What is the most divine thing you hope to contribute towards? Life is divine. I say this as someone who is not spiritual or religious and find no meaning in such endeavours. Life is quite literally a form of magic, and this is a conclusion you find on either ends of the bell curve of scientific quotient. There are a few practical ideas I want to contribute towards that I believe are moral, good and divine and one of the drivers for why I want to accumulate capital. These are, in no particular order –
- Helping sex workers and their children in India. A good read on this is “Up against darkness” by Bhaskaran.
- Debt alleviation and hiring pro-bono lawyers to fight for the rights of the underprivileged in India and Indians in Dubai. Note that while it may seem like I’m focusing on ethnicity, I am only doing so because I know most about Indians. Humanity is a singular race with some hereditary variations. I have no intention of only helping Indians.
- Education and medical facilities for the underprivileged in USA. This is a multi-step problem to solve: negotiations, insurance, and finally, actually paying for the medical debts. I’d also love to help folks get affordable education from available facilities. This education can be from community colleges, state schools or vocational training. You’re more productive when you know what to do.
- A duty towards family: I won’t delve into this, but this is an extremely important facet of my life.
What is the good of modesty?
A primitive understanding of modesty is important in making me less resentful. Understand that I love being angry, but this is different from resent. This also makes me less entitled, and thus less envious and other such things.
Who do you have in abundance?
Curiosity.
What do you have which is scarce?
Patience.
What, so far in life, has provided you with enduring fulfillment the longest?
Computer Science and a love for family. Family is not just blood.
What do you think causes love and desire?
Biology, but this is not some cold blooded answer, it is a beautiful aspect of biology that we have been gifted with. What causes us to love and desire certain people? That is different.
Who's the last person you met with really interesting ideas?
A man who thought I am Australian, and then talked for the next 15 minutes about Australia. I do not have an Australian accent or Caucasian or Aboriginal features. Another interesting person I met was at 11 in the night at Seaport. She was from Tatar region of Russia, and had undergone a miscarriage. Her spirit felt trapped, but free, I cannot explain it. She was also really happy that I could speak Russian with her.
Is there an unprecedented distancing between male and female?
I am not sure what this means, but maybe.
Where is Democracy mentioned in the founding documents?
I am not American, I am an expat. I love the country, but legal questions do not interest me.
Why are returns on education diminishing and when exactly in the process does it happen?
Higher barrier to entry. Shortage in blue collar workers causing higher demand. The objective return on an education is high as ever. Nothing happens, people go back to working blue collar jobs.
What are we going to do about elite underproduction?
There is no underproduction of such elites. History will prove me right.
Why are there so few billionaires?
Less leverage for individual due to higher equity. Some may not like this answer depending on their political beliefs.
Is equality the enemy of excellence? Why or why not?
No. Equality is a requirement for excellence. I mean not just equality of opportunity, but equity in outcome. Explanation for this is intuitive, and I do not trust who argues against this notion with numbers without introducing the nuance.
What great works of culture, created this last decade, do you think will last 100 years? What do you think we'll be most proud of?
Avengers, if not overproduced, would have been a feat of human imagination curated for younger people. Three body problem will be a landmark in SciFi. A Song of Ice and Fire and related media will be remembered both as a success in the realm of fantasy fiction as well as a cautionary tale. Dune will be celebrated as one of the best book adaptations in the coming years, technically it was this decade, but preparations started earlier.
What is the first successful civilization that did not make any walls?
Pointless question.
Do places (cities, states, provinces) have a unique soul? Where does it come from? Can it be made on purpose, or is it necessarily incidental?
Yes. Initially from certain people and curators of cultures: Universities, first few startups etc. Then immigrants - partly because of their culture being bought in, partly because certain cities attract certain type of people - accentuating that culture. Dubai attracts slimy-haired salesmen types. Rarely does an excellent 10x developer wants to go to Dubai, and if they do, they’re usually a certain kind of developer. Accumulation of money is not a bad incentive, but a group of people who do not mind the heat, the authoritarian government or the use of slave labor are probably not a fun bunch to hang out with. Compromised morals are disgusting.
Have we complicated life too much for the average person? Objectively, No.