[justinlloyd]

Why does it have to add anything to my life? Why be the third person to climb a mountain?

I hear tell of a 19th century English gentleman who manually recorded the level of rain water and the barometric pressure in his garden, a dozen times a day, including the wee hours of the morning, waking up several times a night as though afflicted with the worst UTI possible, through all weathers, all seasons, all ills, all trials and travails, any and all privations that life could send his way, and did so for 40+ years. Obssessively and compulsively some would say. Or we may say diligently if being generous. I am sure that at some point someone asked "why do you do this? what do you feel it adds to your life?"

Because I can. And because I want to.

[harperlee]

Feels weird that you have to defend this take on hobbies on a forum called “Hacker News”.

My father is building a small sailboat model (the Santísima Trinidad), and if someone asked “What does that add to his life?” I personally would pity that person, for its lack of empathy and views on a successful life.

[justinlloyd]

People say "I am curious to know..." which is immediately followed by a request that I justify my reason for existing or doing what I do. The question says more about them than it does about me.

In questions of code and of life, we should ask "why about code" and "what about people."

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   < ' ' )  )
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  There is a breed of fox out there, with big bushy tails.
  In which the wind pushes them backward, like big billowing sails.
  They can seen where they've been, but not see where they'll be.
  There are those that sail-walk North
  There are those that sail-walk South
  And they think they control the way that they're going for
  But really they lack all form of direction, no less and no more
  When one day came a fox, who was lacking a big bushy tail
  It was all scrawny and thin, and made the lousiest sail
  "Where do you come from? From where do you hail?"
  Cried a crowd of bushy foxes, fighting the winds to stand still
  As our new little fox, with a scrawny thin tail
  Ambled slowly past them not knowing the question
  He didn't stop for a minute, not even to rest
  Just kept on walking, simply walked into the West
  "What why did you do that?" asked a North-North quick walker. "Don't you know that walking Northwards is best?"
  "Best?" shouted a Southward slow stalker "Everyone knows that is as wrong as can be."
  "But if you walk North, or if you walk South, we know that West is not the best place to see."
  "Why do you walk West? Why do you do that?" puzzled both North-South walkers.
  "I don't know, I just like walking West. I came out of the East, just over yonder, and I'm heading out West, to take a quick gander."
  "But what's over yonder? From where you came. And what's over yander? Is it the same?" quizzed the South-North slow and quick walkers.
  "I don't know. I'll go take a look. I come back when I'm done, I'll walk back to my East."
  "But what if you keep walking? What if you run out of ground?"
  "Then I'll just keep walking, on into the West, my feet out in front of me, until I come right around."

 
  *   /^ ^
  |  ( ' ' >
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P.S. You and I will probably be the only two people in the world that will read this.