40 years of work x 50 weeks x 40 hrs per week = 80,000 hrs
What to do with it? The organization 80,000 Hours is working to answer this question.
The content is HEAVY but worth reviewing. I recommend sharing with anyone who asks, ‘what should I do with my life?” The scope can be limiting at times. There are many, many problems and their definition of most critical is quite specific.
Here is how 80,000 Hours invites you to to impact a cause the most effectively. They recommend these problem areas.
- Research in relevant areas
- Government policy
- Work at effective non-profits
- Apply an unusual strength to a needed niche
Does this line up with what I’m trying to do? A bit. Here is what I’m thinking right now.
- Modern food research is difficult to understand. Do you trust your doctor? The FDA? Are eggs good or bad for you?
- Do we trust the FDA to shape food policy? Dig into trans-fats or BPA for your answer there.
- I don’t know enough about non-profits in food, but many of the shopping habits today are influenced by consumer demand.
What if we:
- Understand existing food research and usher it into the food system quickly by raising customer awareness?
- Drive changes in government policy by leveraging widespread consumer demand in the private industry?
The number of years of human life lost to obesity is in the billions. Causes are varied and complicated. Let’s figure it out.
Random links for bored people:
Sam Harris interview with William MacAskill – “Being Good and Doing Good”
https://globalprioritiesinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/gpi-research-agenda.pdf