[liamtuohyff]

Software engineer for 12 years then got depressed about the job. Got into firefighting because I want to go to heaven and figured that with the 1 day on 2 days off schedule I can continue software on the side anyway.

Turns out just because you are a good software engineer, it doesnt mean you will be a good firefighter, and I need to dedicate a huge amount of time learning the job because software is a creativity focued job and Fire/EMS is a memory based one, and i have a bad memory.

The sleep is terrible, im an introvert and have a hard time getting along with others at the firehouse, but will say without a doubt it was absolute best decision ive ever made in my life. You will never see the facial expressions behind a computer you see in this job.

Im doing creative data analytics for fire depts to see how to save more lives, and thinking about making the swap to law enforcement just because i think my past as a software engineer can save more lives there. One example of my analytics is posting cops in areas where statistically it isnt likely for fire/EMS to show up in time, if the cop gets on sceane sooner, they can begin patient care sooner, and unltimaly increase rosc rare. You gotta be the change you want to see in the world you know?

[joseda-hg]

Isn't doing good because you want a reward the opposite of the pious good you're supposed to enact to get to heaven?

I've been wrestling with this line of thought for a while, having recently rewatched The Good Place brought it back

[liamtuohyff]

That is a good question, I live way below my means - One day i would like to have a wife and kids and as long as we are all fed our daily bread then thats all i ask for. The data analytics part was all volenteered and unpaid. If i stopped getting paid tomorrow, i would still volenteer to do it, i dont know where that puts me. Jesus healed people, hospitals heal people, i dont know of any hospitals that will train you how to heal over a long period of time without also wanting you on thier payroll

[KerrAvon]

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Micah%204:4&ver...

[joseda-hg]

It seems like I didn't quite get my point across, when I said reward, I meant Heaven, not economic compensation, I went into a little more Detail in my other answer in this Thread

[ThorsBane]

It’s okay to want a reward or compensation for your work.

[joseda-hg]

That's not what I meant, To my knowledge, in Christianity , you ought to do good, not because you'd be rewarded, but because it's the right thing to do

The same applies for doing bad things, your motives shouldn't be to not be punished, but to act rightly

An extension of this, Could you be blamed for the things you do when you're under duress? If I pointed a gun to your head and made you do something wrong, are you to blame?

The threat of hell (And the reward of heaven) might just be a different kind of gun, you might not be to blame for the wrong, but then you're also not the source of the good either, you're just acting on your own selfish interest

[liamtuohyff]

Id rather not hijack this thread and make it about the bible so this reply is only for the purposes of clarifying my original comment, and will be my final reply. There are many denominations of christianity, my interpritation of the bible shows heaven and eternal life as a reward for those who follow jesus. The bible says in black and white that those who live in sin do not inherit the kingdom of heaven. If you point a gun at me and tell me to sin, i wont. If you shoot me, i go to heaven. A HN comment section is not the place to form your opinions about the bible. I recomend reading the bible and bringing your questions to a priest.

[KerrAvon]

Ah, but the Bible also says that you can sin all you like as long as you later follow Jesus: he’s a get out of hell free card! And that it’s OK to sell your children into slavery. And I’m pretty sure you, sir, sin a hell of a lot by the lights of some of the people who claim to live by the bible.

I would recommend instead something relevant to modern life and devoid of mysticism and muddy thinking: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Demon-Haunted_World

[ThorsBane]

Your knowledge of these subjects is not only very weak, but comes across as dishonest as well. To the extent that if we had this exchange with our faces and reputations on the line, you'd be savaged by my words and look like a fool. I encourage you to be more humble and also to actually contest your own claims on your own in earnestness so that you can see if those claims are actually true or just edgy hot takes from some dishonest individuals you mingled with or learned from in the past.

The Bible is against slavery. See Philemon. Sinning until the last moment doesn't count unless it's a true heart change. See Ezekiel. Treating it as a Get Out Of Hell Free card would not fly.

[ThorsBane]

It’s okay to learn about Jesus and the Bible on HN. It’s only one of N threads underneath the submission, after all, not to mention relevant to the parent. Definitely agreed that the best approach is to read the Bible and consult an expert in a real setting if possible.

[shrimp_emoji]

An expert fanfiction interpreter

What a world

[Breza]

I'm a Lutheran. We believe it's impossible to do enough good to reach God, so you'll never earn your way into heaven by being doing good deeds. Strangely, the church (ELCA) is one of the most active when it comes to actually doing good deeds.

[rubicon33]

> Got into firefighting because I want to go to heaven

Can you explain what you mean by this?

[recursive]

Seems clear to me. Paraphrase as "want to do good", as opposed to doing well.

[whamlastxmas]

Maybe he wants to build a ladder to heaven

[screwturner68]

The firefights that I know are dead. Most left their wives with small children. I had the opportunity but I knew too many men who went to work and never came home.

[poo-yie]

That's awesome! Since you mention data analytics and being able to get to people quickly, have a look at 'set covering problem' for ways to find optimal solutions.

[bazzert]

Inspiring!