What Being a Hacker Means to Me
Deep down inside, I am a hacker. Now, depending on the context and the Hollywood movies you watch, that can have a positive or a negative connotation. You can Google “hacker” and get a million definitions, but to me, if you go back to the original use of the word, it is associated with someone who is persistent and willing to do anything to find a solution or outcome to a problem—often through unconventional methods.
A Hacker as a Problem Solver
To me, a hacker is a problem-solver who loves to reframe problems from different perspectives to find non-obvious or even strange solutions to a problem that others were not able to solve.
The Search for Purpose
The reason I go down this rabbit hole is to address my journey in understanding the purpose or meaning of one’s life. I always believed my purpose was to secure cyberspace, to end suffering in the digital world, and to make the Internet a safe place to live, work, and raise a family. But I have also been through a lot in my life and genuinely care about helping other people and making the world a better place. So I struggled with whether my purpose was too narrow and focused only on computers.
A Realization in Meditation
Then, in one of my meditations, it hit me: YOU ARE A HACKER. You solve the unsolvable. I am the person my customers call when they are out of options and need a solution. I don’t get the call in the afternoon to chit-chat; I get the call at 3 a.m. when things are burning to the ground. And that fits because if you want to get me motivated, jazzed, or on fire, just say something is impossible. I will be like a lion on the savannah that has just spotted a gazelle, and like a guided missile, I will not stop until the target has been acquired.
My Purpose in Life
So, it all makes sense. My skill and my passion are to solve problems, to be a hacker, and to make the world a better place. This cuts across all areas of life. However, my unique purpose for being here is to apply that to the digital world and do everything I can to make it safe and end suffering.
To me, there are two critical moments in one’s life: the day you are born and the day you figure out why. And I feel like the next chapter in my life is beginning because I have clarity on the second.
If I can help you find direction or purpose, DM me, and let’s talk.