It's tough to say it without drawing out cynicism. Warren Buffet used to talk about why he didn't donate money earlier purely in terms of a return on capital. He felt (correctly, it would seem) that he was better at making his capital grow than many other people, and as such, would leave charity to others in the meantime, and give his money later (which he has).
The way I think about it is that I'm confident I'm better than most people (not news.YC'ers for sure, but most people) at larger perspectives, or at least feeling confident that I can tackle large problems. It would seem there are (relatively) few people who feel like they're in that position, and so I find a need to fill that.
What people forget over time (and this I think is what draws out the eye-rolling in general from many people with respect to the above) - is that if they're successful, they get caught up in the success and forget about the world changing they intended to do. And if I turn out not to be successful (after repeated attempts) - every failure should bring me closer and closer to tackling world-changing problems head-on.
In the meantime, I try to think big, I try to execute big, but I try to pay attention to the smaller details where I can have a positive impact with low opportunity cost.
Mainly, I think there's a high risk that people lose their idealism and empathy for others in the world over time - and that's tough to stave off.
The way I think about it is that I'm confident I'm better than most people (not news.YC'ers for sure, but most people) at larger perspectives, or at least feeling confident that I can tackle large problems. It would seem there are (relatively) few people who feel like they're in that position, and so I find a need to fill that.
What people forget over time (and this I think is what draws out the eye-rolling in general from many people with respect to the above) - is that if they're successful, they get caught up in the success and forget about the world changing they intended to do. And if I turn out not to be successful (after repeated attempts) - every failure should bring me closer and closer to tackling world-changing problems head-on.
In the meantime, I try to think big, I try to execute big, but I try to pay attention to the smaller details where I can have a positive impact with low opportunity cost.
Mainly, I think there's a high risk that people lose their idealism and empathy for others in the world over time - and that's tough to stave off.