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> One should help people, and take care of the world. Those two are obvious. From what I encounter, almost daily, I don't think everyone is on the same page, o

• copperx 2y ago
  I am really curious about your ethos here. It seems to me there's nothing for you in it. either psychologal, social, or financially. Is it more like a calling? a spiritual consolation?
  • dartos 2y ago
    > it is definitely a labor of love Some people do things because they like doing those things…
    • copperx 2y ago
      > Some people do things because they like doing those things… If that's the case, that means there's something in it for you, enjoyment.
      • dartos 2y ago
        Sure, why not.
    • ChrisMarshallNY 2y ago
      Yup. I’ve always liked doing this stuff, and it’s nice to have means, and an excuse to do it.
      • MrMcCall 2y ago
        The happiness feedback from making others happier -- even if just less miserable -- is the most excellent feeling known to man. Once a person tastes it, nothing else will ever compare. Lovingly serving others' happiness is a part of the asymmetric dynamics of the human universe, only accessible and operant in the world of free will and the ability to learn and manifest right from wrong, love from callous disregard or even cruelty, creation or destruction. Peace be with you, though I hardly need say that to someone who already understands peace beyond what most can comprehend. Thanks for having your boots on the ground.
  • conductr 2y ago
    Service to others is certainly something that fills people’s cups and sometimes the best way to serve is to offer your expertise in whatever domain it may be.
  • onemoresoop 2y ago
    Do the things that reflect the world you want to live in. If you inspire others they may inspire others and it could grow into something bigger, one day you could find yourself living in that world.
  • ChrisMarshallNY 2y ago
    Long story. I’m a longtime member of an organization that is about helping others. It’s not something that I go into detail about, at the level of press, radio or films. Also, selfishly, I really enjoy this kind of work; especially at a craftsman level. It’s nice to have an excuse to do it.
    • MrMcCall 2y ago
      Our teacher explained to us that the most selfish thing one can do is serve the happiness of others, due to the universe's feedback loop that feeds the happiness we've sown in our treatment of others back into what we reap within our inner world. This is the most fundamental law of the human universe, and we all live under its iron fist as its gears grind our life's chosen actions' butterfly wingbeats back into us in perfect harmony with the frequency we emanated out into others, consonant or dissonant, loving or selfish, kind or cruel, generous or callous. In addition, there are amplifiers and attenuators for both the positive and negative, especially at the narrow ends of our potentials' bell curve, so we best be careful how we wield our free will and the energy we possess to affect the world. Ignoring this law does not change a person's situation, just their foundation for how they construct their custom decision-tree methodology of preference and habit, thus establishing their inertias and ability to self-reflect. This is because we are free to ignore the truth, just as we are fully free to be the biggest narcissistic asshole we can be given our station in life. To boot, we're all doing this within multiple layers of our cultures' inertias that contribute to our perspective, once again, as per our choices. Within it all, at the very center, is the most precious and perilous gift in the universe: our free will, mind, and body co-existing tripartite on this beautiful planet Earth.
• hazn 2y ago
  I do believe that personal narrative place a huge role here. I know of a poll, in which over 80% of the people believed they’re going to end up in heaven. most people believe they do good and care about other people.
  • unclad5968 2y ago
    If we're talking about Christianity, the bible says all you need is to believe that when Jesus died your sins against God were forgiven. It doesn't say anything about going to heaven or hell based on how good you were. In fact, it explicity says that going to heaven is not based on "works".
    • ChrisMarshallNY 2y ago
      Not Christianity, but similar ethos. At my age, it’s kind of vital to have a Purpose, so there’s that…
    • graemep 2y ago
      Its a bit more complex and varied: Christian universalists believe everyone is saved, some (albeit small) churches believe only a few people are. A lot of people are not Christian, nor belong to any other religion, but have a vague belief in a God and many of those do believe good people go to heaven. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moralistic_therapeutic_deism https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moralistic_therapeutic_deism
    • panza 2y ago
      Both Catholics and Orthodox Christians (collectively making up the majority of Christians) would strongly object to this comment.
  • MrMcCall 2y ago
    That's why being brutally truthful with yourself is essential in learning how to love others so as to actually become a good person. The worst lies we tell are most often the ones we tell ourselves. It's just like the low-achieving over-confident folks of Dunning-Kruger: they don't really care about the truth, they're satisfied just believing they're an expert. The real experts take a far different tac, one of humility and intense, honest work. "Nothing is more important than compassion and only the truth is its equal."
• rationalfaith 2y ago
  [dead]
• bko 2y ago
  I'm one of those people that doesn't think we should try to "take care of the world". I prefer the older, time tested answer of what to do: > You should be wise, brave, honest, temperate, and just, uphold tradition, and serve the public interest As noted in the essay, this idea of "taking care of the world" is relatively new. PG claims it's because only now we can take care of the world, but I think it's just a naive idea that doesn't stand the test of time. I'm sure its not novel idea, and many others had thought of it and tried to implement some version of it in their society. But because it hasn't become cannon in any group or culture, it's a bad idea in that it doesn't produce human flourishing. Whereas ideas around wisdom, bravery, honesty, etc have replicated throughout cultures and led to everything we cherish The idea is that you cannot take care of the world if you can't take care of yourself. So at first you must be these things. Ironically the most empathetic people I have met that purport to care most about "the world" are often the most dysfunctional people - substance abuse, medications, no strong family ties, anxiety, neuroticism, etc. These aren't people we should try to emulate. Only when you have your house in order can you attempt to help others. Start with the people immediately around you. People you know and love and that know and love you. If you've ever dealt with a family member with a serious problem, you'll see how difficult for you to help them. Now imagine helping a friend, then casual acquaintance, then stranger finally a stranger on the other side of the world. We should have humility as to what kind of impact we can have on the world and look inward to those around us where we can have the most impact. Otherwise you might as well wipe out hundreds of thousands of people and spend trillions of dollars spreading democracy in the middle east.
