HN Explorer

Ask HN: What are we even chasing?

92 points by undopamine ↗ HN
Our entire lives get spent pursuing outcomes.

We keep grinding, hoping we'll achieve X and then we'll be content forever, only to find merely emptiness on the other side.

The new shiny badge of honor barely takes days to get normalized and the void kicks in again.

What exactly are we going after? Is there even an end to this?

166 comments

[ 3.4 ms ] story [ 135 ms ] thread
moughxyz
For me, it’s for the love of the game. I like being productive and being challenged more than I like being indolent.

I imagine pro athletes might feel the same way. You have to enjoy playing the game for its own sake. The joy of a championship only lasts a few days.

throwawaysalome
What exactly are we going after?

Money. And lemme tell you, have lots of it is totally awesome.

metabagel
Money is nice to have, but there are other things which are more important to our emotional well-being: friends, health, respect, etc.

Plenty of people have money, but drink themselves to death because they’re still so unhappy.

inphovore
Hello,

Enlightened ascendant being here, I have some perspective for you …

In the beginning, there is the discovery of meanings, then the self while at the same time the self relationships with everyone and everything else …

And then, for those aspiring or just damn lucky, a glimmering ray of light penetrates the monotonous gloom.

A meaning beyond self worthy of devotion.

This may rise or fall, be ever lasting or a series of elevated epiphanies, However without question the ultimate fulfillment of existential being is …

TO GO BEYOND SELF

TO BE MORE THAN THE SELF

To make consequences of your life out to be more than the sum of consumptive waste keeping you alive.

This is the ultimate human endeavor.

Btw, your self excellence comes by decades of determination, not a few years here and there.

9999px
Read Marx (for real, not just skimming) then the Bible (for real, not just skimming). Worked for me.
AnimalMuppet
I think that if God is really there (not just as a word, not just as an idea, but as Someone who really exists), and if He can be known, then that's worth chasing.

A shiny new car? Not so much. As Dion said, "Cadillacs end up in the junkyard."

Money? As Tim O'Reilly said, "Money is like gasoline during a road trip. You don't want to run out of gas on your trip, but you're not doing a tour of gas stations. We need to pay attention to money, but it shouldn't be about the money."

Me? It really shouldn't be about me, either. I've seen that "me" is a really small space. "Me" isn't enough to make me happy.

To the parent: If I may ask, where did you wind up? A Christian Marxist? An atheist that respects some of the teaching and who is skeptical of capitalism? Or where?

9999px
Yes, just a Jesus-following (not in a church other than for volunteer work) commie at this point. Figure the point of all this is to have kids and help build the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, the goal eventually being a society that doesn't require anyone to work. Heaven is free time.
tjpnz
Are you sure that you even want X? Perhaps it's a signal that you're pursuing the wrong things.
undopamine
Oh, I know I don't want X, but I need it - X being money in my current situation. Frugality has helped, but only so much.

I know I'm pursuing the wrong thing. I know I need a system to get out of this cycle. Either that, or find something that's fulfilling and lucrative at the same time, which I've found to be rare.

Guess I'd achieve it some day. Maybe the freedom and satisfaction wouldn't be as long lasting as I'm telling myself to be.

beebmam
Therapy can help you figure out these kinds of feelings you have, I highly recommend it!
tengbretson
We are trying to create value for key stakeholders.

When does it end? It's always ending. And yet it is also always beginning anew each fortnight.

dntrkv
https://youtu.be/DYvhC_RdIwQ

OP if you watch this, don’t take it too seriously (it is a joke, but with kernel of truth). But generally if you’re feeling that way it might be time to step back and focus on other parts of your life (family, friends, hobbies, mental and physical health, travel, etc).

p1esk
You might have misunderstood the OP: key stakeholders are people you care about - for most it’s themselves and/or family. That’s who you create value for.
metabagel
It’s not obvious at all that that’s what OP intended.
[deleted]
(comment deleted)
kelseyfrog
Anyone not experiencing the sublime joy of unification and oneness with the market is really missing out. The process of transcending material constraint by commodifying their labor so that it can rise to the platonic ideal of profit hasn't truly lived. Nothing else comes close.
UtopiaPunk
Lol, I'm like 90% sure you're joking, but sometimes the stuff that shows up in HN comments is this depressing
kelseyfrog
I offer 1-on-1 sessions in Transcendental Capitalism. DM for pricing.
DougN7
That’s some wicked humor :)
codegeek
Become the stakeholder yourself.
quickthrower2
We are trying to be rational actors in an Austrian economic model
smilebot
I view my work life to be a sandbox game. Like Minecraft, you can build w/e and be whoever. In the end it doesn’t really matter.

