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Ya, it seems his real issue is he spent his 20s and 30s with the goal of getting money and now that he has it winners what's next. I believe the term is midlife crisis.

I do find it sad that he,like so many other people just write off how hard and important it is to raise kids. "I'm not a stay at home parent". I've heard it from doctors, CEOs, and others. As a society we really need to stop outsourcing the raising of our children.




I believe the term is midlife crisis.

Yes, identity crisis. If your identity for the last 10 years has been too tied to your role at work, it can leave you in a state of crisis (identity diffusion) when it's gone [1]. In a founder's mind, your identity/self-image can become almost indistinguishable from your company, unless it was solid to begin with. And when your identity has been bound too tightly to an external thing -- and the external thing is gone -- it uncorks a big gaping void of unresolved issues that's been masked all those years. You've likely been acting in accordance with your projected identity -- your persona, your artificial/false-self, your source of pride -- and now that it's gone, your underdeveloped ego (your true self) is left in a state of crisis, caught in a whirlwind between your base impulses (your id) and who you think you should be (your super-ego) [2]. When you recognize what's going on inside and reconcile the two, the turmoil will subside and your reasoned, authentic self will emerge.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_crisis

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Id,_ego_and_super-ego


Moreover, PG touched on this idea in his essay, "Keep Your Identity Small" (2009):

http://paulgraham.com/identity.html




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