Now, I realize that, at the dawn of human societal organization, the deal was that you either picked a lot of berries and brought down some four-legged protein, or you and your tribe went hungry. It wasn't a matter of preferring to write poetry.But how many workers chained to a cubicle, worn down by drudgery, ended up there because they followed prudential advice to seize an opportunity and now spend their downtime glumly ruminating that they should have followed their passion instead? There’s an inescapable grass-is-always-greener dynamic to this. If you stuck with something you were passionate about and struggled, you’ll regret that you didn’t heed Rowe’s words of wisdom and land a job with a steady paycheck. If you became a plumber and then discovered, contra Rowe’s septic-tank example, that you couldn’t muster much enthusiasm for unclogging drains, you’ll regret that you didn’t ignore him and pursue what you were passionate about. Catch-22.His takeaway is that you should bring your passion to whatever you end up doing. Okay, but if you believe Gallup, Americans aren’t so good at that.
But the fact that we have advanced to the point where our current panoply of options for earning a dollar is so vast is due to the ingenuity of many sharp folks in the intervening years, and you can't muster that kind of ingenuity without a zeal for discovery and the crafting of objects that previously didn't exist.
Even the king of financial common sense, Dave Ramsey, who most definitely exhorts all who will listen to work at something says that, long-term, a person will do best at something he or she feels deeply called to do.
I really think Rowe is making a pretty similar point and that he just had to give it a sufficiently click-baity title to reel you in.
Work per se is indeed noble. Work that qualifies as deep contribution, that bears a person's signature for the ages, is the most noble of all.
Work IS noble. Problem is, there's just too little of it around and there is going to be less and less. And not because of any political reasons, trade agreements or philosophical ideas, or even a commandment from someone's god. Satisfaction comes from deep inside an individual. Regardless of their circumstances. Work for the night is coming. As for work that qualifies as deep contribution, well, that is really rare. In other words, don't quit your day job. And try to have and bring fun to all you come across in a day. Leave 'em laughing.....
ReplyDeleteThough I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.
ReplyDelete2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing.
3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing. -Paul
What are your main gripes in an average day? If you’re employed and in good health, the biggest social inconveniences are likely inconsiderate people around you: the guy who cuts you off in traffic or won’t put down his backpack to make more room in the subway; the people blocking an entire sidewalk by walking slowly; the woman who skips in line at checkout.
ReplyDeleteRobots, unlike some humans, are being not just told, but taught how to avoid these sorts of faux pas, and the result is that they might be better behaved that most of us when they’re out and about.
Already Google and other companies are looking to make sure bots are able to participate in normalized conversation with humans, and let idiom and improper nouns make sense in the context of conversation. This means smarter bots in customer service and other areas where a computer can do a lot of the work.
And they’ll do a lot of interacting in general over the next few years, both personally and professionally. IBM’s CEO even expects that computers will be at the boardroom table, and be involved in the smallest business decisions. “There is no doubt in my mind that cognitive computing will impact every decision in five years,” Ginni Rometty sad at Code Conference just a couple weeks ago.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/06/12/these-robots-will-be-more-polite-than-humans.html
What we’re really searching for with all this AI tech, argues Domingos, is an ultimate “master” algorithm. He writes: “If it exists, the Master Algorithm can derive all knowledge in the world—past, present, and future—from data. Inventing it would be one of the greatest advances in the history of science.”
ReplyDeletehttp://qz.com/698334/bill-gates-says-these-are-the-two-books-we-should-all-read-to-understand-ai/?utm_source=parPS
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI kind of thought you might chime in on the post about Charles Murray's AEI piece. He shares your view that the robotization phenomenon is unprecedented.
ReplyDeleteThat's not really arguable, as you will likely find out as we all will. Then we can all pursue our bliss because there won't be much left. How this all will play out is anyone's guess, but we can be sure your ilk will be betting on the free market to make it all work out.
ReplyDeleteAnd what else is there? As I say in the post referenced in my comment above, Murray's proposal strikes me as tortured wonkery.
ReplyDelete