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I was once cheated out of $15 by a phone provider. I spent $500 and a lot of time and went to court to get the money back, which I did. I also got my costs reco

I was once cheated out of $15 by a phone provider. I spent $500 and a lot of time and went to court to get the money back, which I did. I also got my costs recouped. I have spent more than $500 on karaoke in Asia without blinking. Money does not matter to me, but nobody fucks over Max. I'll chase it down till I get my money back. To quote Arnold: nobody gives me a raw deal. It has never been about the money.

lionhearted 17y ago
Story: At one point, I realized I was fighting a lot of battles over principles that were taking time away from me that could've been used on objectively much better pursuits. Despite realizing this, I had a hard time cutting it out. So, I put a post it note on the wall in front of my desk, with big letters - "WIN" Anyone who came across it misunderstood. They thought it was something competitive. Nuh-uh, just the opposite. Whenever I saw the note, I was forced to ask myself, "Well, what is winning? Is it winning an argument? Or is it spending my time building the best life possible for myself?" So I got a particularly unjust parking ticket, total BS, for like $60 in Los Angeles. And I'm getting pictures, and all gearing up for a fight, and then I think - "What the fuck am I doing? I could make a couple hundred dollars in the time it takes me to fight this BS." And so I gritted my teeth, paid it, and went and made a couple hundred dollars instead, doing enjoyable work for good people, and then I had more money and less stress. Yeah, the jerks get $60 of revenue they don't deserve, but my goal isn't to make them lose, it's for me to win. Spending three hours fighting California for $60 is not winning. I understand principles, I'll never let a betrayal or extortion attempt work, but making a fuss over $5 when presumably you could freelance yourself at $35+ per hour is... well, what is winning? Everyone answers the question differently. But it's worth some serious reflection on when there's actions that advance every conscious life goal you have more than whatever the petty nonsense du jour is.
- aaronblohowiak 17y ago
  my post-it says "what are you optimizing?" Righteousness, while a virtue in Confucianism, is seen as performing an act of self-interest in Taoism.
joe_the_user 17y ago
Indeed, I would recommend Game Theory Evolving by Herb Ginitis. Human beings have a strong, repeat strong bias toward retaliating to maintain fairness. Varies culturally to only a small extent. Anything that raises the possibility that you'll just be taking off with their money is going to create a strong reaction. The mistake was taking pre-orders. Never take pre-orders if you're to delay shipping. You'll piss Max (and me, and everyone) off. I am not twenty-something, btw
petercooper 17y ago
Money does not matter to me, but nobody fucks over Max. I'll chase it down till I get my money back. To quote Arnold: nobody gives me a raw deal. Except they still do. They wind up stealing your time; the most valuable commodity we all have.
- prodigal_erik 17y ago
  I'd say there's a difference between letting someone harm you (including taking up your time) and letting them benefit from harming you.
  - petercooper 17y ago
    I agree, but only in situations where that party can harm you again or repeatedly in the same way (e.g. the government, monopolies, polluters). If you can throw a chargeback on some vendor you don't have to patronize ever again (or just accept a small monetary loss), it's worth it if it saves you wasting a ton of precious time.

lionhearted 17y ago

Story: At one point, I realized I was fighting a lot of battles over principles that were taking time away from me that could've been used on objectively much better pursuits. Despite realizing this, I had a hard time cutting it out. So, I put a post it note on the wall in front of my desk, with big letters - "WIN" Anyone who came across it misunderstood. They thought it was something competitive. Nuh-uh, just the opposite. Whenever I saw the note, I was forced to ask myself, "Well, what is winning? Is it winning an argument? Or is it spending my time building the best life possible for myself?" So I got a particularly unjust parking ticket, total BS, for like $60 in Los Angeles. And I'm getting pictures, and all gearing up for a fight, and then I think - "What the fuck am I doing? I could make a couple hundred dollars in the time it takes me to fight this BS." And so I gritted my teeth, paid it, and went and made a couple hundred dollars instead, doing enjoyable work for good people, and then I had more money and less stress. Yeah, the jerks get $60 of revenue they don't deserve, but my goal isn't to make them lose, it's for me to win. Spending three hours fighting California for $60 is not winning. I understand principles, I'll never let a betrayal or extortion attempt work, but making a fuss over $5 when presumably you could freelance yourself at $35+ per hour is... well, what is winning? Everyone answers the question differently. But it's worth some serious reflection on when there's actions that advance every conscious life goal you have more than whatever the petty nonsense du jour is.

aaronblohowiak 17y ago
my post-it says "what are you optimizing?" Righteousness, while a virtue in Confucianism, is seen as performing an act of self-interest in Taoism.

joe_the_user 17y ago

Indeed, I would recommend Game Theory Evolving by Herb Ginitis. Human beings have a strong, repeat strong bias toward retaliating to maintain fairness. Varies culturally to only a small extent. Anything that raises the possibility that you'll just be taking off with their money is going to create a strong reaction. The mistake was taking pre-orders. Never take pre-orders if you're to delay shipping. You'll piss Max (and me, and everyone) off. I am not twenty-something, btw

petercooper 17y ago

Money does not matter to me, but nobody fucks over Max. I'll chase it down till I get my money back. To quote Arnold: nobody gives me a raw deal. Except they still do. They wind up stealing your time; the most valuable commodity we all have.

prodigal_erik 17y ago
I'd say there's a difference between letting someone harm you (including taking up your time) and letting them benefit from harming you.
- petercooper 17y ago
  I agree, but only in situations where that party can harm you again or repeatedly in the same way (e.g. the government, monopolies, polluters). If you can throw a chargeback on some vendor you don't have to patronize ever again (or just accept a small monetary loss), it's worth it if it saves you wasting a ton of precious time.