Comment by muse900 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by muse900 | Hacker News Reader

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'It makes me wonder how many other brilliant minds are wasted on trivial pursuits and how we can better engage them on major problems of our increasingly complex world.'

How can you objectify the term 'wasting' (their lives)?

I mean to you the only people that their lives are worth something are scientists?

If you aren't a scientist you have wasted your life?

I think that people that enjoy trivial persuit or chess or whatever it is, haven't wasted anything by doing what they love.

If the only thing you see in life is 'the evolution of science' then I feel sorry for you. There are far better things in life than that. But again each to their own goal, you might enjoy being a scientist and discovering something new, other people might just enjoy living by the beach and have nothing to do with tech. Noone is wasting his/her life.

Also another point, people that can't AI or be good at maths etc doesn't mean they can't have a great mind!

I did not say wasting their lives. I said their brilliant minds are wasted (from doing something that could be both more fulfilling and impactful).

Personal mastery is good and enjoyable for the person. What if the person can achieve that as well as having a positive impact on others?

I believe humanities, arts, and philosophy have a great deal to offer to the world.

(Tangential: When you say you are sorry for your viewpoint/life/.., as you did twice in this thread, are you being condescending while assuming a lot on the people you talk to?)

You're either making the future happen or you aren't. And Demis is definitely making the future happen.

There's nothing wrong with ordinary lives like yours or mine, but let's give credit where credit is due.

The life of that Shepherd doesn't sound trivial at all. And neither does pursuing a life of chess mastery unless that pursuit doesn't bring one personal growth and satisfaction.

It's trivial to the people around him, and in my own eyes he is way more successful than demis, you or me will ever be. Because success isn't valued in money, achievements, fame, discoveries. If you do believe that success is only measured in those above, then am sorry about the life you have chosen to live.

I feel like you didn't read my comment or didn't understand my point.

That said, I won't make wide ranging judgements about your life based on the few words you have written.

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