Ask HN: How do you deal with professional envy?

Re:Ask HN: How do you deal with professional envy? by AndrewKemendo on Sunday July 14, 2019 @09:50PM (#20437536)

My question to people with this attitude is, what is the point of your life?

I've lost a lot of friends and recognize that life is way too short to not be putting as much time as possible toward something you find totally compelling. The stock answer is contentment and "happiness."

The most content person I've ever met was a flower cart man in Belmopan, Belize. Probably made $100 a week at most. He knew all he wanted to do was bring beautiful flowers to people and give them a smile. He had a point in life. Sure he had kids, but he knew that they would move on one day and do their own thing, and he wanted to be known as the best flower man in Belize so he got up early to start and worked late.

This pervasive idea that "it's just a fucking job" is ultimately a milquetoast cop-out. Spend your hours doing something that has impact to you.

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Re:Ask HN: How do you deal with professional envy? by richk449 on Sunday July 14, 2019 @11:53PM (#20438005)

> My question to people with this attitude is, what is the point of your life?

> I've lost a lot of friends and recognize that life is way too short to not be putting as much time as possible toward something you find totally compelling. ...

> This pervasive idea that "it's just a fucking job" is ultimately a milquetoast cop-out. Spend your hours doing something that has impact to you.

Why can't "raising a family" be the totally compelling thing you do that has impact on you? The "point of your life"?

I'm not saying that is me, but I think the people that choose that are making a perfectly rational choice.

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Re:Ask HN: How do you deal with professional envy? by AndrewKemendo on Monday July 15, 2019 @09:33AM (#20440627)

I mean it's so vague that it doesn't make sense. What is a measurable outcome from "raise a family?" Does that just mean producing offspring or are you requiring a certain outcome for the children and the unit as a whole, in order to feel content?

These are independent autonomous humans who have their own goals - so what happens when they deviate from the things you wanted them to do?

I have three kids and I can tell you right now, there is nothing straightforward that you can plan out with respect to outcomes. It's gonna be a crapshoot, and the best you can do is just do your best and hang on.

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Re:Ask HN: How do you deal with professional envy? by kd5bjo on Monday July 15, 2019 @03:10PM (#20444086)

“And if any appear never to assume the chair, but always to stand and serve, it is because we do not see the company in a sufficiently long period for the whole rotation of parts to come about. As to what we call the masses, and common men;—there are no common men. All men are at last of a size; and true art is only possible, on the conviction that every talent has its apotheosis somewhere. Fair play, and an open field, and freshest laurels to all who have won them! But heaven reserves an equal scope for every creature. Each is uneasy until he has produced his private ray unto the concave sphere, and beheld his talent also in its last nobility and exaltation.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson, Representative Men (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/6312/6312-h/6312-h.htm)

It seems to me that no person is in a position to judge whether another has found the thing that they should be shaping their life around. As much as we like to assume they are, humans aren’t rational creatures and activities that appear completely pointless from the outside can be incredibly meaningful to the one doing them.

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Re:Ask HN: How do you deal with professional envy? by chipz on Sunday July 14, 2019 @10:52PM (#20437770)

Solid point, Not OP, but I also want to point out that OP seems to enjoy his working term (no commute and all), but enjoying the work doesn't have to make an impact on you.

It's just a fucking job, yes, we make other people rich, yes, but it's also the kind of job that I wanna do. I also don't commute, and also have more time to meet with my daughter compared to most dads, and I really glad about this term.

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Re:Ask HN: How do you deal with professional envy? by onion2k on Monday July 15, 2019 @12:54AM (#20438240)

what is the point of your life?

Hackernews points mostly.

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Re:Ask HN: How do you deal with professional envy? by CalRobert on Monday July 15, 2019 @05:22AM (#20439216)

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. "

- Annie Dillard

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Re:Ask HN: How do you deal with professional envy? by blub on Monday July 15, 2019 @03:28AM (#20438821)

Life doesn't have a point though, today maybe not even reproduction. We search for meaning ourselves and find it in different things.

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Re:Ask HN: How do you deal with professional envy? by AndrewKemendo on Monday July 15, 2019 @09:34AM (#20440638)

Hence why I said you have to do what makes meaning for you.

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Re:Ask HN: How do you deal with professional envy? by elindbe2 on Monday July 15, 2019 @11:26AM (#20441699)

But you seem to be suggesting that something has to come in the form of paid employment. There's plenty of stuff I find meaning in, people just don't tend to be willing to pay me for it.

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Re:Ask HN: How do you deal with professional envy? by maxheadroom on Monday July 15, 2019 @03:58AM (#20438924)

42?

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