commit a20ca9c6815c4b45f1798c4d885ed0d4f9401f98 from: Alexander Arkhipov date: Sun May 5 13:56:58 2024 UTC add the "Youth sucks" article commit - f1cffc4c93231fd43e98e1cc791cba6be2a6fb5a commit + a20ca9c6815c4b45f1798c4d885ed0d4f9401f98 blob - aefbbf6b2befa59abb1df5af5695f8d4f40cc96e blob + f48ddbfdcf83d535de94f9d29e2b99b4bab630ea --- plan.txt +++ plan.txt @@ -1,3 +1,24 @@ +Now: +2024-05-05 + +5 months into the year, I finally managed to get out of my head, get a +remote job and start doing something! Actually, still thinking what's +the best way of dealing with the newfound income. + +I bought a textbook on the Georgian language, and a dictionary. So far, +learning the language proves much more challenging than any other I've +studied before, but much more fun as well! At the very moment, I am +struggling with the alphabet. + +I began inspecting the tmux source code. I have a few ideas on how the +program might be improved. Might send some patches on the ML at some +point. + +I am reading 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson. Found it at a +local book shop. So far seems pretty good. I also orderd a bunch of +books from America. + + Entry: 2024-02-26 A couple of new additions: @@ -25,3 +46,10 @@ Entry: 2024-04-27 - archived previous year's ~/.plan entries (still can be viewed via the web/gopher/gemini) - added thoughts/240427.my_new_habits.txt + +Entry: 2024-05-05 + +I wrote a new article in thoughts/240505.youth_sucks.txt, called +"Youth sucks (but adulthood and beyond don't have to)". It's pretty +short and to the point, as usual, but it is something I wanted to write +about for a long time. Enjoy! blob - /dev/null blob + c9647015a2852d716140e7631bc10c8f6ec32b68 (mode 644) --- /dev/null +++ thoughts/240505.youth_sucks.txt @@ -0,0 +1,189 @@ +Title: Youth sucks (but adulthood and beyond don't have to) +Author: Alexander Arkhipov +Created: 2024-05-05 +Modified: 2024-05-05 + +FOREWORD + +Hello, dear reader! + +This article is something I wanted to write for a long time. It's pretty +small, but the reason I've been so hesitant is because I didn't know +when the time would be right. Well, apparently now is. :^) + +The article describes a condensed version of my entire life experience +up to 23, particularly my frustration, and the lessons/conclusions I +made from it. + +I am, however, just one man. I am sure there are countless people, whose +experience is/was completely different. And also that there are +countless people, who are sharing/have shared experience similar to +mine. Since the topic is so universal (everyone either is youthful, or +has been before), I'd really like to hear your opinion on the article. + +Don't hesitate to send me an e-mail! + + +INTRODUCTION + +I am 24. Up until very recently, I felt like I was merely existing, +rather than living. Every day of my life I would see much older people +stuck in the same, or worse position than me. What worse they kept +claiming it to be the best possible outcome, for there to be no sense in +trying to do something else. "Is this what life is?" I thought "An +endless cycle of breakfast, hours of bullshit, supper and bad sleep, +occasionally interrupted by a short holiday?". + +Well, today I know it isn't! And firstly, those old people have no one +but themselves to blame. The main thing is for you to not let them drag +you down with them. Secondly, the only real issue of youth is the lack +of resources. Once you have that figured out, the world becomes your +oyster, things you thought mattered yesterday stop being important, and +the only thing holding you down is fear (and perhaps laziness). So, be +brave and diligent, and don't despair! + +With that in mind, here are the only things that I think young people +should focus on: + +- learning +- saving up some money (the "F-you money", as some like to call it) + +Yes, just two things, and the second *very* much depends on the first. +Basically, you just need to get an opportunity (by saving up) to do +something, but you need to prepare (learning) to even know what to do +with it. + + +LEARNING + + Why you need to learn + +So, I am trying to describe how to escape the youthful frustrations, and +not let it become elderly frustrations, yet here I am advocating for +learning. Isn't learning a major source of these frustrations, you might +ask. I don't think it is. Or rather, I don't think it's learning itself. + +Children are known to be brutish, but somehow what adults do to children +is rarely considered cruel. And what they do is this: put their children +in a prison-like environment, where other adults try to force them to +learn maths, and grammar, and geography, and other sciences that said +adults themselves have very little comprehension of. + +Is it any wonder that children leave schools, barely remembering +anything they've "learned" there? Or that for so many the entire thing +is nothing, but misery -- one that seems to last a lifetime? + +For me it was even worse. I grew up in Russia, where if you are an +18-27 (now 30) years old healthy man, your options are limited to: + +1. living outside of Russia +2. attending a university in Russia +3. getting forcefully conscripted into the army + +If