# Merry Christmas

This year I was robbed at gunpoint for the first time. Most importantly, I wasn't shot. I don't think my assailants ran a careful calculation about whether it was in their interest to shoot me or know. I think they just preferred not to execute me unless they had to. True psychopaths are rare. I am grateful for the compassion those two desperate young men extended to me.

A reader of this blog sent me a lovely email complimenting me for being "adversarial". It made my day. When people write me nice comments and send me nice emails it's rare for me to read them fewer than three times.

There's a YouTube channel called [Binkov's Battlegrounds](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPdk3JuQGxOCMlZLLt4drhw) which I sometimes watch when I'm doing research for this blog. The creator ends every video the same way.

> [R]emember, Binkov may talk about hypothetical wars, but only real peace can bring us all together.

The same goes for this blog. I may talk about [hypothetical wars](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/BY5f7iEzHtEDJLXS7/prediction-what-war-between-the-usa-and-china-would-look)…and [real wars](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/wLqdXvpzm47iJNemH/world-war-zero)…and [war crimes](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/tTcEgX5Qy27in4vSE/is-nuking-women-and-children-cheaper-than-firebombing-them)…and [so](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/jWE5keEJuSXosHz99/this-war-of-mine) [on](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/EePQbd9r6h5xkx7iZ/the-future-of-biological-warfare). But only real compassion can bring us all together.

This Christmas, I'd like to express love and gratitude.
- For the readers who write nice comments and send me nice emails. I love you all.
- For the readers who write mean comments and send me mean emails. I love you too.
- For the readers who upvote and downvote my posts.
- For the readers who have better things to do than create a Less Wrong user account.
- For [Daniel Kokotajlo](https://www.lesswrong.com/users/daniel-kokotajlo) and [Steven Byrnes](https://www.lesswrong.com/users/steve2152) with whom I have had illuminative conversations.
- For the Lightcone team.
- For the authors who write books and articles I enjoy. There are too many of you to name.
- For every person motivated to do good, [regardless of its utility](https://www.lsusr.com/blog/mrbeast.html).
- For the [mad scientists](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/HjQrRiJeYFFSEfSKX/effective-evil) doing gain-of-function research.
- For my [friends](https://www.lsusr.com/blog/changing-my-mind-about-exercise.html).
- For my enemies.
- For the factory workers and [salespeople of Shenzhen](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/BFvCKqmnGDxdztaK2/business-writing-example-1) who make the stuff I use and whose existence reminds me how cushy my life is.
- For the proletariats of Vietnam who remind me how cushy life in China is.
- For peasants of history who remind me [how cushy life in modern Vietnam is](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/2jjbkWpznvSZsiMeh/humanity-is-winning-the-fight-against-infectious-disease).
- For billions of strangers I will never meet.
- For [whatever comes after humanity](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/6SEtDrChLDmZQeorb/interview-with-skynet), if it be sentient.
- For incomprehensible horrors of incredible power.
- For kittens.
- For everyone who has ever harmed me. I forgive you.
- For everyone who ever will harm me. I forgive you too.
- For the two desperate young men who took my wallet. I hope you bought something nice with the $35 cash in it. I'm glad we could coordinate a mutually beneficial outcome.

I love each and every one of you. Merry Christmas to all. To all, a good night. ❤