The author uses "the lotus" to refer to everyone who is working in tech that isn't running their own start up. By suggestion such people are incapable of introspection, at best you are using that as shortcut to dismiss anyone who isn't a founder as just a sheep.
That's not introspective. That's shallow and condescending, like the author is doing.
I think you've only taken the first level interpretation of what the author wrote and let it hit too close to home.
It's absolutely true that large tech companies throw massive amounts of compensation and perks to lull workers into a sense of security. How do you think people go into Facebook day after day while new stories about their abuses come out?
If you're just passively going into work year by year without thinking about whether or not the thing you're striving for actually fulfills you, you are absolutely exhibiting sheep-like behavior. For that matter, if you go off and start a company and throw yourself into it without some introspection, you're also exhibiting sheep-like behavior. In fact, there are posts about this that reach the top of HN every once in a while. There was one just the other week.
If you haven't met many people or yourself been someone who has fallen prey to this in tech, I'd say you're either exceptionally focused/self-aware, or you might be snacking on some lotus in your spare time. Either way, whether or not you're a lotus eater, or simply someone who is content with achieving the goals they've set in front of themselves is something that only you can know.
You say I'm missing the point, but then you go in to literally just agree with me that you are calling everyone in tech a sheep and a drug user. That's intellectually lazy.
> If you're just passively going into work year by year without thinking about whether or not the thing you're striving for actually fulfills you, you are absolutely exhibiting sheep-like behavior. For that matter, if you go off and start a company and throw yourself into it without some introspection, you're also exhibiting sheep-like behavior. In fact, there are posts about this that reach the top of HN every once in a while. There was one just the other week. If you haven't met many people or yourself been someone who has fallen prey to this in tech, I'd say you're either exceptionally focused/self-aware, or you might be snacking on some lotus in your spare time. Either way, whether or not you're a lotus eater, or simply someone who is content with achieving the goals they've set in front of themselves is something that only you can know.
the opportunity to be lulled into a false sense of achievement is possible for anyone. keep your own goals in mind and you'll avoid it! I couldn't possibly know about the inner lives of every person in tech, I haven't met and had good conversations with all of them. :)
