There are always trade offs in life... so you want to be wealthy and have status at the expense of other things? That CAN be the right answer for some people and they will find meaning in that. It is totally fine to pursue that if your heart tells you that is meaningful. Just make sure your hard work actually moves you towards that goal (working for a paycheck versus working to increase the value of equity in something, for example)
But, it is totally fine if you personally prefer to have a quiet family life and spend as much time as you can with your children. If that is what your heart tells you is meaningful - set your life up that way.
It’s a personal decision always. Neither is right or wrong. People are different. It’s ok to find something meaningful that others don’t value the same way.
> In the speech, Wallace digs into higher education and what the true value of it might be. He suggests that its end-game purpose is not to teach students facts and figures or fill their heads with knowledge – but instead, it brings the most value to students by teaching them how to consciously choose how to think from a perspective that is not your own, think about meaning, and act appropriately in everyday life.
I agree with this... but I got a technical degree and a liberal arts degree when I was an undergrad.
If you are investing in college you need to have a skill that makes you employable once you complete it.
But, there is more to life than making money and learning to have control over yourself and your thoughts, and learning that other people see things differently than you do, pays dividends in both your personal and professional life.
Chris Voss is great. I find if you are having a conversation and you are asking the questions, getting long answers, and then asking related questions, you are doing things right.
The other person loves talking about themselves or their opinions. You are learning by paying attention enough ask more questions.
If you are negotiating silence can be your friend when the other party is feeling good talking about themselves
People say this kind of thing a lot. Find the balance between making sure you have what you need and making sure you are not trying to have more than you will ever need.
I find it’s people who have more than enough that say that generally.
I think the takeaway is don’t look for your value in the way others see you. You will never be good enough.
“If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough. It’s the truth. Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you.”
Love Feynman and his quirks. Wish one of his quirks wasn’t being a little derogatory towards women though to be honest. Has made it harder and harder for me to recommend him to people without being upfront about that caveat...
This is hard to do. I heard a quote from like 1950 that you should work all out until you have 100k, then relax. Was said by a billionaire in why he didn’t burn out. After that, he was less stressed and did things he enjoyed more, which happened to make money.
That is an interesting point - to be an expert is much more difficult today.
However, I wonder how much of it is survivorship bias? Like the polymaths are generally forgotten because they suck at a lot of things. Every once in a while you get a genius interested in many things... that’s then exceptional and they are capable of learning many things?
I think there always has to be a filter applied with what is possible and what is probable in a individuals life when thinking about making choices for your daily life.
Did you get the converter for the Lamh Safari? I actually use the same for cost reasons (and I like the grip) but I use the disposable cartridges, which seems wasteful. I have just heard that the Safari converter is pretty quick to run empty?
I recently switched to a fountain pen - way easier to write with and way less tension. Neil Gaiman suggested it and so I gave it a shot. Never going back - my handwriting is better (but I write cursive) and it is easier to write longer without strain.