I don’t think we’re on opposite sides of any argument here mr argumentativemonotheist (great username btw 🤣). The only slight difference is that I’m saying that almost no one, in my experience, survives that test.

If you want a great example of how instantly otherwise good people become the worst versions of themselves almost overnight watch what happens when a rich person with a large family dies. I did a couple of years in the will writing sector. I’m telling ya… zero to Golem in no time at all. I’ve also watched good people I knew extremely well turn bad too many times to remember. It all starts with “I couldn’t possibly have servants. How embarrassing!” and before you know it it’s “Eduardo! I’ve told you a hundred times I need my watermelon juice chilled! One more mistake and it’s back to Caracas!”. People should have to undergo intense psychological training to be able to be rich and stay human.

I’ve got a few that I can’t really separate:

Dental hygienists are greedy charlatans who convince us we need an expensive hygiene appointment every six months when we really don’t. That used to be true before the invention of the electric toothbrush but not now. I stopped going 7 years ago and I make sure I brush properly daily for two minutes with my electric toothbrush. I occasionally use inter-dental brushes for a deeper clean and my teeth are perfect. No soreness, gum bleeding and certainly no cavities. It’s lies I tell ya.

AI is the most incredible development in human evolution since the invention of the wheel. I think it is the beginning of our next evolutionary step. It may even save us from destroying ourselves. It has brought me personally incredible results that have enriched my life in countless ways. I can’t wait to see where it takes us. People who are angry about it are dumb (you did say “controversial opinion” lol).

Money is basically the ring from Lord of the rings. You can’t have it without it changing you. I’ve had the dubious pleasure of knowing a great many millionaires and they’re all miserable bastards pretending that they’re not. Their families hate them, most of them are alcoholics and drug addicts. They hate themselves even more and their money doesn’t mean anything to them so they use it to impress others or hurt them, just so they can feel something. It’s all a disgustingly wasteful, tragic act.

He’ll be released and probably be offered all sorts of book, talk show, movie deals. He certainly won’t do anything criminal. That would would be cuckoo bonkers. CEO’s of unpopular companies will increase their security and certainly not ever just wander around on their own outside in the street. He will be the subject of all sorts of controversial arguments which will be used to market him. Or… he’ll go into some kind of anonymous relocation program and live a quiet life out of the public eye. Either way it’s going to be one of the most interesting moments to watch in recent history.

I’d say it’s how you feel when you get up every morning. There’s a few moments when we first wake up when our brains haven’t had a chance to switch on all the filters, so we get the purest sense of our baseline happiness then. If you wake up every morning feeling deeply satisfied, I’d say you’re probably living a good life, whatever you might define that to be.

How do you mean?

Humanity has “lost the fight against climate change” …because of a few stubborn, greedy governments who have done everything they can to get us all to believe it’s because we didn’t recycle enough.

No ordinary person ever had any power to change this. We could only make change happen if we all came together but we won’t because apparently we’re the problem.

Also worth noting that getting people to feel apathetic and fatalistic using messages like this post is actually a well known strategy to destroy motivation for change. The battle is definitely ongoing and we may yet win it. Don’t give up hope or they win.

I get to work from home exclusively. My right to do that is never questioned. My boss is super understanding and my work gives me holidays whenever I want on short notice. I get raises all the time and if any of our clients start being toxic I’m allowed to shove them out of the nearest airlock. Yes, I love being self employed 😁.

Everyone should at least once, seriously consider starting their own business and working from home permanently. Specially now you can literally put everything you love doing, whatever it is, into ChatGPT and it’ll tell you the best business for YOU to start, how to structure it, what you’ll need and how to make it all work (Yes, yes AI will be the end of us bla bla but in the mean time it’s a goldmine of free information and inspiration).

Having a job can be nice and cosy but working for yourself is incredible. There’s no HR, no KPI’s decided by someone else, no office politics and you can work from home wearing scuba gear if you want to. It really is worth trying to find your bliss and not just accepting things as they are.

Couple of little success nuggets I will add… Only buy hardware/software as you need it, not before. In fact, don’t buy anything until there’s a clear need. No office space, no business cards even, no cool e-ink tablet to take notes with or other vanity silliness. Nothing you don’t need. Don’t offer services you don’t need to offer. If you behave like a swiss army knife, you’ll be treated like one forever.

Whatever you’re selling, make it a monthly subscription. This might be the most important bit of advice I have if you want to work happily from home for yourself successfully. Try out a bunch of networking groups and join a couple that focus on friendship first and business second. Those are your office pals who will bring you clients, be clients and give you advice and all you have to do is the same for them.

I guess no one’s reading this far down but that’s ok. For some reason your post inspired me 🤭