WARNING: looong post
Anyway, I would like to see up open the boards a bit to non-financial stuff. Boards taking an informed look at things like history or culture or science or whatever could bring in posters that would have something to add to the financial boards too down the line.
one thing I notice in the hocus civil wars is how both sides over state their case, IMO. IMO, hocus is waaay off base in his sloppy, haughty prose and his claims to earth shattering insights. He has alienated precisely the people he will need to move the ball forward. OTOH, folks who say he contributes nothing or focus on minor points are wrong, also, big time, IMO. if you don't believe me, you should take a look at his older stuff and you can see why his soapbox report outsold intercst's 5:1 even though it cost 3X as much (correct these stats if I'm wrong, hocus).
the above quote is indeed something I think needs to take place here. why? because the year 2000 was a high point for FIRE wannabes. Why? Because oddballs and weirdos were entering the saloon from every direction. Yours truly included. It might surprise some of you to know that at one point I posted almost exclusively on the softer side of FIRE. In fact, I was the first person to coin the term "FIRE" and I did so in a particularly softheaded post elsewhere. (One of the great things about the old board is that we attracted, among others an ORACLE wonk [ptsurmr] who developed a search function that determined that I was the person who coined that particular phrase. One of the things that caused me to abandon that site was the driving off of that useful poster.)
The infusion of soft side folks needs to take place here not because this place is deficient but because it will make this place hum even more. For example, having raddr (just picking on him, no slight to others intended) here where only 100-200 people see him is like stashing the Mona Lisa in your attic. not only that, raddr will benefit, because these softer issues will get his creative computational juices flowing and we'll come up with another 50 ways to skin the FIRE cat/identify risks we haven't seen yet/become even more motivated, etc.
And soft-side doesn't just mean arts and humanities, but hard science folks who, as they are finding out daily in Dilbert-land, have to become conversant in the strange language of personal finance because FIRE is a "make your own" affair. Like the gentleman (ptsurmr) I mentioned above. This is a "second shift" activity and one this place would be ideal for them to hook into - sensible, efficient, effective, creative.
Now, I do this sort of eclectic thing naturally: take a little here, a little there, tape it, staple it, glue it and come up with something different. Which might or might not work, but which usually does seem to work (i think) because it has, at its base, stuff that makes sense for us in our particular circumstances. I would like a bit more of that soft stuff here. OK,
a lot more of it. It gets my juices flowing.
Just an example, one thing I do is read stuff outside of finance and accounting. Inspirational stuff, history, science, philosophy, etc. One fellow who has become a hero of sorts to me is the Carthaginian general Hannibal. I found out today that, rather than surrender, Hannibal committed suicide.
The treaty between Rome and Carthage that was concluded a year after the Battle of Zama frustrated the entire object of Hannibal's life, but his hopes of taking arms once more against Rome lived on. Although accused of having misconducted the war, he was made a suffete (a civil magistrate) in addition to retaining his military command, and as suffete he was able to overthrow the power of the oligarchic governing faction at Carthage and bring about certain administrative and constitutional changes. He thus became unpopular with a certain faction of the Carthaginian nobility, and, according to Livy, he was denounced to the Romans as inciting Antiochus III of Syria to take up arms against the Romans. Hannibal fled to the court of Antiochus at Ephesus (195), where he was welcome at first, since Antiochus was preparing war with Rome. Soon, however, the presence of Hannibal and the sound advice he gave concerning the conduct of the war became a source of embarrassment, and he was sent to raise and command a fleet for Antiochus in the Phoenician cities. Inexperienced as he was in naval matters, he was defeated by the Roman fleet off Side, in Pamphylia. Antiochus was defeated on land at Magnesia in 190, and one of the terms demanded of him by the Romans was that Hannibal should be surrendered. Again accounts of Hannibal's subsequent actions vary; either he fled via Crete to the court of King Prusias of Bithynia,or he joined the rebel forces in Armenia. Eventually he took refuge with Prusias, who at this time was engaged in warfare with Rome's ally, King Eumenes II of Pergamum. He served Prusias in this war, and, in one of the victories he gained over Eumenes at sea, it is said that he threw cauldrons of snakes into the enemy vessels.
Finally the Romans by unknown means put themselves in a position to demand the surrender of Hannibal. Unable this time to escape, Hannibal poisoned himself in the Bithynian village of Libyssa. The year is uncertain but was probably 183.
source: Encyclopaedia Brittanica.
Can you imagine the entire object of your life (as a youth, father made Hannibal swear undying enmity toward Rome) being thwarted? (I think FIRE wannabes can.) Lesser men and women would have curled up and died. Not this guy: he keeps throwing bombs (or, at least, cauldrons of snakes). (I think most FIRE wannabes would - keep throwing bombs, not snakes, that is.)
Some life: threatening to topple the despotic Roman regime using ingenious military stratagems, ultimately defeated by overwhelming resources, refusing to be bought off by a chintzy title and entourage, fighting to the last, and refusing to surrender. Heck, this guy gives Bernstein a run for his money.
FIRE tie in:
I think a lot of FIRE wannabes possess the spirit that Hannibal embodied - sworn enemies of that which is false and despotic (and anything that robs one's life energy pointlessly would qualify), ingenious, creative, cunning, a little too big for our britches at times, self-respecting (freedom loving?), unable to be bought off in the traditional ways, etc.
I'm no expert on ancient civilization/societies or psychology or any number of other areas bearing on this, but I like a good (inspirational, useful
today) biography and this guy's resume fits the bill. Maybe the new guy, tuffy, can shed some light...