[InclinedPlane]

I too think this guideline is far too simplistic.

In a sense it almost puts relationships in a transactional context. And people who do that are often assholes.

I think it's important to seek out people with whom you value spending time with, as well as to distance yourself from people who are not good friends and aren't deserving of your time or energy, but that's a much more complicated topic than can be summed up in a handful of words.

[Amokrane]

I do agree with you guys. In the article I make the distinction between people you care about or love (read: family, close friends, your students, people you decided to help) and the others. Specifically, what I find to be dangerous is when you are not aware of the bad influence someone else has on you, and when you are only surrounded by these type of persons who believe that nothing is worth doing/living, then you might end up thinking the same way. It's funny that some comments are about people in the Silicon-Valley being too optimistic or even delusional, because I live in France and I commute frequently to the Bay Area. I find that when I leave to San Francisco, I always feel very morose and when I come back I am always in a fired up mood! But slowly, this mood disappears because the average french is pessimistic about almost everything.