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Comment by claar | Hacker News Reader

The Bible.

No wait, don't go. I'm serious here.

Read Proverbs -- from a purely atheistic mindset if you must. Very practical business and life advice if you're willing to hear it.

Read Ecclesiastes. Don't spend your life chasing after the wind -- you can't take it with you.

Read Romans 12:9-21. Do what it says for a week.

Read about Jesus washing His servant's feet (John 13:1-17). Serve your team/family, put them first.

It's confirmation bias, but I'm continually amazed how the "next new business/life strategy" was already written ~2-5 thousand years ago.

(edit: Romans reference fixed, thanks)

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I'm agnostic and I agree with you. I'm not a big fan of anything outside of the Gospel, but Jesus Christ's teachings are truly timeless and revolutionary, even today. Real of fake, his philosophy is the backbone of a modern, empathetic society.

I'm agnostic and I don't agree with you. Sure, there are without any doubt some wise statements to be found in the Bible.

But each and every of those thoughts have been presented and discussed in other books in a more concise, clear, less ambiguous and more applicable fashion.

Additionally, the Bible is full of rather tasteless anecdotes - judging from a modern perspective.

I have a similar answer but wasn't sure how well it would be received on HN.

I come from a diverse background and generally found myself between extreme ideologies all around. From the hardline Islamic beliefs I encountered in the Middle East, Christian Evangelicals in America and the New Atheist movement in Europe and America.

I found solace in the Jap Ji Sahib [1], viewing it from a deist perspective. It helped me develop a regular meditation practice.

[1] Jap Ji Sahib is the first 40 verses of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy text. Here is a version: https://granth.co/

Is Romans 9:12-21 the right reference? I might not be looking into it enough, but it doesn't seem like "do what it says for a week" material. That being said, I wholeheartedly agree with your suggestion.

Try Romans 12: 9-21

That makes much more sense.

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

The issue is that good advice, surrounded by thousands of pages of irrelevant advice, isn't a good source to be relying on.

The Bible, definitely

PS: Proverbs 22:29 is a motivation for me to always improve my craft

Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men.

I don't think this is that amazing given the fact that our whole society is based on this book.

Also one can argue that this is common sense and build in into (most) humans, or life for that matters, plenty of animals try to protect their families too without any bible or god.

LOL, you're brainwashed by a single book.

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