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Yes. I'm just thinking about the author of the article. It might be an error to assume that people living the default would be happier or better off finding the

Yes. I'm just thinking about the author of the article. It might be an error to assume that people living the default would be happier or better off finding their love for surfing. Those who seek would assume that was true, but that might be because they are a different kind of person. I feel that I'm hitting a language barrier (English is a secondary language) trying to explain what I mean. I'll see if I can explain my thoughts better later.

TeMPOraL 8y ago
I think there's an implicit assumption - perhaps not even consciously realized by the author himself - that people in his audience wouldn't be reading a self-help blog and commenting on their problems if they were the kind of people who are happy with the defaults. There's a huge self-selection happening here - as is with many "personal growth-based"[0] communities, including HN. Most people from tech industry I've met in the meatspace are entirely unlike the people I meet on HN. -- [0] - There's something that I can't quite name that is shared by places like that blog, HN, some subreddits, SlateStarCodex and many other places. The common desire of wanting to get better at things, gain greater understanding of the world and the systems that run within it. Some people come with curiosity, other with strong will of Tsuyoku naritai - but out of the contributors I've seen around the non-shitposting web, it's hard to find people satisfied with status quo.
ball_of_lint 8y ago
I'd say that's well said. I feel like I'm very different from my friends who have stayed in our hometown. We're still working hard to remain good friends and they're excellent people, but we have different drives and needs.
- dorchadas 8y ago
  I'm one of those who moved back to my small rural hometown after going to a private top-20 school 6 hours away. It was a culture shock returning, and even the worldview of my roommate, who's been a good friend since birth, is so unnatural and foreign to me. He doesn't want new experiences and is just content to work and sit around in the hopes that he might do something when he retires. He wants to get married, but also won't put himself out there to meet people outside of church. That said, my closest friends here all also went away and came back (one works at his sister's law firm; the other two are both fairly well off with freelancing, inherited a home, etc), and the difference in their view from those who stayed is truly fascinating. I wish more people from this town would leave and see what the world has to offer, realize it's so different. I truly want to get out again, and it's taking its toll on me mentally for sure.

TeMPOraL 8y ago

I think there's an implicit assumption - perhaps not even consciously realized by the author himself - that people in his audience wouldn't be reading a self-help blog and commenting on their problems if they were the kind of people who are happy with the defaults. There's a huge self-selection happening here - as is with many "personal growth-based"[0] communities, including HN. Most people from tech industry I've met in the meatspace are entirely unlike the people I meet on HN. -- [0] - There's something that I can't quite name that is shared by places like that blog, HN, some subreddits, SlateStarCodex and many other places. The common desire of wanting to get better at things, gain greater understanding of the world and the systems that run within it. Some people come with curiosity, other with strong will of Tsuyoku naritai - but out of the contributors I've seen around the non-shitposting web, it's hard to find people satisfied with status quo.

ball_of_lint 8y ago

I'd say that's well said. I feel like I'm very different from my friends who have stayed in our hometown. We're still working hard to remain good friends and they're excellent people, but we have different drives and needs.

dorchadas 8y ago
I'm one of those who moved back to my small rural hometown after going to a private top-20 school 6 hours away. It was a culture shock returning, and even the worldview of my roommate, who's been a good friend since birth, is so unnatural and foreign to me. He doesn't want new experiences and is just content to work and sit around in the hopes that he might do something when he retires. He wants to get married, but also won't put himself out there to meet people outside of church. That said, my closest friends here all also went away and came back (one works at his sister's law firm; the other two are both fairly well off with freelancing, inherited a home, etc), and the difference in their view from those who stayed is truly fascinating. I wish more people from this town would leave and see what the world has to offer, realize it's so different. I truly want to get out again, and it's taking its toll on me mentally for sure.