Comment by news_hacker | Hacker News Reader

Comment by news_hacker | Hacker News Reader

- We need to apply the same principles of consumption that we do to food to information. Consume responsibly. Be aware of the sourcing. Don't binge. Know what's junk and what's nourishing. Give back to positive sources to nourish and grow them (sustainability).

- Income inequality is huge. Slavery still exists but in a misdirected, slight-of-hand way. Work or the system will abandon you and it's "your fault".

- Learn the macro-game that you are a part of and the micro-game that you are a part of. You can only ever play/influence the micro-game so focus on that, but the macro-game can give useful context.

- Look where the sun doesn't shine. When everyone's looking one way, see what they're missing.

- Virtues are important. Virtues conflict. Meekness is a virtue, but don't make it your only one.

- Wealth has three portions: financials, relationships, and intelligence. Nurture all three.

- It's difficult to break out of the middle-class. It's even harder to break out of the middle-class mentality.

- There are many loopholes to fast-track you to your goals. Live your life by the orthodox narratives, and you may miss out on something fortuitous that crosses your path.

Any tips or resources on breaking out of the middle class mentality?

Seek out people who aren't bitter about the "elite", but students of them.

Some good reads, although they may at first make you a bit depressed: https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-... and The Developer Hegemony.

Robert Kiyosaki, of Rich Dad Poor Dad fame, has some pretty solid fundamental advice - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftBeTIDv8Vg

Developer Hegemony is interesting. I don’t agree with Erik that you can classify the corporate/business world as simply as he does, for one I think the “idealist” part of his spectrum is probably two to three separate personas (idealists, chronically-anxious, grateful/approval hungry). I do value, greatly, the encouragement to strike out on business though.

Rich Dad Poor Dad has some ok mental-model ideas that are great if don’t come from a background/family that exposed you to “the business world”, most of the rest of it is repetitive drivel.

What do you think?

I think these are fair assessments. I don't treat either or as gospel, and I'm always quick to invoke "all models are wrong, but some are useful". However, they both have some interesting insights that have helped my personal journey.

Rich Dad Poor Dad (Kiyosaki) helped me see debt differently. I grew up with the mindset that all debt is bad, it's slavery, and it should be paid off... and that money is meant to be saved. I now realize that money is meant to be deployed. Also RDPD has helped push me along to realize that debt is a tool, and like all tools there are ways to use it that can be advantageous.

Cool. I agree with the debt lessons/mindset changes from that book. Cheers

All valid points. Can you please elaborate on the final loopholes part?

I identify with that part, so I will explain my interpretation of it:

If you do things the way they all do, you go on the path well-traveled. But if you dare to do what your heart tells you to do, even though it is outside of the "standard" way of doing things, then you stop being a commoner and become special.

If you didnt dare to be special, you will never know what you will have missed. True courage is living your life the way you want it (without harming others in anyway, of course) and not by the socially constructed dictates that are ephemeral anyway.

Be real, stay cool, and enjoy the journey!

Loopholes often get conflated with "tax loopholes", but I just mean to say look for all opportunities instead of the ones that are common societal narratives (those are the ones that are very easy to get conditioned by!)

A common example: when everyone was caught up in the Gold Rush, the common narrative was "strike it big by finding gold!"... however, the guys selling the shovels were better off than the average speculator. The shovels were where the money was to be made.

Another example: there are many ways to climb the career ladder at a corporation. There's the HR policy way, where they hand you a list of bullet points and checkmarks and you tick them off, put in your time, and slowly climb your way up. Or you can take a risk, maybe try out a low-risk, high-reward experiment on your own time, show proof of a highly successful outcome, get to know influencers in senior positions, and find ways to market your accomplishments. Those skills will probably get you way further.

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