you don't know anything about universities in Russia, let me describe +them like this: they are a little less prison-like than schools, and the +staff is a little more qualified, but only a little. + +So, as you can conclude, the option 1. is infinitely more preferable +than option 2., and especially option 3. I've had an opportunity to take +it. I didn't because I failed to prepare. I failed to learn. And by the +time I was graduating, it was already too late. + +I've lost between 4 and 6 years of my life because of this failure. + +So, you see, the learning I am advocating for has nothing to do with +being verbally abused by a teacher. Which brings me to the next +point... + + + How can (and should) you learn + +Well, surprisingly, my teachers (and likely yours) were half-right on +that one. You should read books. Only *half*-right because they meant +reading classic fiction. Fiction can be nice. I read fiction every time +before I go to bed. But I also rarely learn anything useful from +fiction. + +No, non-fiction is where it's all at. Unfortunately, nonfiction books +(of the useful variety) tend to be quite expensive, and only be shipped +from America. So very likely you won't have money for that yourself, and +won't be able to convince your parents to get them for you. That's +alright, you can just download pirated versions from libgen, or wherever +else. You can (and probably should) even buy the book when you do have +the money. But at the moment you shouldn't have any moral qualms with +using "alternate" means to get the educational material. It might not +be exactly fair to the authors, but it's completely positively unfair +on the people who can't afford education. + +If you don't know what literature you should begin with, I suggest +starting with a book on some technical skill, such as programming or +writing, that you should be able to start practicing immediately, and +that you should be able to use to get a well-paying remote job. + +DON'T, however, learn anything *just* to get a job. Jobs are just +that -- a way for you to sustain yourself while you are still figuring +things out. Jobs are temporary, but your creative endeavours are +eternal. Try not to do things you'll hate yourself for. + +Also don't take this as an advice to only learn from books, or to only +read on technical skills. Although reading books are usually the best +way to start tackling any large enough topic, there are many things on +which no good books have been written yet. And technical skills are far +from the only thing you'll need. Each new generation has much more +wisdom to learn from others than the previous. Use the opportunity! + + +SAVING UP + +The other important thing to do is to get a job as early as possible. + +At this stage, a well-paying remote job is perfect, but you are very +unlikely to get one of those immediately. (Or maybe you are if you take +the learning step seriously.) So, you'll probably have to settle with +being a courier, an office paper pusher, a barista... It's not that +bad, really. You might think I'm saying that because such job will +give you experience, but no: "experience" is bullshit. To be completely +honest, your first job is probably going to suck. + +However, it'll be *much* better than living off your parents. The reason +is: so long as you depend on someone for money, you cannot truly make +any independent decisions. You lack freedom. You are like a bird in a +cage: the cage might be made of gold, but what use that is if it's still +a cage? + +But hold on there yet! + +Once you start making money, you'll see that you can now suddenly afford +things you thought to be terribly expensive previously. You'll be +tempted to buy such things, but before doing that, ask yourself: Do I +really need to? If not, better keep the money for something actually +useful. Just to be clear, I am talking about things like buying the +newest iPhone, not getting yourself a chocolate at the end of the week. + +You see, the first money you'll make will be the most precious in your +entire life. Ultimately, you'll put a lot of time into get only a small +reward, but that will just have to do. Unless your father is a +millionaire, there is no way around it! + +So, what I propose for you to do, is calculate how much do you need to +live comfortably, and don't starve to death each month, and set +everything else aside. It might be prudent to invest that money +somewhere, however, just putting it in a box is a very good start. + +Months will pass, maybe even a few years. But eventually you'll realise +something that'll make you feel like the happiest man (or woman) on +Earth: you have enough saved up to leave your bullshit job, and pursue +your dreams. + + +WHAT TO DO NEXT + +Well, it's up to you, isn't it? + +What I ended up doing was finally leaving my native country for good, +and getting a fully remote job to sustain myself. And that is only the +beginning. If somebody asks me today, what am I going to be doing in two +years, I would have to say "I don't know, but here are some ideas: ...". + +Keep working hard on your dreams, and one day you'll find yourself +somewhere you never wished to be at, but always wanted to.