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805 million people on earth don't have enough to eat. 783 million don't have access to clean water. 1.9 million die of diarrhea every year. 176 million African
by chromaton 12y ago
805 million people on earth don't have enough to eat. 783 million don't have access to clean water. 1.9 million die of diarrhea every year. 176 million African adults can't read.
And this guy sits around the first world for a couple years with the back of his hand nailed to his forehead.
If he can't bring himself to do more than write a couple essays and snap some photos over a couple years, I would suggest a refreshing visit to Mozambique or Syria. People there could surely use help with the basic necessities of life.
- dageshi 12y agoWouldn't you be using your time more productively by not reading HN?
- whytaka 12y agoNot if he convinces me that this article is a bit whiny and re-orients me towards industry for the sake of human good. One short quip for renewed vigor. That's productivity!
- Bjartr 12y agoClearly then our best path forward is to spend all our time convincing others to do things.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- chromaton 12y agoIn the case of this article, yes.
- ZeroFries 12y agoHow much productive effort goes into solving these problems versus other less necessary problems? Let me define productivity: conscious effort to re-organize the world's energy and matter. Am I honour bound to re-organize the world's energy and matter until it's in the ideal state (which of course is never obtainable and not even definable, since it's different for each person)? The author has an issue with productivity for the sake of productivity. Spending time helping people in need is obviously a valuable and wise use of time, but you shouldn't feel guilty for not spending every waking moment increasing your net worth.
- chromaton 12y ago<i>The author has an issue with productivity for the sake of productivity.</i> I agree with that sentiment. <i>Spending time helping people in need is obviously a valuable and wise use of time, but you shouldn't feel guilty for not spending every waking moment increasing your net worth.</i> Again, I agree, but the author seems to be A-OK with goofing off for years instead of pitching in with the rest of us.
- Cthulhu_ 12y agoI wasn't reading that in the first few paragraphs, what I read was the author has a huge feeling of guilt for not being productive enough, moving abroad in a rather random attempt at being more productive - whatever that means. It ended up being goofing off for a couple years, probably because she didn't have to make any money or didn't have much expenses down there - and probably realizing that pushing yourself to be more productive will actually lead to procrastination, and feeling guilty about not being productive is self-destructive and futile.
- jbranchaud 12y agoThe author is a woman.
- calinet6 12y agoIn a complex system, productivity is often paradoxical. One realization or idea at the fringes of the random walk of progress can be worth the work of hundreds of millions of people on the known status quo. We need people exploring on the outskirts of reality and knowledge and life as much as we need the workers, and the people who do that are invariably the ones with a connection to their humanity and the humanity of others, like this person. Your suggestion is sound: see the real world. Sure. But don't disparage humanism and ideation and self-discovery. It is truly our only hope.