I’m going to deviate a bit from tech and talk a little about what life has taught me.
Life is like starting a long boat trip across the Pacific. Small changes in direction early on can make a huge difference in where you end up. Seeing the possible shore is a challenge, and it’s even harder to acknowledge it when you catch a glimpse. The farther you go, the less impact your choices will have.
And unless you freeze your brain (which costs half of the body’s price, by the way) in Switzerland, hoping that someday nanorobots will revive you, you’ve only got one shot at this. Better than learning from your own mistakes is learning from others'.
there are worse things
than being alone
but it often takes
decades to realize this
and most often when you do
it’s too late
and there’s nothing worse
than too late
Charles Bukowski in War All the Time
Exercise
The human body is a machine meant for movement. I’ve seen thousands of patients, and the only ones over 90 who could walk really well were athletes, most not taking a single pill. On the other hand, I don’t recall seeing patients with a BMI over 35 who were over 80 – they usually die before that threshold.
Obesity is a disease, full stop. And a tough one to treat effectively. It greatly increases the odds of all sorts of other diseases, including mental disorders. I won’t delve into all the details here, but it’s largely about widespread inflammation.
Medicine is Limited
And life is fragile and not “fair”. A blockage in an artery less than 2mm wide can paralyze one side of your body and leave you bedridden. I’ve seen an 18-year-old die from a simple fall off a bike (he wasn’t wearing a helmet), I’ve seen a patient become tetraplegic because the net she was lying in broke and she fell 1.5 meters to the ground.
Even not being able to move your thumb is a nightmare.
Despite all the progress in the last century, it’s best not to get sick at all, trust me. At least try to avoid what’s avoidable. And try not to worry about what’s unavoidable, otherwise, it’s too much. I’m not a religious guy at all, but I adore this quote:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
The serenity prayer
Set - and pursue - goals
Our brains are wired through thousands of years of evolution to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Planning for the future is a challenge, yet utterly necessary. The cycle pleasure-pain-reward must to be broken somehow.
Your career is a big part of your life, and we have to make choices too young. During my twenties, I faced my fair share of hardships. I was super proud of the college I got into; in fact, it was quite an accomplishment. It is one of the top-notch medical schools in Brazil, but I couldn’t say I was really satisfied.
When my psychologist asked me: “Who do you admire? Where do you want to be in 10 years?” I couldn’t give her a clear answer. It’s okay not to be able to answer that question,
but inexcusable not to try to find it out.
What I mean is: you shouldn’t pass through your life on autopilot, but really try to be aware of where you are and where you want to go.
[Man] is a specific organism of a specific nature that requires specific actions to sustain his life. . . . That which his survival requires is set by his nature and is not open to his choice. What is open to his choice is only whether he will discover it or not, whether he will choose the right goals and values or not. He is free to make the wrong choice, but not free to succeed with it. He is free to evade reality, he is free to unfocus his mind and stumble blindly down any road he pleases, but not free to avoid the abyss he refuses to see. . . . Man is free to choose not to be conscious, but not free to escape the penalty of unconsciousness: destruction.
Ayn Rand in The Objectivist Ethics
Employment
The best jobs I had weren’t found in ads but were recommended by someone I knew. People are judging you all the time.
- Provide options, don’t give lame excuses.
- Don’t ask technical support questions - please try at least solve the problem yourself. first, open a book, ask ChatGPT beforehand, heck, call Microsoft.
- Take responsability for mistakes and search for solutions.
- Be reliable, always stand by your word.
Some of these advices are in the Pragmatic Programmer Book
Inteligence matters very little without hard work. Conscientiousness build successes. The true accomplishment is to be able to be conscientious since early on and being able to sustain that attitude in the long run. Not a small feat! Moreover the AI era will demand even more competent people, after all less demanding jobs are more easily taken over be computers.
In a nutshell: what is really worthwhile pursuing will inevitably be uncomfortable. Whether it’s studying, exercising, installing Gentoo, making Nix works or anything else, if it isn’t challenging, be assured that it’s not effective. There is no free lunch.
And if you are not able to be conscientious, you should ask yourself: why? And seek help if necessary. I can’t underestimate the importance of psychological support. One has to do what one has to do and make use of all the tools available. Strive as hard as possible to be better.
Taking into perspective
What makes Germany awesome is its culture of adhering to rules and striving for excellence. Take a moment to reflect on what it means to study at a German university and the clear messages they have conveyed to us - you’ll either land in the shore or end up in a shipwreck.