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Comment by swed420 | Hacker News Reader

> If you turn a paid job into an unpaid hobby then people can't make a living off it.

The invisible hand only applies here if the goods are identical, and since we're talking about unique works like books, they are definitely not equal. What one another charges does not dictate what another author charges.

> The only people who can get anywhere with that are people who already have money or some sugar daddy (or mummy.) Many of us have to work to survive. Ever heard of the working class?

Wow, do you have any idea how many open source software contributors are living on Ramen and are on the side of the working class?

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"Wow, do you have any idea how many open source software contributors are living on Ramen and are on the side of the working class?"

Maybe those types are eating ramen because they aren't getting paid for their work? There's a thought. In some places if you get caught doing that while on unemployment benefits, you will get those stripped from you too.

I don't like our economic system much either. It's run on creating debt. You have to have money and support from elsewhere or you sink.

Or maybe they choose a simple life because they find greater fulfillment elsewhere. Like the feeling you get when you're part of something greater than yourself.

You're romanticising poverty there. Come on. Who feels part of something greater when there are bodies demanding money off you?

I've been homeless. I didn't find that fulfilling or rationalise it with some Zen monk shtic. I saw it for what it was.

> Who feels part of something greater when there are bodies demanding money off you?

Anybody who is part of something greater, and who has learned to not depend on various addictions, wealth signaling, etc for greater fulfillment. A lot of this is in the mind, and really just a matter of adopting healthy perspectives on life.

> I've been homeless.

I've been very close to it, so I can empathize with the struggle. I'm not suggesting people should be homeless and give themselves away. Just that most people require far less to be happy than society has conditioned them to believe, but that doesn't become obvious until you shift your perspective.

If you're truly interested on how somebody might get there, consider giving this a look:

The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi

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