Re:Climbing the wrong hill (2009)
by shouldbworking on Monday April 17, 2017 @12:51AM
(#14129278)
This is related to the human tendency to overestimate the danger of unpredictable risks.
The danger of a major financial disaster for a healthy and educated young person in a developed country is much lower than it seems. I know many such people that traveled across the country, some with no money or possessions to their name. None of them were broke for more than a few months, and within 6 most of them lived a similar lifestyle to the one they left behind.
The danger is much greater if you're unhealthy, uneducated, or have other liabilities, but that doesn't apply to a good portion of the HN crowd.
What a lot of people don't think about is that a true disaster will knock you out even if you have a steady job, insurance, and education. I know several people whose lives were forever changed by a lawsuit, medical bills, and health problems. These risks are barely affected by anything you can control, so in most ways it's best to just go on as if they don't exist.
The danger of a major financial disaster for a healthy and educated young person in a developed country is much lower than it seems. I know many such people that traveled across the country, some with no money or possessions to their name. None of them were broke for more than a few months, and within 6 most of them lived a similar lifestyle to the one they left behind.
The danger is much greater if you're unhealthy, uneducated, or have other liabilities, but that doesn't apply to a good portion of the HN crowd.
What a lot of people don't think about is that a true disaster will knock you out even if you have a steady job, insurance, and education. I know several people whose lives were forever changed by a lawsuit, medical bills, and health problems. These risks are barely affected by anything you can control, so in most ways it's best to just go on as if they don't exist.