Hacker News Reader

Comment by soup10 | Hacker News Reader

One of the reasons is that people don't know what to do with themselves after they make passive income? Therefore you shouldn't aspire to make passive income? LOL.

Passive incomes means financial independence and freedom to make life decisions independent of monetary compensation. Financial freedom means having leverage in the business of life. That's hugely valuable and worth aggressively pursuing in my opinion. You can always find and pursue your passions after that.

View on HN

Sounds like people are scared of passive income in the same way that they're scared of immortality. Lacking imagination, they cry, "but wouldn't you get bored?"

Who would get bored with immortality? There are so many things to learn, and even more to discover! It would be amazing.

You should read Gulliver's Travels.

I half-read it a while ago, what are you referring to?

Well, to the Struldbrugs, the immortals of Luggnagg.

Ah, I will read that again, I have no recollection. Thanks.

While I do agree to a certain extent you have to think about the scale of the time frame of immortality and factor in the other circumstances you'd have to face. Is everyone else immortal? Fancy watching everyone you love die while you're stuck rebuilding your emotional trust? Immortality, I assume, is forever and that's honestly a terrifying duration for any circumstance.

I'm getting a little OT, but Neil Gaiman's Robert "Hob" Gadling is my favorite example of an immortal thus far. Nothing special about him except that he hasn't died yet. No spectacular wisdom. No incredible feats. No extreme torment. Just a guy who changes identities every few decades and likes to experiment with different livelihoods.

Surely the true engineers would take all of that free time and build amazing things, free from any worry about success or failure.

I know I'd love to have some amazing AI or robotics lab, pay modest salaries to some computer scientists to do research and just see what happens.

Better yet, just get a job at one of those labs :)

"free from any worry about success or failure"

How do you ignore that part and then just assume it would be pretty much the same?

Well, I work in a lab and feel secure enough.

yes indeed, but most people don't have your stated self-control, focus or ambition. The hungry are often the most driven.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com