Hi, I’m Darius Contractor, this is my blog, and this is my post attempting to tell you why I am blogging.
First, a little history. I’m 29, graduated Stanford with a Computer Science degree in 2002, and worked for two websites, Tickle.com and Bebo.com. I learned a bunch about social networking, how to run a web business and how to get people to click on things. At Bebo, I became a manager and earned enough to take a break.
My last day was Dec 31st, 2009. I took a 3-month world trip to see friends, did a 1-week Buddhist retreat and now I’m home in San Francisco thinking about the future.
I’ve had so many thoughts about what I need, what the world needs, and what’s newly possible at this time. If I had to give a few high-level bullets they might be:
- At this point in my career, I don’t need to focus on making money; I’d like to focus on making meaning.
- The best way to make meaning is to bring people happiness. The deeper and longer-lasting the happiness and the more people you bring it to, the better.
- My past job was understanding complex systems and making simple solutions that work. I’ve done this in technology and in management.
- I think the biggest block to happiness in the developed world is ourselves. People not knowing how to focus their energy for the long term happiness of themselves and the people around them.
- I think the world is ripe for change. More than ever you find:
- Books looking into how people really work
- Fresh focus on happiness over productivity
- Expanding consciousness of other peoples and the environment
- Growing disillusionment with simplistic and traditional systems of us-vs-them thinking
- I’ve thought about these issues for years. I feel that now is the time to really delve into them and see what I can learn and, perhaps, create.
This is some high-level stuff, but that’s the purpose of this blog. It will help me to clearly lay out my ideas and I hope very much to get your feedback. I think the resulting understanding and inspiration will be worth the work.
As I write this blog, I will be continuing to research these topics, improve my technology skills and rejuvenate myself. My hope is that the ideas in this blog and my own abilities will come together within 2010 and result in worthwhile mental architecture, companies and systems for human interaction.
So, dear reader, tell me your thoughts on this post and what you’d like us to talk about next. Comment below or, if you like, email me at blog at-symbol darius . com.
“At this point in my career, I don’t need to focus on making money; I’d like to focus on making meaning.”
I think this quote here is massively significant. While I can’t say that I’m nearly as financially independent (though that is a relative term). I could move to Thailand and live for about 10 years as a single dude right now, I think this calls for a shift in thinking for people with an education, with a vision, with the commitment to making a difference in the world. Ultimately if you believe that you make meaning first and foremost, then money will follow. And that is the most challenging paradigm shift of thinking.
Thanks for the feedback Ambert. I totally agree that anyone can focus on meaning over money, and many do who work on non-profits or for-profits that they think will impact the world for the better. It’s an idea I somewhat stole from The Art of The Start. I really like the way your http://yeungproject.com/ makes meaning as well.
Welcome (officially) to the blogosphere, Darius!
I especially like this focus:
“My past job was understanding complex systems and making simple solutions that work. I’ve done this in technology and in management.”
I would love to see you develop this. Give us some examples of complex systems, maybe real examples from your experience, and show what kind of simple solution you came up with. And then, propose some more complex systems that you haven’t (yet) solved, and give us your take.
Looking forward to more great posts here.
Thanks for the idea Jordy! I’ve added a post like the one you outline to my list of post ideas and hope to do it before long!
My favorite aspect of this message is its momentum. First, there’s the momentum in your life. You’re at an exciting point, and it sounds like you have a truly unique perspective from some awesome personal and professional experiences. I’m glad that you’re taking the time to reflect upon, process, and document your ideas during this exciting time.
Secondly, there’s the momentum in the world. As you note, now more than ever, the ground is ripe for change. Furthermore, the topics that you outline are universally applicable — across cultures, academic disciplines, industries, and even political systems. As such, your thoughts around “meaning” are particularly valuable. Given your vantage point, I would love to know your thoughts around the role that technology plays in disseminating meaning.
Want some inspiration?
While I’m not sure this is the angle you plan to take, I found this blog when I was looking into trends about the impact of technology in the developing world:
http://blogs.hbr.org/fox/2010/04/the-ck-prahalad-fortune-at-the.html
Here’s a quote (about the prepaid mobile phone) that speaks to this “momentous” (pun intended) theme.
“In a very short period of five to seven years … massive transformation has taken place. The poor have adopted a new technology more rapidly than anyone could have imagined. … Four billion people worldwide are connected. This has had a bigger impact than any poverty-fighting effort ever.”
Pretty unbelievable stuff, huh? I’m excited to read what else you have to say.
Thanks for the comment Leena, you make great points and inspire me! I agree there is a lot of momentum of technology, social interest, and for me personally. I will plan to create a post talking about how technology is part of this change; your link highlights rather well how technology can be an enabler.
So bummed that you won’t be able to join us tomorrow, Darius, but if we can get you here on a future trip to Boston, I hope you’ll come visit my group at MIT: http://civic.mit.edu. Sounds like we could learn a lot from each other.
Kudos on starting the blog. I began something similar in 2004 to explore numerous issues related to human development – many of them personal, which was why shut it down to the public. Text is a brilliant medium, but often fails to express emotional nuances bc there is no feedback.
That said I do blog when moved occassionally. I think your subject matter interests are fascinating. A couple books that were pivotal for me when I started my blog were Flow: Psychology of Optimal Experience (Mihali), Future of the Body (Murphy), Theory of Everything (Wilber) and Search in Secret India (Brunton).
Thanks for the recommendations Brandon, I appreciate your feedback on the subject matter as well.
Great post!
+1 to Jordy’s comment about learning more about how you apply learning from technology and management to your current efforts.
Darius,
Defining your ‘Why’ in life is critical to opening unseen paths that lead to a sense of personal satisfaction. You may find your path is away from technology. You may find it leading you to discover new technology that places you in the service of others. Whatever path is revealed to you, the satisfaction of taking that path will ultimately come from having a strong ‘Why.’
Best,
Derak