Ask HN: Do you feel bad for having a good job?

No need to feel sorry for them.

Unless you have financial independence, you're in the same class as them.

It is so sad how inaccessible the better parts of the world are. I feel so sad that so few have access to anything genuine. The opportunities dwindle & I feel terrible for that- I want an electrified humanity, with vast potential everywhere. With few exceptions it feels like this world is falling so far away from empowered stances, and it's so sad, and so little of tech tries to rectify & enhance humanity's greater potential.

Reciprocally- and this isnt necessarily better- I look at how squandered this interesting field is. It's so fortunate & gifted a field, to have exposure to so much, to be so uniquely empowered & entrusted. Yet I see so much partial pursuit, so much partial interest, so much moderated enthusiasm. The really good people in this field have so little support, so few who can help them or who work at their level. I don't begrudge anyone their existence here but to see the tip of the spear, the vanguard of humanity so dulled & un-trying is sad. I see such limited futures everywhere, but to see such limited uniterested unengauged potential so close to a heart of power & potential is truly dismaying. Who if not the techies can inspire us, reawaken our potentail? I feel as uncomfortable with my professional class as I do with anyone else: they at least have potential. And yet that just makes me feel further apart from them than the every-person, who has such limited chances to find an enabling empowering path.

One can always donate your salaries to those less fortunate than you.

With that thinking, there’s a lot to feel bad for. People with demanding jobs, people who are sick, people in countries with no freedom, people with death of loved ones, people who give life pursuing dreams and failed, lonely people, people with disabilities, people experiencing war / natural disasters / pollutions.

I think as human we should aim to contribute to betterment of the world. Empathy is good, but feeling bad for isn’t at grand scale. You can feel bad for your friend’s misfortune I suppose.

I feel very privileged and sometimes out of touch, but I don't think people outside of tech are in a "lower social class" than me. The difference between us isn't that great in the end, and there are _many_ people who earn less than me but lead richer lives. One great thing is that where I live, it's generally expected that a job will pay a living wage, and healthcare is free. People working in retail or food service are able to lead comfortable lives, take vacations, have job security, etc.

One way in which I feel out of touch is the ability to buy something on a whim. I want that new robot vacuum cleaner? I'll just get it. I want a pet stroller for my cats to travel with me? I'll order the best fricking pet stroller I can find. I have a number I try to stick to each month of a maximum spending amount, but in the end there's always the knowledge that I can probably just buy that thing I want sooner rather than later. I feel very lucky, but also a bit disconnected from the realities of budgeting.

Having said that, my cat has almost gone through her yearly pet insurance allowance, so I'm now meeting the reality of putting extra money aside for vet bills just in case her health continues to be unstable for the rest of the year. Luckily I have an emergency fund for several months of living expenses, but the vet costs here might burn through even that.