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Maybe his kids are doing well because he has a lot of time to be a great dad and coach them? Life happens. Shit happens. Kids happen. Enjoy the ride and don't

by dx7tnt 8y ago

Maybe his kids are doing well because he has a lot of time to be a great dad and coach them? Life happens. Shit happens. Kids happen. Enjoy the ride and don't terrify yourself about money or what your life should look like. We all get 24 hours a day on the planet and from a long term perspective, almost nothing of what we do really matters. Maybe by moving boxes instead of schlepping in a lab for some deranged sociopath like Elizabeth Holmes, the guy gets to spend a couple more priceless hours with his kids? The same kids that are going to be so far ahead because of his great mind that they will take care of him once they're adults and he has his time back once full-time parenting is over.. tldr: you sound very young so ponder this tip from a very wise zen teacher I had once "your life doesn't have to look like anything."

dangom 8y ago
Reminds of Heinrich Böll's wonderful anecdote concerning the lowering of productivity. [1,2] I would recommend anyone reading this comment to check it out. It's an entertaining and enlightening short story. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anekdote_zur_Senkung_der_Arbeitsmoral https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anekdote_zur_Senkung_der_Arbei... https://www.uni-hildesheim.de/media/_migrated/content_uploads/Translating_Heinrich_Boell.pdf https://www.uni-hildesheim.de/media/_migrated/content_upload...
- dang 8y ago
  That story is much better known in English as the parable of the Mexican fisherman. In fact, it gets repeated in self-help and business circles so often that it has become a cliché. But I had no idea that it was taken from Heinrich Böll, and I'm sure few of the people repeating it do either! https://hn.algolia.com/?query=mexican%20fisherman&sort=byDate&dateRange=all&type=comment&storyText=false&prefix=false&page=0 https://hn.algolia.com/?query=mexican%20fisherman&sort=byDat...
yesenadam 8y ago
I really loved your comment, all except for: >from a long term perspective, almost nothing of what we do really matters. So what? Yeah, in the long run we're all dead, so what? I imagine someone walking up to you, punching you in the face, and if you object, saying "Woahh! Calm down. From a long term perspective, almost nothing of what we do really matters. Don't you understand?" The things in peoples' lives matter plenty. What else is there. There is no other kind of 'mattering'. (Sorry if I misunderstood you.)
- lighttower 8y ago
  OP here. The thinking that on very long time scales Earth doesn't matter doesn't bring me solace. In fact it's depressing. finding meaning in my travails is important to me... As you say, what else is there?

by dx7tnt 8y ago

dangom 8y ago

Reminds of Heinrich Böll's wonderful anecdote concerning the lowering of productivity. [1,2] I would recommend anyone reading this comment to check it out. It's an entertaining and enlightening short story. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anekdote_zur_Senkung_der_Arbeitsmoral https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anekdote_zur_Senkung_der_Arbei... https://www.uni-hildesheim.de/media/_migrated/content_uploads/Translating_Heinrich_Boell.pdf https://www.uni-hildesheim.de/media/_migrated/content_upload...

dang 8y ago
That story is much better known in English as the parable of the Mexican fisherman. In fact, it gets repeated in self-help and business circles so often that it has become a cliché. But I had no idea that it was taken from Heinrich Böll, and I'm sure few of the people repeating it do either! https://hn.algolia.com/?query=mexican%20fisherman&sort=byDate&dateRange=all&type=comment&storyText=false&prefix=false&page=0 https://hn.algolia.com/?query=mexican%20fisherman&sort=byDat...

yesenadam 8y ago

I really loved your comment, all except for: >from a long term perspective, almost nothing of what we do really matters. So what? Yeah, in the long run we're all dead, so what? I imagine someone walking up to you, punching you in the face, and if you object, saying "Woahh! Calm down. From a long term perspective, almost nothing of what we do really matters. Don't you understand?" The things in peoples' lives matter plenty. What else is there. There is no other kind of 'mattering'. (Sorry if I misunderstood you.)

lighttower 8y ago
OP here. The thinking that on very long time scales Earth doesn't matter doesn't bring me solace. In fact it's depressing. finding meaning in my travails is important to me... As you say, what else is there?