3 ms·

Yeah, nothing is exactly what I've been doing so far. I'm just wondering if that's really the best I can do.

sillysaurus3 9y ago
Well, that sort of begs the question: Why did you feel you could do anything in the first place? It sounds like a dopey question, but it's at the root of a lot of these feelings. I used to feel similarly to you: a general sense of malaise, a discomfort with the world, a plan for doing something concrete to change it. But everyone has limited ambition. If you don't focus it like a laser, you won't get anything done. Then suddenly your time is gone. I suppose my point is, relax and enjoy yourself. Choose whatever goal you really care about, and focus on that one thing. What Facebook does was never up to us in the first place. Besides, they're far less evil than Microsoft was at its peak. America isn't so bad right now.
- throwaway613834 9y ago
  > Well, that sort of begs the question: Why did you feel you could do anything in the first place? I don't know if I can... that's why I'm asking if I can. If feeling hopeless is the best I can do then so be it, but I'm thinking maybe people have had better success.
  - mirimir 9y ago
    It's funny. Many years ago, I left academia for NGOs, thinking that I could make a difference. That kept me busy for a decade or so. But looking back, nothing that I accomplished actually made any difference. Now I'm a privacy fanatic. And my goals are far less grand. I get that most people have little privacy anymore. And I get that there's little hope for them. So I focus on raising awareness, writing how-to guides, etc. That's not exactly "feeling hopeless". It's more like being realistic.
- Vinnl 9y ago
  I think it's important to focus on a goal you really care about, but at the same time: be open to other people who've chosen other goals, trust them that they're doing the right thing, and if you can help them with little effort, help them. If you're focusing on fixing one thing, but you can't get anyone to follow you, you're not going to accomplish anything. Doing the small and low-effort things that, together with other people doing the same, also improve the world - that's really underrated, in my opinion.
- discreteevent 9y ago
  Without getting into whether Facebook is more or less evil than peak MS, I think the problem even if an internet company is only a little evil, that evil has much more reach. Peak MS really just affected other tech companies and user choice.

Well, that sort of begs the question: Why did you feel you could do anything in the first place? It sounds like a dopey question, but it's at the root of a lot of these feelings. I used to feel similarly to you: a general sense of malaise, a discomfort with the world, a plan for doing something concrete to change it. But everyone has limited ambition. If you don't focus it like a laser, you won't get anything done. Then suddenly your time is gone. I suppose my point is, relax and enjoy yourself. Choose whatever goal you really care about, and focus on that one thing. What Facebook does was never up to us in the first place. Besides, they're far less evil than Microsoft was at its peak. America isn't so bad right now.

throwaway613834 9y ago
> Well, that sort of begs the question: Why did you feel you could do anything in the first place? I don't know if I can... that's why I'm asking if I can. If feeling hopeless is the best I can do then so be it, but I'm thinking maybe people have had better success.
- mirimir 9y ago
  It's funny. Many years ago, I left academia for NGOs, thinking that I could make a difference. That kept me busy for a decade or so. But looking back, nothing that I accomplished actually made any difference. Now I'm a privacy fanatic. And my goals are far less grand. I get that most people have little privacy anymore. And I get that there's little hope for them. So I focus on raising awareness, writing how-to guides, etc. That's not exactly "feeling hopeless". It's more like being realistic.
Vinnl 9y ago
I think it's important to focus on a goal you really care about, but at the same time: be open to other people who've chosen other goals, trust them that they're doing the right thing, and if you can help them with little effort, help them. If you're focusing on fixing one thing, but you can't get anyone to follow you, you're not going to accomplish anything. Doing the small and low-effort things that, together with other people doing the same, also improve the world - that's really underrated, in my opinion.
discreteevent 9y ago
Without getting into whether Facebook is more or less evil than peak MS, I think the problem even if an internet company is only a little evil, that evil has much more reach. Peak MS really just affected other tech companies and user choice.