In my personal life, I do the things I enjoy. Try not to suppress desires, instead be open to the world and let life happen.

nisegami
I'm just passing the years until I die. Seems to be working alright for me.
francisofascii
To continually improve something (yourself or something in the world), or to chase goals, it kinds works. As we get closer or see improvement, our brains like that. Just be sure to chase the right goals. And it is a better plan than the alternative.
dyingkneepad
You're supposed to enjoy the journey, not hyper focus on the destination. If the journey is not fun, the destination is not worth it, especially since you may never even get there in the first place.
returnInfinity
Yeah I believe this as well, enjoy the journey. Celebrate small wins, celebrate with your friends, family and children.
trabant00
The journey is always hard and unpleasant because it's full of risks and uncertainties. If it's not then you are not really journeying but staying at home.
agent008t
Who says you are supposed to enjoy the journey? As a trivial example, 'the journey' of studying for an important exam is hard work, and you would enjoy playing video games instead a lot more. But by focusing on the destination and enduring hardship, you ace your exam, which has a massive effect on the rest of your life. Was the destination not worth it?
hn92726819
The journey is all of your life. I believe you should aim for an enjoyable journey [of life], not to be confused with short term journeys and destinations.

In your example, if studying and acing your exam gives you more happiness in the long run (despite less happiness in the short term), it's worth it to suffer a bit now and study. If acing your exam doesn't give you more happiness in the long run, then compare it against the happiness you get if you don't ace it, and make a decision.

at-fates-hands
Read Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search For Meaning"
farleykr
This is actually great advice, even if it seems like a disposable recommendation. Why try to get wisdom from HN comments when you can plumb the depths of the wisdom of those who have been to hell and back to get that wisdom?
steviesands
I read it a while ago and while I can't recall what was said exactly, I remember how I felt while reading it and how strong it was. The mark of a good book.
moomoo11
Nothing. You were given the gift of life which is random af in this universe. You come here. You go.

Use the time you have in a wise manner.

bumby
The pressure to "use the time you have in a wise manner" may be part of what is driving the OPs angst that they must focus energy on some worthwhile end. Someone already mentioned Oliver Burke's book 4000 Weeks but it does a fairly good job of describing a different point of view.
nine_zeros
You are creating wealth for shareholders, who are writing emails about cutting your job out because they can't afford a new boat due to the downturn. Get back to work you peasant. /s

Jokes aside, the rat race is a very American thing (maybe also a thing in other developing countries). To be very honest, most people wouldn't mind a layoff if it didn't destroy their ability to stay alive in this country.

There is a reason why more and more Americans want to emigrate to cheaper countries. They want to stay alive without being tied to an employer.

leesec
An abundant and exciting future amongst the stars
charles_f
> hoping we'll achieve X

You seem ripe to read 4000 weeks, which central point is that the finitude of life is both the reason why you are always running after something in the future, and why you shouldn't.

Strongly recommend

UnpossibleJim
If you want a somewhat existential answer, I treat my life like I treat my art. It's open for interpretation but I know what I'm trying to say with my life. Figure out what you want your life to say and create it as best you can.
jl6
You could be suffering from depression, and it may be worth speaking to a doctor.
symlinkk
Doctors don’t have answers. They’ll give you SSRIs which will numb your emotions and ruin your drive, or they’ll refer you to a therapist who will take your money in exchange for listening to you vent once a week.
dntrkv
Is your comment really necessary?

Psychiatrists (and meds) have saved a lot of people’s lives, both figuratively and literally.

Not sure why you would even mention therapists. Having a trained third party listen and help you navigate things in your life has been a god send for many people I know, including myself.

symlinkk
I would definitely encourage others to try doctors and see if it helps. I’m just saying for me it hasn’t (so far).
coev
Don't discount talk therapy as an aid to reduce depression symptoms. I did different medications for 10 years with limited or adverse results; talk therapy by comparison has been way more effective, even if it's a big rubber duck session sometimes. I'm fortunate to have found a therapist that takes my insurance though so YMMV
drewbug01
> What are we even chasing?

I think I'd be more interested to hear _why_ people are chasing [insert thing-to-chase here].

hprotagonist 

  Seize life! Eat bread with gusto,
  Drink wine with a robust heart.
  Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure!
  Dress festively every morning.
  Don’t skimp on colors and scarves.
  Relish life with the spouse you love
  Each and every day of your precarious life.
  Each day is God’s gift. It’s all you get in exchange
  For the hard work of staying alive.
  Make the most of each one!
  Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!
  This is your last and only chance at it,
  For there’s neither work to do nor thoughts to think
  In the company of the dead, where you’re most certainly headed.
c. 450 bce. And we think existentialism is some new thing ...
amelius
The last two lines were declared obsolete 450 years later.
alisztha
To shed some light on this question, which we all have at some point in our lives, I recommend reading Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. It provided me a completely different way to see life, and whenever I forget, I go back to this book.
dotBen
It's all a layercake.

Everyone enters the layercake at different layers depending on opportunity/privilege/luck/etc and the idea is to ascend the layers. Not everyone chooses to play, not everyone wants to play, but the opportunity to is get as far up to the top as you can.

The higher the layer you are on, the more you get to benefit from the foundation created by the layers below and benefit from the opportunity above you.

coding123
I watch deer wandering past my property and their goal is to just EAT something and not be killed by something.

We're basically that with video games so it's more fun.

Towaway69
> We're basically that with video games so it's more fun.

Also drugs, sex, rock'n'roll, burgers, Netflix, amazon prime, cola, holidays to sunny places, cheap fashion, plastic, pollution, war and death.