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Posted by haritha-j 10 hours ago

The Soul of a Pedicab Driver(www.sheldonbrown.com)
116 points | 32 comments
xp84 35 minutes ago|
Warning: An ad on this page (that I somehow accidentally tapped) redirected me to an “Apple Support” scam that was so nasty in its attempts to fire a tel: url to start a call, that tapping “Back” wasn’t possible. Beware of malware here.
A_Duck 7 hours ago||
What a lovely article. There's a strong correlation between the energy you put out into the world and what you get back.

I often think that as I end up confirming a grumpy/aggressive person's expectation I'll be a bad customer, or confirming a kind/present persons's expectation I'll be a good one

bahbahbahbah 5 hours ago|
This really is a beautiful article for those who have ears to hear.
fwipsy 5 hours ago||
I need to learn a similar lesson. My team lead isn't used to being questioned, and when I tried to correct him in a meeting it resulted in a big argument. I realized that I did so partly because I wanted to demonstrate my own knowledge. We were both being egotistical. Certainly he could have handled it better, but I could have avoided the problem entirely by finding a more tactful framing rather than correcting him publicly.

I guess the generalized version is "it's easier to get what you want through compromise and avoiding conflict." Or just, "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar."

RobRivera 5 hours ago||
Praise in public, critique in private.
lo_zamoyski 3 hours ago||
I wouldn't say it's about compromise, or even avoiding conflict as such. The first thing we must always remember is what is true, right, and just, for our own sake above all. One ought never to compromise morally - you have lost the bigger game by doing so - and conflicts are simply a matter of fact, so it's all a matter of avoiding pointless engagement in conflicts that don't serve the good.

Now, unreasonable and malicious people will transgress the moral, so the question is then: if I must deal with this person, how do I do so as fruitfully as possible?

What egotistical people don't realize is that their vanity is not a strength, but their weakest asset. Humility is a kind of invulnerability, so to speak, because all humility is is a disposition to recognize the truth and to conform to it. Egotistical leaders are highly motivated by a need for validation, for reputation, and for "glory". So, if your boss is egotistical, you should manage it and leverage that ego for the intended aim. Don't take things personally. Focus on the rational goal you are all aiming at. Plant seeds in conversations so that the leader can permit himself to think your ideas are actually his. Surrender the spotlight to him. Let him bask in the blinding limelight. Attention is a prison; if he wants it so badly, let him have it. Magnanimous men are above such things.

Never resort to trickery. This will burn you in the end, especially when the truth comes out. Never flatter or resort to adulation or sycophancy - it is smarmy, demeaning, and undignified; you see plenty of this in Trump's circle - but recognize actual strengths of the leader.

Maintain composure (do not react with fear or eagerness to please), distance, and politeness. Be patient: this allows the egotistical leader's passions to cool down, creating more space for the rational. Frame acknowledgement and concession to someone else's good ideas and advice not as a loss - which is how egotists see things - but as a magnanimous act on his part. Magnanimity is foreign to the egotist, but his love of reputation and a desire to be seen as magnanimous suffices for practical purposes.

wrathofquan 3 hours ago||
So happy to see sheldonbrown.com is still up. So much valuable information there.
paddy_m 2 hours ago||
Slightly related to the article. I have a personal cargo bike. The most fun that I have with it is giving friends a ride home from a party. People instantly start giggling and laughing. It's goofy, you get stares and people curious
_-_-__-_-_- 7 hours ago||
What a great site design. Easy to read, simple layout almost comforting.
zikduruqe 6 hours ago|
Sheldon Brown's website is to bicycles, as Arch Linux Wiki is to linux.
gf263 6 hours ago||
I must be unenlightened because this job would make me quite misanthropic. Even sitting in a doctors waiting room gives me that feeling.
Tade0 4 hours ago||
I can relate but I've found it's really less about the people and more about my current state and how (in)frequent is my exposure to them.

I started renting a desk in a co-working space starting this year and there's a new guy here who conducts his meetings in the room instead of going to the conference booth and uses a pretty loud mechanical keyboard.

Half a year ago, when I was still working from home and not going out much, I would lose my shit. It's not that it's not annoying, I'm just a little bit desensitized to it.

giraffe_lady 5 hours ago||
It seems to me that a significant point of the article is that this is a choice you're continuously making, not an immutable fact about you.
jacquesm 7 hours ago||
That's quite the story. I have a family member that spent some time on a taxi and the stories are much the same. Assholes aplenty.
speefers 6 hours ago|
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