  • BriggyDwiggs42 2y ago
    Often the people who see the problems are those whose houses have been put out of order by them, in fact there’s a strong correlation. Why would you be interested in positive change if you’re already doing well?
  • ChrisMarshallNY 2y ago
    I like the "police your area" approach. > "I was in the Air Force a while, and they had what they call 'policing the area,' and I think that’s a pretty good thing to go by. If everyone just takes care of their own area, then we won’t have any problems. Be here. Be present. Wherever you are, be there. And look around you, and see what needs to be changed." -Willie Nelson
• codr7 2y ago
  True! If you need help, go to the poor. People who have everything they need will make up a story where you deserve your troubles to avoid facing their own vulnerability.
• smeeth 2y ago
  It’s not just that people disagree on whether or not to do these things, it’s also that they disagree on what helps people/the world. An evangelical and an atheist will probably disagree about the helpfulness of spreading the gospel, for example.
• userulluipeste 2y ago
  «I have seen people without a pot to piss in, treat others -even complete strangers- with respect, love, caring, and patience, and folks with a lot of money, treat others most barbarously; especially when they consider those "others," to be folks that don't have the capability to hit back or stand up for themselves.» It's easy to assign what you just described to character traits that the given people happen to have regardless of their economical stance. Yet, thinking about it a bit, being nice when poor is just a life strategy that makes sense. Not only that one's precarious situation (of any kind) attracts a lot of vulnerability, it also attracts a lot of dependency on pretty much everyone's good grace. Being anything but nice by default means undermining one's success. There is not much to gain by being hostile when poor. When one gets to be rich (in relation to others) however, the game changes. People want things and it makes sense to direct their attention and energy on other people that (ideally) do have what they want or (at least) may assist them with getting what they want. And, many people would like to cut corners and resort to dirty tricks in doing so. It's not that hard to imagine what that rich folk has to face in relation with other ambitious and not so scrupulous individuals, what a winning strategy in this case would look like, and why it makes sense to become the default behavior.
  • ChrisMarshallNY 2y ago
    That sounds like a fair observation. Probably has a lot of merit. The other thing about folks without means, is that they know what it’s like, to have needs. A lot of folks with means, are pretty used to having the skids greased, and not needing stuff from others. I think humans are social animals, and we’re generally wired for empathy. When we can see, in others, that which we see in ourselves, it helps us to feel more connected. I’m not a particularly competitive person. That’s actually a deliberate posture. When I “win” something, that means someone else loses, and I’m not so comfortable with that. The reasons partly have to do with being raised overseas, and experiencing grinding poverty in others. It really made a mark on me.
• trollbridge 2y ago
  One of the most unpleasant things one can experience is being in a fine restaurant or at a high-end hotel, and observe a guest being rude or outright cruel to a waiter for no reason other than that "I can get away with doing this". Often to a very excellent waiter providing top-notch service.
  • oefnak 2y ago
    What a world you live in if that's the worst.
• DeathArrow 2y ago
  >I have seen people without a pot to piss in, treat others -even complete strangers- with respect, love, caring, and patience, and folks with a lot of money, treat others most barbarously; especially when they consider those "others," to be folks that don't have the capability to hit back or stand up for themselves. This is a thousands years old apparent dichotomy between rich evil people and good poor people. But the reality is not like that. Rich can be good and poor can be evil. The same person can be good in some moments and evil in others. Depicting the world in only two colors, black and white, paints a false image of the reality. I know people hate complexity, but we shouldn't try to oversimplify things.
  • anon_e-moose 2y ago
    I have seen = at least one exists. Refute that... You could also say that power corrupts, money brings power therefore money corrupts. You'd only really get an answer looking at trends and statistics. In my personal experience, people who have been through hardship develop empathy. They can become rich afterwards or stay poor, but most people tend to keep that empathy.
• lynx97 2y ago
  [flagged]
  • ChrisMarshallNY 2y ago
    Not actually a “white knight.” More of a scarred old dog, helping other mutts out. Like I said, in another comment, long story, and not one for the town square. I find it fascinating that you consider what I wrote to be “verbal aggression.” That’s a new one. Neither saint, nor villain [anymore -Ed.]. My life story has made me who I am, and has forged my worldview. From what I have seen of your comments, life has forged a different worldview for you. It sounds like you may have overcome your own challenges, and it might be inspiring to hear those stories. My story is not at all unusual. I regularly hang out with folks that knock it into a cocked hat. These are real people. They actually exist. They aren’t some Internet simulacrum. It makes me a bit regretful, that so many folks may not find communities that inspire them. They are out there, if we but look. Just because we may choose not to look for it, does not mean that it doesn’t exist. My post may not be what everyone wants to read, but it certainly inspired some interesting discussion, didn’t it? Whether or not I agree with everything, I find it a refreshing sidebar to the types of topics we usually cover. I choose to keep showdead = no, so I am sure there’s some pretty brainsick stuff, as well, but HN seems to do a fairly good job of suppressing that kind of nonsense.