This seems a curious hybrid between (1) sincerely intended advice on how to live a less-money-oriented lifestyle without sacrificing happiness and well-being, and (2) sarcastically intended advice on how to make your life worse by throwing away opportunities to get richer.
If it weren’t for the explicit statement that it’s sarcastic, I’d have taken it to be much more #1 than #2. Given nothing but the explicit statement that it’s sarcastic, I’d assume it to be much more #2 than #1. As it is, I find myself wondering whether I’m interpreting some of this almost exactly opposite to how Diego intends.
Seriously though, this is all about agitating your guts. My guts are profoundly agitated when I think that advice on not making money should be given only if it was pure sarcasm, yet, on the other hand, I truly think items 1-14 are saying something that speaks to me on a deep level. I experience discomfort with this polarity, and, unable to react in other ways, I offer my best to cause the same revulsion/excitement in other beings of my kind. In vain hopes that someone will drag me out the abyss of bewilderment, I put the conundrum into public sight. Revulsion I caused since we are counting about 70 (edit: 35ish) votes so far, approximately half in each direction. But I don’t truly hope anyone will bother solving the problem, that’s were the Joker enters, and the vain hopes leave...
My guts are profoundly agitated when I think that advice on not making money should be given only if it was pure sarcasm, yet, on the other hand, I truly think items 1-14 are saying something that speaks to me on a deep level.
The reason one would only give advice on not making money sarcastically is because there is no goal served only by not making money (with rare exceptions, like making too much money right before the populist revolution comes with guillotines). Sometimes it’s a good tradeoff to avoid making money in order to serve your happiness or other ends, and there is much commentary and practical advice on such things (e.g. how to be happy with less money, evidence that things other than money are more happiness-enabling).
Perhaps you are uncomfortable because you feel that there should be a single path to happiness or satisfaction, or that you should be able to follow every path to happiness simultaneously, but that is not the case. Some paths are mutually exclusive and whether each will satisfy an individual depends on that individual. One can be happy traveling the world with their 100 possessions and sleeping on strangers’ couches every night. One can be happy being the CEO of a multinational conglomerate (maybe donating your income to GiveWell). But one can’t be happy by doing both of these at once, because that ain’t an option.
Revulsion I caused since we are counting about 70 votes so far, approximately half in each direction.
I don’t think the quantity of votes shows that people are feeling the same revulsion that you are. I believe it shows a disagreement on whether this topic is suitable to Less Wrong. PhilGoetz made a post that reminds me of this one and I made a comment germane to this question there. If you are accurately describing your intentions with the post, then the post may be too much like a performance art piece for ~50% of the audience, rather than a serious investigation or question. The tone of sarcasm frequently suggests that one has made up their mind about a topic and is not open to further discussion, rather than seeming to be a genuine inquiry, if you really wanted help “solving the problem.”
Actually I double counted, I thought it was 35 ish votes, 47% positive with a negative one net. meaning one vote is about 3% of votes. I am always confused by the combination of some net results plus statistics on the karma system.
This seems a curious hybrid between (1) sincerely intended advice on how to live a less-money-oriented lifestyle without sacrificing happiness and well-being, and (2) sarcastically intended advice on how to make your life worse by throwing away opportunities to get richer.
If it weren’t for the explicit statement that it’s sarcastic, I’d have taken it to be much more #1 than #2. Given nothing but the explicit statement that it’s sarcastic, I’d assume it to be much more #2 than #1. As it is, I find myself wondering whether I’m interpreting some of this almost exactly opposite to how Diego intends.
Intends? or signal...
OK, I give up.
Seriously though, this is all about agitating your guts. My guts are profoundly agitated when I think that advice on not making money should be given only if it was pure sarcasm, yet, on the other hand, I truly think items 1-14 are saying something that speaks to me on a deep level. I experience discomfort with this polarity, and, unable to react in other ways, I offer my best to cause the same revulsion/excitement in other beings of my kind. In vain hopes that someone will drag me out the abyss of bewilderment, I put the conundrum into public sight. Revulsion I caused since we are counting about 70 (edit: 35ish) votes so far, approximately half in each direction. But I don’t truly hope anyone will bother solving the problem, that’s were the Joker enters, and the vain hopes leave...
Yep, that is a thing people do sometimes.
The reason one would only give advice on not making money sarcastically is because there is no goal served only by not making money (with rare exceptions, like making too much money right before the populist revolution comes with guillotines). Sometimes it’s a good tradeoff to avoid making money in order to serve your happiness or other ends, and there is much commentary and practical advice on such things (e.g. how to be happy with less money, evidence that things other than money are more happiness-enabling).
Perhaps you are uncomfortable because you feel that there should be a single path to happiness or satisfaction, or that you should be able to follow every path to happiness simultaneously, but that is not the case. Some paths are mutually exclusive and whether each will satisfy an individual depends on that individual. One can be happy traveling the world with their 100 possessions and sleeping on strangers’ couches every night. One can be happy being the CEO of a multinational conglomerate (maybe donating your income to GiveWell). But one can’t be happy by doing both of these at once, because that ain’t an option.
I don’t think the quantity of votes shows that people are feeling the same revulsion that you are. I believe it shows a disagreement on whether this topic is suitable to Less Wrong. PhilGoetz made a post that reminds me of this one and I made a comment germane to this question there. If you are accurately describing your intentions with the post, then the post may be too much like a performance art piece for ~50% of the audience, rather than a serious investigation or question. The tone of sarcasm frequently suggests that one has made up their mind about a topic and is not open to further discussion, rather than seeming to be a genuine inquiry, if you really wanted help “solving the problem.”
No, it’s 9 to 11.
Actually I double counted, I thought it was 35 ish votes, 47% positive with a negative one net. meaning one vote is about 3% of votes. I am always confused by the combination of some net results plus statistics on the karma system.
No, you quadruple counted.