The Top of My Todo List (2012)
paulgraham.com
paulgraham.com
>Don't ignore your dreams, but also critically examine your dreams to ensure they're healthy and would actually bring you happiness
My "dreams" in life drastically changed after almost dying a couple times. They went from all revolving around being the smartest, richest, most successful person possible, to being the happiest, kindest, most supportive person possible. (I know, I know, terribly cliché. But so true.)
If you have unhealthy dreams, the rest of the items on that list become practically impossible to achieve. So make sure to stop and examine them critically from time to time.
> Money doesn’t buy happiness. Neither does materialism: Research shows that people who place a high value on wealth, status, and stuff are more depressed and anxious and less sociable than those who do not.
https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/consumeri...
> Harvard study, almost 80 years old, has proved that embracing community helps us live longer, and be happier
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/04/over-nearly-8...
One thing I've learned is that being kind is often better than being original.
which I then put at the top of the file I use as a todo list.
This is a good memento. It's very easy to fall victim to self-fulfilling prophecies, negative thought cycles and the like. Hard to escape from them, but as Paul argues, you ought to change your environment and life. Get out of a rut to change your perspective. Recharge, reframe to combat unconstructive thoughts preventing you from thinking clearly and getting ahead in life.
Consider also cognitive behavioral therapy to unlearn self-sabotaging behavior.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy
Consider also Stoic philosophy. Stop worrying so much about things outside your control. ;)
He is not the 2012 PG anymore, he is the 2021 PG. :P Now that I think of it, what will the 2030 PG be like?
There are three alleged “river fragments”:
On those stepping into rivers staying the same other and other waters flow. (Cleanthes from Arius Didymus from Eusebius) (B12)
Into the same rivers we step and do not step, we are and are not. (Heraclitus Homericus) (B49)
It is not possible to step twice into the same river according to Heraclitus, or to come into contact twice with a mortal being in the same state. (Plutarch) (B91)
It seems most scholars think only the first is a genuine Heraclitus quote. A few paragraphs later:
"If this interpretation is right, the message of the one river fragment, B12, is not that all things are changing so that we cannot encounter them twice, but something much more subtle and profound. It is that some things stay the same only by changing. One kind of long-lasting material reality exists by virtue of constant turnover in its constituent matter. Here constancy and change are not opposed but inextricably connected. A human body could be understood in precisely the same way, as living and continuing by virtue of constant metabolism–as Aristotle for instance later understood it. On this reading, Heraclitus believes in flux, but not as destructive of constancy; rather it is, paradoxically, a necessary condition of constancy, at least in some cases..."
aka. Don't be a Corporate Apparatchik.
Remember this isn't a black & white think.
Feel if you don't fit in with the corporate BS you'll be fired and you don't have another option now...
* Go slow on the BS and fast on the stuff that actually creates value.
* Malicious Compliance.
* Speak up.
* Speak to other non Apparatchiks and organise non confrontational solutions.
* Start working on alternatives.
[1] https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-poli...
> Despite the seemingly strong empirical support in previous studies for theories of majoritarian democracy, our analyses suggest that majorities of the American public actually have little influence over the policies our government adopts. Americans do enjoy many features central to democratic governance, such as regular elections, freedom of speech and association, and a widespread (if still contested) franchise. But we believe that if policymaking is dominated by powerful business organizations and a small number of affluent Americans, then America’s claims to being a democratic society are seriously threatened.
This is how lobbies pulled off Brexit.
On a second thought, I had to take Socrates' opinion on democracy into account:
> Socrates also said that democracy without education becomes demagogy, a sneaky and dishonest way to achieve political power. A demagogue exploits people’s ignorance and promises anything to cheat them to gain power. At the end an unqualified person will be ruling a country and people will get nothing.
https://www.isvara.org/archive/democrazy-socrates-opinion-an...
This reminded me of Dondald Trump.
Seeing people adopting ridiculous ideas (e.g. flat earthers) is quite unsettling, but that's why it is important to fight against ignorance and poverty.
“The biggest battle is the war against ignorance.” - Ataturk
I have no problem with the other bullets but this one I disagree with. The fact that you don't have any better choices doesn't justify acting maliciously, even in "compliance," lacking some extreme justifiable revenge scenario. There's a duty to your coworkers and the people paying your wage to at least not purposely act against their interests. If you can't go along with the rest of your rowboat, better to take a long swim to shore before poking holes in the hull.
I have.
And I repeat.
Don't be an Apparatchik.
Malicious Compliance is a valid response to an invalid situation.
I think you may be failing at the task!
I spent too much time at work.
(This was in a very wealthy county.)
This is sometimes phrased as an absolute: no one says they did not work hard enough.
But if you have a great vision which could be of service to others -- aka valid dream -- you could regret not working hard enough.
But a dream might usually be orthogonal to "time at the workplace".