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I think that taking the ride seriously means working on wrong things for wrong reasons, whatever the "wrong" means with regard to each individual. It doesn't m

by yason 17y ago

I think that taking the ride seriously means working on wrong things for wrong reasons, whatever the "wrong" means with regard to each individual. It doesn't mean all work and money is bad. However, it suggests that money can't be a top-priority if you intend to work for your core values and change the world. If it is, all you ever get done is moving money from one place to another and nothing ever changes. To change the world, you just stop worrying and go make attempts at it, and then trust that you'll get enough money somewhere to keep your world-changing efforts uninterrupted. It is my guess that many people on HN have these things much better aligned in their lives than a big proportion of non-HN people. The thought of being trapped in something you don't believe in for the sake of money and possessions probably appears a rather unsettling idea on this forum.

bad_user 17y ago
> The thought of being trapped in something you don't believe in for the sake of money and possessions probably appears a rather unsettling idea on this forum. I'm trapped in something I don't believe in for the sake of living, not possessions. I've been trapped in creating outsourced business applications ever since I started working for money, and I really haven't had any choice in this matter. I absolutely hate it, and while I see ways out of it, it's really hard taking the jump to something I like, especially since I'm trapped in a country where little value is put on creativity and where little help is offered to startups. My only hope is that I'll be able to create something I like in my spare time and make money off that in spite of me not living in a friendlier environment.
dasil003 17y ago
Let's not get too self-congratulatory. I would suspect that a larger-than-average percentage of entrepreneurs and people around the valley (ie. HN members) work as hard as they do not to change the world, but as a form of escapism. That's not a judgement--it's difficult enough to peel the onion of one's own personality let alone others--but just an illustration of how I don't really buy into the idea of "wanting to change the world" (whatever that really means) as being inherently good or well-aligned. As with all things, it depends on the individual and the true state of their mental and social health.

by yason 17y ago

bad_user 17y ago

> The thought of being trapped in something you don't believe in for the sake of money and possessions probably appears a rather unsettling idea on this forum. I'm trapped in something I don't believe in for the sake of living, not possessions. I've been trapped in creating outsourced business applications ever since I started working for money, and I really haven't had any choice in this matter. I absolutely hate it, and while I see ways out of it, it's really hard taking the jump to something I like, especially since I'm trapped in a country where little value is put on creativity and where little help is offered to startups. My only hope is that I'll be able to create something I like in my spare time and make money off that in spite of me not living in a friendlier environment.

dasil003 17y ago

Let's not get too self-congratulatory. I would suspect that a larger-than-average percentage of entrepreneurs and people around the valley (ie. HN members) work as hard as they do not to change the world, but as a form of escapism. That's not a judgement--it's difficult enough to peel the onion of one's own personality let alone others--but just an illustration of how I don't really buy into the idea of "wanting to change the world" (whatever that really means) as being inherently good or well-aligned. As with all things, it depends on the individual and the true state of their mental and social health.