I find it a sad thing that often great achievements and ruthlessness go hand in hand. “Hard times create strong men and strong men create good times” is a famous quote. For example, it applies to Arnold Schwarzenegger since his father apparently mentally and physically abused Arnold[1], as well as for Elon Musk’s father for whom it is well documented he is a piece of work. If you read a lot about founders then this is a recurring theme. Why else would you work like a maniac your whole life? You don’t need a successful company to have a happy life.

There have also been studies that people tend to leash out to people below them if they feel that someone above them leashes out on them. This “displacement behavior” is a form of stress relieve. Monkeys do it too, and also there it is a form of stress relieve. It sort of makes sense right? You feel shit so then the easy solution is just to tell someone else that he/she is shit. You feel a bit better about yourself and all is good. Apart from the poor person (or monkey) who receives the abuse.

So on the one hand, we want great men who produce good times, who solve difficult problems (Elon) or who inspire people (Arnold). But on the other hand I wish no child to have a tough childhood like that. That’s life I guess.

One thing about Shockley. The blog mentions Shockley’s funeral. What the blog doesn’t mention is why there was no funeral. His wife thought nobody would come anyway so decided to not hold the ceremony. A sad ending. I wonder how his parents were and what would have become of him if things would have been a bit different. Maybe he would have been smart and emphatic?

[1]: Although many people don’t know this, Arnold can be very ruthless. Read about his early years and his relationships for more info.