November 14, 2023

Existential

• We are mortal, finite beings
• All things end
• There is no objective “meaning of life” — you must find and create your own meaning from the chaos
• It doesn’t matter if the universe is meaningless, it doesn’t matter if free will is an illusion, and it doesn’t matter if we’re living in a simulation — it’s all we’ve got
• You have no control over most things and very little control over everything else
• Existing is infinitely better than not existing
• Things usually work out in the end

Community

• Most people are fundamentally good
• The golden rule is to treat others and yourself with kindness, respect, and love
• Kindness stems from empathy
• Everyone you meet is carrying a heavy burden
• The world would be better if we all treated each other better
• It’s better to shut up if you have nothing kind to say and no one asked
• Music and singing are food for the soul
• Food isn’t really food unless you are sharing it with someone
• Whisky tastes better when someone else is buying

Time

• You only have about 80 Summers
• There will never be enough time to do all the things
• There’s not enough time to waste it on things that make you unhappy
• Choosing the things you will do is also choosing the things that you will not do
• It’s pointless to worry about things that haven’t happened yet
• Worrying about the past (regret) is also pointless
• The only thing that matters is this moment right now
• A life is a series of these moments and what you chose to do with them
• Spending time with my children has always been worthwhile
• Hope is justified because the future tends to be better than the past

Marriage

• It’s dangerous to go alone
• The foundations of a happy marriage are listening, understanding, and empathy
• Love is a choice that you must make every day
• The whole is greater than the parts
• You must love the whole person — you can’t pick and choose
• You must let go of your ego — it’s okay to be wrong
• You must learn to argue without being mean or angry
• Most problems are rooted in miscommunication
• Two people can say the same words but mean different things
• Raising children is the toughest and most fulfilling job I’ve ever had

Work

• Everyone is making it up as they go
• Randomness (luck) affects everything
• Ideas are easy and worthless on their own
• Hard work is still important
• Doing work you are proud of is important
• The best way to learn how to do something is just to try and do it
• Finishing things is more important than trying to make them perfect
• We become experts through failure
• Originality is overrated
• The customer is not always right
• Wages are the product of labor

Software

• Programming is about solving problems, not typing symbols into a computer
• You must first understand the problem and constraints on the solution
• Progamming languages are for people, not computers
• Boring and reliable is better than shiny and new
• Verbose and understandable is better than short and clever
• Reading, writing, and debugging code are distinct skills
• The best programmers understand the entire stack from the foundations up
• Not everyone can do it
• It’s not real until you ship it

Property

• Houses are just big wooden boxes
• Water is the enemy
• Drywall is easily broken, easily patched, and nothing to be scared of
• Owning things is expensive
• Regular maintenance is less expensive than big repairs
• Insurance for items you can easily replace is a waste of money

And just a little advice…

• Be good and kind and patient
• Work hard
• Eat when hungry
• Rest when tired
• Worry less