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I have to wonder, if Elon Musk is alive on earth today, what's the use of me? He's done pretty much everything I wanted to do in life, only a little less effic

I have to wonder, if Elon Musk is alive on earth today, what's the use of me? He's done pretty much everything I wanted to do in life, only a little less efficiently, and much faster. What's the point?

aroman 12y ago
I often ask myself these same questions.
- TeMPOraL 12y ago
  I too ask myself this sometimes. Here's my shot at answers: - he can't fix the entire world by himself, there are a lot of things you can do to make a difference; - edw519 would probably point out that he's not making the thing he makes by the power of his own hands, he leverages the global economy to achieve his goals; if you do anything that's even remotely useful, you're helping him and everyone else; - somebody needs to buy those Teslas ;). (not that they sound very convincing, I'm not sure if I ever believe them myself)
bgvopg 12y ago
You are making a logical fallacy of sorts. He wasn't destined for this role, he just happened, by skill and luck, to make it out of the 7 Billion people who didn't. If he was alone he wouldn't succeed.
rwallace 12y ago
Comparative advantage. Even if he is strictly better than you at everything you do, there is only one of him, and he can only do one thing at a time.
Retra 12y ago
This is an unnecessarily depressing way to see things. What you should believe is that your dreams are not meant for you. They are meant for someone much like you who probably doesn't exist yet. Someone who will actually understand what you've done and how you've helped them achieve what you would like to. You will die, and someone else will follow in your footsteps. Make sure that person has what they need to live the life you wanted, because you're probably the only person who really knows what that is worth.
- spiritplumber 12y ago
  That's taking the long view, and it makes sense. I guess I'll have to find someone who can use my work, and then go die. Does anyone want a small robotics company?
  - DiabloD3 12y ago
    No, but can I work there? At least for a little bit? Always wanted to do something hands on.
marze 12y ago
I think that until 50000 people per year are flying to orbit, the race is not yet over.
MagicWishMonkey 12y ago
The point is guys like Musk need people like us to work and pay taxes to keep the system humming along.

aroman 12y ago

I often ask myself these same questions.

TeMPOraL 12y ago
I too ask myself this sometimes. Here's my shot at answers: - he can't fix the entire world by himself, there are a lot of things you can do to make a difference; - edw519 would probably point out that he's not making the thing he makes by the power of his own hands, he leverages the global economy to achieve his goals; if you do anything that's even remotely useful, you're helping him and everyone else; - somebody needs to buy those Teslas ;). (not that they sound very convincing, I'm not sure if I ever believe them myself)

bgvopg 12y ago

You are making a logical fallacy of sorts. He wasn't destined for this role, he just happened, by skill and luck, to make it out of the 7 Billion people who didn't. If he was alone he wouldn't succeed.

rwallace 12y ago

Comparative advantage. Even if he is strictly better than you at everything you do, there is only one of him, and he can only do one thing at a time.

Retra 12y ago

This is an unnecessarily depressing way to see things. What you should believe is that your dreams are not meant for you. They are meant for someone much like you who probably doesn't exist yet. Someone who will actually understand what you've done and how you've helped them achieve what you would like to. You will die, and someone else will follow in your footsteps. Make sure that person has what they need to live the life you wanted, because you're probably the only person who really knows what that is worth.

spiritplumber 12y ago
That's taking the long view, and it makes sense. I guess I'll have to find someone who can use my work, and then go die. Does anyone want a small robotics company?
- DiabloD3 12y ago
  No, but can I work there? At least for a little bit? Always wanted to do something hands on.

marze 12y ago

I think that until 50000 people per year are flying to orbit, the race is not yet over.

MagicWishMonkey 12y ago

The point is guys like Musk need people like us to work and pay taxes to keep the system humming along.