[mildtrepidation]

I wonder if the idea that what we're doing can and/or should be important or world-changing is particularly strong in our industry, if it's something more widely shared, or if it's more narrow (e.g. an HN thing).

We see it a lot here: People talking about how they want to change the world, how they wish they were doing something more meaningful, etc. The reality is that almost no one does work with any sort of profound (positive) impact on humanity or the world around us; the kind of philanthropic work that gets this sort of love just is not that common.

The vast majority of work available, and the similarly vast majority of potentially viable business models, just don't fit this mold. I'm not saying we shouldn't aspire to be and do better, but I am suggesting that the expectation that we should be involved in positive change at all times just isn't reasonable or practical.