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I'm a programmer and recently (in the last couple of years, I'm 33) come to the realization that nothing that I do during my day job is an actual, tangible thing, nor will it be around 5, 10 or 20 years from now. The thing I spend most of my waking life doing is flipping some bits on a spinning magnetized piece of metal. Is that really all there's going to be to life? So I've worked on two things. Things that permanent and will actually be around 10, 20 or 100 years from now. First, I'm a fairly proficient woodworker in my spare time in the garage (started about three years ago). Building a dresser from scratch involves a lot of the same problem solving challenges that I face as a programmer, but I'm building an actual tangible thing that exists in the real world and can't be destroying by a strong magnet. I feel like I'm actually making a place for myself in the world and doing something useful. I might build a chair that someone lives with for 30 years and then gives to their children, who then give it to their children. It's still makes me smile to think about. Second, I've had a son and will hopefully have another in the next couple years. As sappy as it sounds, when you really think about it, having children is the meaning of life. We, as humans, are just our DNA's way of making more DNA. That's kind of depressing but also extremely amazing and awesome. And there are millions of kids out there that no longer have parents for whatever reason, so if you can't have your own then please please consider adopting. Any of the crap you do in your life, work or travel or building houses, none of it will mean as much to you as raising a kid. Again, sappy, especially at 23 when you probably couldn't care less about kids. But damn, the fact that you have another human being who you can teach about the world and will smile when you walk in the door...it's unbelievable. And the stuff I teach him about the world now will be with him the rest of his life. I've been a part of something meaningful that will outlast me. tl;dr Find a hobby (or job) that actually has some permanence in the world, and find someone to love and raise a family with. |