Full Width [alt+shift+f] Shortcuts [alt+shift+k]
Sign Up [alt+shift+s] Log In [alt+shift+l]
7
Competition gives us a framework to measure ourselves against others. It tells us where we stand in the world, how far ahead or behind we are from those similar to us. But too much of it is detrimental.
over a year ago

Improve your reading experience

Logged in users get linked directly to articles resulting in a better reading experience. Please login for free, it takes less than 1 minute.

More from Abhishek Chakraborty

Truth is Ruthless

If your wife asks you if she looks overweight, you will utter “no” without flinching, whatever you actually think. On the other hand, all of us consider it morally wrong (under all circumstances) to make sexual advances on children. This fuzziness however creates some interesting dilemma.

over a year ago 7 votes
The Problem With Too Much Conviction

There are times when you may not know for sure if this is the right decision. There are times when you don’t know anything about something, and you’re still asked to do something about it. These kinds of situations are in fact more common than others. What do you do then?

over a year ago 7 votes
The Problem With Too Much Comfort

The recurring advice for writing any good story: keep the interesting parts, remove everything else. If you watch a good biopic, you wouldn’t want to know about their boring afternoon visit to the doctor unless it contributed to the screenplay of the movie.

over a year ago 7 votes
Ode to My Father

There are certain events in life, after which, everything changes irreversibly. There’s no way to get back to the old way of things. For me, it when I got the call from the hospital.

over a year ago 6 votes

More in life

Dear Bear: on the far side of fear is surrender

+ weekly recs

23 hours ago 3 votes
Why new when?

When we make something new, people often ask "why don't you just add that to Basecamp?" There are a number of reasons, depending on what it is. But, broadly, making something brand new gives you latitude (and attitude) to explore new tech and design approaches. It's the opposite of grafting something on to a heavier, larger system that already exists. The gravity of existing decisions in current systems requires so much energy to reach escape velocity that you tend to conform rather than explore. Essentially you're bent back to where you started, rather than arcing out towards a new horizon. New can be wrong, but it's always interesting. And that in itself is worth it. Because in the end, even if the whole new thing doesn't work out, individual elements, explorations, and executions discovered along the way can make their way back into other things you're already doing. Or something else new down the road. These bits would have been undiscovered had you never set out for new territory in the first place. Ultimately, a big part of making something new is simply thinking something new. -Jason

20 hours ago 3 votes
The Most Successful People I Know Have a Psychopathic Sense of Urgency

"Decrease the time between having an idea and getting it done"

8 hours ago 2 votes
Small Thoughts

Is this anything?

5 hours ago 2 votes
Spinning significance out of a senseless slog

Contributing to a chosen culture via running

3 hours ago 1 votes