272 karma · joined November 1, 2012
The demand is inelastic, the supply totally is elastic in a normal situation, but it is made inelastic by regulations, restrictions, etc.
Unlike Mt Everest, a mountain formed by a collision of tectonic plates, Olympic is a shield volcano and they are the opposite to mountains in terms of slope angles.
> I personally can tell you that if I were a CEO, I would not be able to sleep at night if my company's revenue, profits and valuation are booming and I fire tens of thousands of people for no other reason than because I can and it will keep costs (that the company can easily afford) down.
No shareholders in their right mind would hire such a CEO, so your chances are pretty slim.
Edit: typos
Imo this whole situation finally liberates us from chasing things for personal gain, for result, being driven by selfish ego. And instead allows us to focus on what we really enjoy or find meaning in _doing_, for the sake of the process, not the outcome. Which is basically the definition of selfless action (karma-yoga) and is one of several paths to elevated conciousness.
Can confirm from my personal experience (of being a shitty but joyful musician among other things) that this indeed is a great way of dealing with this reality. The key is not to compare yourself to AI or other people but to just keep playing your own games that have personal meaning and satisfaction.
> This is not nihilism, it is hedonism.
Only if you are driven by selfish desires, but that’s not the only way of operating even when there’s no external/“absolute” definition of meaning. See “selfless action”, “karma yoga” and “dharma” on page 45 of the spiritual life manual.
(A side note from an angry control freak thinking about this thread).
At that point I tend to agree it boils down to control which boils down to feat and it’s just very hard to admit.
Edit: relatedly, not everybody wants to pay their local taxes (and who am I to judge people in various life situations?). This itself is a _massive_ saver for the folks. Send somebody $5k usd a couple times and their bank will start asking complicated questions.
Eg, having lived in Europe, it’s _very_ hard to imagine for me having a bulletproof car being perceived as cool (actually, rather opposite). This is the authors’ point. Utility and fears as its projections are connected with the culture.
PS: HN is such a strange community. In one thread people complain about US cities and SF in particular crumbling due to government mismanagement. In another they think that a new city built by some of our own members will devolve into a dystopia and give it no praise. This is an amazing idea and they already have land! I wish them only the best and if they need any help, my email is in my bio :)