1. As a member of what could be called “the creative class” (and the “Triple-H population” of allied Hackers, Hipsters, and Hippies) and its transnational networks, I have become witness to a significant social and psychological fallout within these groups.

7. They truly are kinder, more creative, more open-minded, with softer and more universal values and more self-sacrifice in them, than the people I met when I grew up, and who still know me today, from my “ordinary” life.

6. I used to be so deeply impressed by many of these people and their varied talents. I still am. I used to think that with such people, life would be different.

5. A lot of them stagnate and become pale shadows and excuses for where they thought they were headed in their lives. The iron law of mediocrity reasserts itself, but not very sublimely.

4. Some become invested in their own philosophical or spiritual or media-driven greatness and begin to compete with others for the immortality that fame is implicitly believed to bring. They look for their chance to change the world, to make a dent in the universe.

3. They still get into heaps of relational complications and drama. They suffer from anxiety and burnout. They begin subscribing to crazy religious, spiritual, intellectual, and political doctrines—ruining their lives and families as a result. Some few commit suicide. universe.