lakeshastina

Without the concept of free will in humans, which many now accept as a possibility, what would be the fundamental difference between an entity such as the sun, a plant and a human? None, except the lifespan.

Those years during high school are a very challenging time in one’s life, when we develop into adults. The fundamental question of “Who am I? Where do I fit into society?” are subconsciously trying to get answered.

On the other side, in the west, we have a very body-centered idea of self-worth, exaggerated by TV, music and social media. Fundamentally, I do not see this situation getting any better because of how society is wired right now. There are more dramatical changes needed than what we are perhaps capable of.

3 main changes that might help come to mind -

1. We are in an obesity epidemic. Acknowledge this, make changes in the eating and exercise habits, feed children less sugar, especially what’s provided at school during lunch.

2. Due to most kids being overweight, find ways to acknowledge their other talents. Encourage high school kids to find paid work. Help them derive self-worth from other avenues.

3. Help them learn to work their minds. It does not need to be esoteric eastern meditation techniques but learning to sit still for 20 mins a day and watch the breath, and one more time for 5 mins or so before sleep, will have tremendous transference to the rest of one’s life.

The fundamental difference is animals are mostly controlled by nature. Humans have the ability to use their intellect to override their natural urges when prudent.

Second, animals are rarely at the top of the food chain, so they are structured for self-protection first and foremost. This means group dynamics rule over any individual needs. Each animal is expected to do its role in the group, no question of what’s “fair”.

Third, inability to communicate and find treatment when sick. When hurt or sick, they mostly just lay down and slowly fade away. How difficult would it be for us to face death in that way?

Programming jobs will not disappear, but it will not be similar to what programmers of today do on a daily basis. So, I think the significant shift needs to happen in the way we are educating kids about CS fundamentals, Math and Science.

As AI systems become more able to generate much code by default, the expectations of the customers will similarly increase. Just remember how much an IDE like Eclipse or IntelliJ changed the productivity of programmers 20 years ago. Similarly, how easy apps were to build when Rails would create a scaffold with a simple command. It only allowed us to build more complex customer experiences in the end. This will continue.

Second, there is the need to verify the output from such systems, and also tie them together with other modules. In large enterprises, they would also need to be integrated into existing codebases, often legacy infrastructure.

Then comes the implementation of tons of Govt regulations in finance, lending, taxes, medicine, and so on as code. Software has not yet penetrated these verticals as well as they can. In a recent podcast, chamath palihapitiya mentioned that now it is possible for the Dodd-Frank regulations to be in code, versus as a written document. It's a good example.

Lastly, there are THOUSANDS of companies with legacy software systems that will still need to be maintained, and transitioned to modern technology stacks and infrastructures. This space will continue to be a major source of employment for programmers for the next few decades.

Absolutely. Inflation will be the result (it already is, but will continue) and will likely cause significant drops in people's standard of living, and create huge divide in the lifestyles of those who rely on UBI like programs, and those who do not.

I believe the consuming beast needs to continually be fed, and this will be precisely one of the primary drivers of putting in a program similar to Universal Basic Income. Without this, the business impact will result in layoffs, etc which will need to be stemmed through such "stimulus" programs.

However, since this has become an ingrained habit, this cannot be a short term stimulus, and will need to be continued.

Inflation as a result cannot be ignored obviously, but I suspect this will be ignored, and will cause significant drops in people's standard of living, and create huge divide in the lifestyles of those who rely on UBI like programs, and those who do not.

I think we should only expect this situation to get worse, and apply to a majority of society. This will then perhaps further incentivize the Govt to put in place some sort of a universal basic income type of program. This segment of the population is most likely to vote, so it will not be long before we vote ourselves all the money.

Thoughts? Comments?

Are there not similar products already in existence? I was looking to buy "FreeStyle Libre" for this very purpose.

This is heart-breaking. So many young lives changed forever. I hope the right changes happen to stop this.

I wonder if us humans are getting worse, or if things have always been so gut-wrenching, and there is just more awareness of such things now due to journalism, social media, etc.

Yes, makes sense. It just struck me that someone who graduates from such a learning list might totally miss that eastern thought heavily influenced the Greek philosophers and the practice of Gnosis, derived from the Sanskrit root word Gnana(Knowledge or wisdom).

When investigated down to the fundamentals, it is liberating to realize all the deep enquirers of all regions of the world arrived at many of the same insights regarding life. This hopefully leads to more unity, tolerance and mutual respect between people and different religions.

Was a little disappointed to see so little from the east in terms of recommended books. The Bhagavad Gita and ZhuangXi made the list, but nothing in terms of other important works by the Buddha, or Yoga or the epics like the Mahabharata.

If someone were to read some of the Upanishadic works, it would be really interesting to see their influence on the works of Plotinus, etc.

Wonderful. Thank you for sharing. Such acts of selfless kindness are what make life beautiful. They enrich everyone - the giver, the receiver and all those who witness such acts.

I am not saying nothing matters. I'm pointing out that "what matters" is not found "out there" in achievements or experiences. What matters is the state of our being. We seek out things, people, experiences and so on because they make us feel fulfilled.

So, if I am acting from a state of fulfillment or contentment, what I choose to do with my life might be quite different from what I would do if I felt unfilled and lonely.

Yes, I agree. It is not so much about what we do or experience during our given lifespan, but what instead matters is the state of body-mind we are in, while doing or experiencing.

There are a few ways people take such a message - yes, life is precious, be conscious of what we invest our time in. This part makes sense.

Yet, it is worth asking, what makes for a meaning life? What makes the 4000 weeks worth it? For some, they chase wealth, power, career success, get one's name recognized, etc - these are milestones to be achieved. Things to accomplish.

Others will say, such accomplishments are not the purpose, let us accumulate as many meaningful experiences as possible. So do things like travel the world, and so on.

But it is worth reflecting, a few years from now, what really is the difference between a dream you had a few days ago, compared with an experience from, say 10 years ago? The difference is very little. Our memories are fuzzy, and to chase experiences will also likely leave us feeling unfulfilled.

Human relationships are also similarly shallow, even if we seek social connection, the odds of it being reciprocated in the manner we value, or of it lasting when we need it, is low.

So what's my point? The point is, whatever pursuits we undertake with the belief out there that something that I accomplish, accumulate or experience will bring me happiness and fulfillment is a futile endeavor.

Instead, if we can function from a state of feeling content as we live each day, whatever the circumstances, then what we do during the lifespan given to us matters little. However long or short, the inner contentment makes it meaningful.

Sorry for the long response, but wanted to share how I look upon this topic.