I spent on art (playing around, learning new things,…

Art can turn into work too. Spending ~4-5y on a solo graphic novel[1] was mostly about finding that routine of making sure to spend a few hours of every workday working on the comic instead of just faffing about aimlessly.

1: http://egypt.urnash.com/rita/

Re: Children and Helical Time

#88

Post by Qem »

tetris11 wrote: post #64
canpan wrote: post #39

Regarding the perception of time, I have a complete opposite perception of the author. He mentions 20 as a middle point. I was after that, in my 20s when I first took real full control. I can remember the times before that. But I did so many "firsts" after that! My childhood years feel very short and boring to me; while the time after that feels gigantic and exciting. There is so much in the world and so precious lit…

Whilst I did more new things in my 20s, I do recall my perception of days as a child being much much longer. I have distinct recollection of feeling almost clinical depression when I was about 8 after being told that we would be going to the seaside tomorrow and not today . To a childs perception of time, it was an agonizing eternity.

> To a childs perception of time, it was an agonizing eternity.

For me as a child, even getting a haircut was a dreary experience. It felt as an eternity I had to sit mostly immobile, while somebody else maneuvered sharp blades around my head. Nowadays it feels like I barely accomodated in the chair, it's already over.

Re: Children and Helical Time

#89

Post by bdangubic »

judahmeek wrote: post #59
zozbot234 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Extreme mental and drug issues are always in the picture with those outcomes, though. The real "safety net" when faced with the possibility of real homelessness is to get the hell away from uber-expensive places like SF and move to at least a semi-rural area where getting access to good shelter is going to be orders of magnitude easier. These are not bad places or areas of poverty or marginalization, people have lite…

You say "move", but you must mean "get moved" since homeless people aren't known to have the finances required to travel to another city

I was homeless in my 20’s and moving, while of course not as straight-forward as buying a bus/train/… ticket, isn’t that difficult. e.g. many truckers are amazing folk who will help a person in need (as long as you are not an addict etc)

Re: Children and Helical Time

#90

Post by nchmy »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #84
bombcar wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is something more dangerous that people realize, especially those “working for retirement” - if you only live to work, and then retire, you may find you retire from living, too. Seen it a few too many times. Live life today, people! “ So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” “ And don't worry 'bout tomorrow, hey Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for…

That’s fine, but the incongruence comes when one expects unlimited supply of healthcare and a cash payment for decades in old age. Especially if one didn’t raise enough productive kids to pay for it, so then the question becomes if you’re not planning for tomorrow, why are others who are planning for tomorrow paying for your tomorrow?

nice try ron paul
Post reply on HN