[Eisenstein]

This person is either really playing up their Ayn Randian philosophy or they are deluded. I think you can be somewhat relieved knowing that the comments which are deleted are probably in line with the ones made by the person today -- worthless.

[randomdata]

Absolutely they would be worthless to others. After all, if there was value available to others, others would be willing to pay for it. And that's just not going to happen for anything I am capable of writing. There is good reason why I'm the one paying for it even though it is quite common to pay others for what they write. It is not unusual at all to pay those skilled in writing for their work. For the rest of us, it's just a hobby. And that's okay. Not all work has to be for others.

[Eisenstein]

Money is just a convenient way to keep track of debt. Stop making it into some kind of proxy for all human need and utility.

[randomdata]

I said nothing of money?

Although, of course, what you say about money is true. In fact, I can see from my not deleted HN history that I wrote that money is just an IOU only three days ago. I guess there is some value in being able to look back on my work! But is it value enough?

Human nature is to be transactional. If I offer you my time to write a comment for you, I am going to expect something in return. That in return could be nothing more than the smile you give me when you read it. It doesn't have to be some elaborate, grandiose thing, but there has to be some kind of payment or one will quickly sour to the ordeal.

If I were to write for you now, what would you give me in return? I suspect nothing because there is nothing of value I could offer you with my writing. Conversely, I offer you nothing. Will you write something for me? I expect not. Why would you?

[Eisenstein]

Do you find this attitude makes your life more pleasant, or does it make it that when people at a social event find out you are on the way to join them, they sigh silently and look at the ground and make a wish that you would have gotten over your reductive, sophomoric, and joyless 'everything is a transaction' philosophy because it makes you tedious?

[johnnyanmac]

>does it make it that when people at a social event find out you are on the way to join them, they sigh silently and look at the ground

you're not making the best case yourself. You'd be the person coming that the host would spend half the party trying to separate from certain others becuase you'll just get into a huge fight over a bike shed and ruin the night for every.

A person on the internet deletes their comments. It's not that deep.

[sterlind]

even if human nature is transactional, I like having a weekly tab at the bar more than putting nickels into toilet paper dispensers.