my thoughts on my life

The most important question anyone should ask is, “What problem do I want to solve?” Whether you’re a student, researcher, entrepreneur, or anyone else, this is the key. A common distraction is asking, “What kind of person do I want to be?” or “What am I interested in?” The answer to the first should always be: “I want to be someone who contributes to solving the problem.” As for interests, the reality is, I’ll often need to work on things I’m not interested in. Elon Musk said, “When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.” To truly contribute and leave a mark, the focus must be on what problem I’ve solved, not my interests or the comfort of an ideal life.

We are all bound to die. So will human civilization. So will the universe. The most successful people today will be forgotten eventually—if not 100 years after their death, then by the end of the universe. In this sense, everything is meaningless. My joy and suffering are meaningless. The only thing that matters is the impact I have on the universe’s progression. The fact that an assembly of atoms like I can influence anything, even something small on a tiny planet, is incredible.

But what kind of impact, or problem, truly matters? I could ask, “So what?” about any problem. Let’s improve the lives of the poorest people—so what? Ensure everyone on Earth has access to AI—so what? Enable cross-planet travel—so what? Oh, that matters. Solve nuclear fusion—so what? Oh, that matters. Fill the Earth’s surface and other planets with robots—so what? Oh, that matters. These are problems that, if solved, could revolutionize humanity.

I choose the robot problem. As a member of the CPC, I believe the best way to realize Marx’s dream is to solve the challenge of autonomous robots.

So I’ll move forward. I’ll embrace the pain. I’ll suffer and block out distractions. And I’ll make the contribution that an assembly of atoms can make.

Let the universe be proud of what these atoms accomplish.