Working in nuclear power.
Will Kirkpatrick
Karma: 287
I’m a big fan of Crisis text line, though I’m certainly biased because I volunteer there. If you’re looking for a list of mental health resources to peruse. Their list of referrals is pretty good.
https://www.crisistextline.org/referrals
You can also text them at 741741 and be connected with someone to text real time, their goal is to get you to someone in under 5 minutes, though they struggle during high traffic hours due to volume.
I’m going to be making a post about them (as a volunteer opportunity) at some point in the future, though work is incredibly demanding right now, so it might be a little while.
Perhaps incentive drift is more accurate, but it certainly seems to rob the individual of their agency. I know I am a collection of the circumstances I was raised in, however, that does not mean that I can pass blame onto those around me when I choose something wrong.
Perhaps the choice between the two words is a difference between Instrumental and Value rationalistic choices. Where a Value rationalist would prefer to use the term Incentive drift because it more accurately describes the reality of this “drift.” An Instrumental rationalist would prefer to use the term Value drift, because it is more likely to result in individuals taking precautions, and therefore a better long term outcome for EA as a whole.
As I am an Instrumental rationalist, I believe that sticking with the term “Value drift” would place the emphasis on the individual in circumstances where it matters. We could then use the term “Incentive drift” to refer to the overall effect on people in the community of different features we have. (Thus enabling us to retain the benefits of it’s use to describe effects on the community.)
For example, the lack of “Praise” as you refer to it in your link is something that has pushed many individuals away from effective altruism and rationality in general. To use the new word, it causes incentive drift away from EA.
Value drift is a much more individual term to me. The major fear here is no longer contributing to those things that I previously considered valuable. This might be a result of incentive drift, but it is my values that have changed.
Regardless of whether my thoughts are accurate, thank you for taking the time to post today. These are the kinds of posts that keep me coming back to the EA community and I appreciate the time and effort that went into it.
Thank you both for donating. And I’ll add another +1 to the number of people who have donated 1,000. I’m hoping that an update on the status of the hotel comes soon.
Become a crisis counselor.
Crisis text line is a non-profit organization devoted to the idea of providing someone to talk to when you really need one. Typically as a crisis counselor you will log on and join the “queue” of people waiting to talk to someone who needs it. When people feel overwhelmed (In crisis) they’ll text in, those texts are sent directly to the web browser of the person next in line, and pop up as a chat box.
Pros:
Immediate ability to help someone in need: delay times of as little as 10 minutes, including the time it takes you to get out your computer.
Can be done from your house, directly from your computer.
Very emotionally satisfying: There’s not many places you can actively talk someone out of a panic attack, off the ledge, or just chat with someone who needs it.
Awesome swag: Used in this instance to mean related clothing, coffee mugs, etc. My favorite hoodie is my 200 hour hoodie from CTL!
Good training: certification as a crisis counselor is surprisingly good training for an online course. I’ve considered recommending it to EAs in general for this reason. (Also empathy building)
Hours track directly: so reporting any volunteer service is very easy with this (good for resumes and similar things.)
Good support network and chat on the platform.
Cons:
Very emotionally demanding/frustrating: often times you’ll be upset about how others handle their problems. I put this first because I struggle with this most of all, I want to just shake people and tell them how to get their life together. But as the CC that’s not your role (you’ll learn more about this in training.)
Requires “decent” internet connection.
“30 hour” course at the beginning: took me between 6 and 10 hours to complete, so it’s not that bad.
Background check (not crazy rigorous, but it is a text line)
Not super effective, at most you can achieve a 3-1 time ratio (if you’re really good)
Emotionally draining, I list this again for a different reason. Sometimes talking to someone else about their problems can be overwhelming. Suicide, anxiety, depression, and abuse are common problems that you will confront directly. Don’t drown trying to save anyone. I’ve been there, and you’re too important for that. Trust me, seriously, you’re too important for that.