New ask Hacker News story: Ask HN: Making a better world, how important is that to you?
Ask HN: Making a better world, how important is that to you?
28 by RetroTechie | 29 comments on Hacker News.
I believe that if people really wanted, humanity could co-exist peacefully (or at least stable) with the natural environment. Such that resources would not be depleted for millenia - if ever. Or pollution getting everywhere - including places where people don't go. Or the climate being disturbed enough that a mass extinction event is underway. Even with the ~8B of us currently inhabiting this planet. I believe that most people would prefer such stable co-existence. If it were an easy choice. But it is not. Often, personal choices conflict with society's interests, or contribute to degradation of the natural environment. I believe that many HN users -more than average dude in the street- have power to influence these things. By picking sustainable options over non-sustainable ones. By striving for efficiency, rather than go for a wasteful but first-to-market approach. By working on environmental issues, rather than pure intellectual, or money-making pursuits. By pointing their peers to solutions with a smaller footprint. I believe that, in effect, many of you are the "movers & the shakers". Of course, mouths have to be fed. And there's bills to pay. And skills may be hard to apply outside of a current job. But how important is "making a better world than the one you were born in" to you, personally? If you are an entrepreneur, is it the reason you started your business? Does it affect your choice of jobs? Or how you go about your work? How heavy does "make a better world" weigh in your choices? Has this changed over time? If so, how? Was there some event, idea, or insight, that (in this context) had an outsized impact on you? Perhaps even life-changing?
28 by RetroTechie | 29 comments on Hacker News.
I believe that if people really wanted, humanity could co-exist peacefully (or at least stable) with the natural environment. Such that resources would not be depleted for millenia - if ever. Or pollution getting everywhere - including places where people don't go. Or the climate being disturbed enough that a mass extinction event is underway. Even with the ~8B of us currently inhabiting this planet. I believe that most people would prefer such stable co-existence. If it were an easy choice. But it is not. Often, personal choices conflict with society's interests, or contribute to degradation of the natural environment. I believe that many HN users -more than average dude in the street- have power to influence these things. By picking sustainable options over non-sustainable ones. By striving for efficiency, rather than go for a wasteful but first-to-market approach. By working on environmental issues, rather than pure intellectual, or money-making pursuits. By pointing their peers to solutions with a smaller footprint. I believe that, in effect, many of you are the "movers & the shakers". Of course, mouths have to be fed. And there's bills to pay. And skills may be hard to apply outside of a current job. But how important is "making a better world than the one you were born in" to you, personally? If you are an entrepreneur, is it the reason you started your business? Does it affect your choice of jobs? Or how you go about your work? How heavy does "make a better world" weigh in your choices? Has this changed over time? If so, how? Was there some event, idea, or insight, that (in this context) had an outsized impact on you? Perhaps even life-changing?
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