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It's better to burn out than fade away. People on HN are constantly striving to meet metrics, when they should strive to be the ones measured to set them. No

It's better to burn out than fade away. People on HN are constantly striving to meet metrics, when they should strive to be the ones measured to set them. No amount of money will ever make you happy if you are forever in the former category.

SketchySeaBeast 4y ago
> It's better to burn out than fade away. I'm perfectly happy to live my life outside of work. We can't all be boss babes and we shouldn't all need to be.
vkou 4y ago
It's better to live a personally meaningful and satisfying life instead of endlessly chasing someone else's approval. The latter should only be done to the extent necessary to facilitate the former.
- derbOac 4y ago
  Where it becomes really stressful is when you lose respect for those who expect you to be chasing. It's easier when you at least have some respect for them.
louwrentius 4y ago
Instead of the abused, try become the abuser. Maybe it’s better not to play that game at all. Maybe it’s totally fine for people to just do their job to earn some money to sustain oneself and focus on other topics that they like.
- spaetzleesser 4y ago
  “Instead of the abused, try become the abuser.” Seems that’s the way society has been going.
  - imoverclocked 4y ago
    Pretty binary thinking indeed. Maybe people in pain have more trouble making good decisions because nuance is harder to appreciate?
  - derbOac 4y ago
    What's scary to me is how similar these patterns are in such different industries and vocations. The glimmer of hope I have is that if there's patterns like that maybe they can also be collectively changed at some point.
  - dontbenebby 4y ago
    To those who are accustomed to undue deference, any disagreement can feel like abuse. Then they tend to act out, receive the rightful punishment that one gets when you act out, and further feel victimized. Typical narcissistic injury / rage cycle. Here in Pittsburgh we had the city policy prop up their own candidate, who switched from the Democrats to the Republicans, to run against our new mayor (the first person of color to lead the city since it's founding). I would advise against "becoming the abuser" in the strongest possible, if not for moral reasons, but because one day someone more skilled than you may show up to teach you a lesson and primary you pals.
havblue 4y ago
Not sure if I'd take life advice from Def Leppard.
- at_a_remove 4y ago
  Neil Young, maybe.
HPGBeans 4y ago
"better to burn out than fade away". I really love that thought. I think burning out is normal these days, particularly with the pressure to grow and keep up with an ever changing tech stack. I'm a big advocate for giving yourself a break because I've seen when you do, there's a refreshing moment that sparks innovation and efficiency. Ebb and flow
bowsamic 4y ago
> It's better to burn out than fade away. Why?
outworlder 4y ago
> It's better to burn out than fade away. Oh wow. As if the two were mutually exclusive. You _will fade away_ if you burn out. You won't be able to do anything meaningful, by definition. And it can last for quite a while, sometimes enough to ruin one's career.
mateo411 4y ago
I think Neil Young had a different definition of burn out than the anxiety driven well to do professional class.

SketchySeaBeast 4y ago

> It's better to burn out than fade away. I'm perfectly happy to live my life outside of work. We can't all be boss babes and we shouldn't all need to be.

vkou 4y ago

It's better to live a personally meaningful and satisfying life instead of endlessly chasing someone else's approval. The latter should only be done to the extent necessary to facilitate the former.

derbOac 4y ago
Where it becomes really stressful is when you lose respect for those who expect you to be chasing. It's easier when you at least have some respect for them.

louwrentius 4y ago

Instead of the abused, try become the abuser. Maybe it’s better not to play that game at all. Maybe it’s totally fine for people to just do their job to earn some money to sustain oneself and focus on other topics that they like.

spaetzleesser 4y ago
“Instead of the abused, try become the abuser.” Seems that’s the way society has been going.
- imoverclocked 4y ago
  Pretty binary thinking indeed. Maybe people in pain have more trouble making good decisions because nuance is harder to appreciate?
- derbOac 4y ago
  What's scary to me is how similar these patterns are in such different industries and vocations. The glimmer of hope I have is that if there's patterns like that maybe they can also be collectively changed at some point.
- dontbenebby 4y ago
  To those who are accustomed to undue deference, any disagreement can feel like abuse. Then they tend to act out, receive the rightful punishment that one gets when you act out, and further feel victimized. Typical narcissistic injury / rage cycle. Here in Pittsburgh we had the city policy prop up their own candidate, who switched from the Democrats to the Republicans, to run against our new mayor (the first person of color to lead the city since it's founding). I would advise against "becoming the abuser" in the strongest possible, if not for moral reasons, but because one day someone more skilled than you may show up to teach you a lesson and primary you pals.

havblue 4y ago

Not sure if I'd take life advice from Def Leppard.

at_a_remove 4y ago
Neil Young, maybe.

HPGBeans 4y ago

"better to burn out than fade away". I really love that thought. I think burning out is normal these days, particularly with the pressure to grow and keep up with an ever changing tech stack. I'm a big advocate for giving yourself a break because I've seen when you do, there's a refreshing moment that sparks innovation and efficiency. Ebb and flow

bowsamic 4y ago

> It's better to burn out than fade away. Why?

outworlder 4y ago

> It's better to burn out than fade away. Oh wow. As if the two were mutually exclusive. You _will fade away_ if you burn out. You won't be able to do anything meaningful, by definition. And it can last for quite a while, sometimes enough to ruin one's career.

mateo411 4y ago

I think Neil Young had a different definition of burn out than the anxiety driven well to do professional class.