Tag: culture
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Rightsizing life
The reduction of ambition rightsizes one’s life. Suddenly, those magnetic forces, trophies, hefty pocketbooks, and rich attractions lose their lure. All the stylization and mimetic desire mean little. The sheep collective drowns in the waterfall of white fountains. What matters is cultivating a satisfaction with fomo that becomes intrinsic. The reward for sitting out or…
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The visionary compass
To be interesting, we have to be interested, that is, an atypical perspective discovers atypicality in our surroundings. Different is a way of seeing. But it doesn’t come naturally, it flows through some mental defect, which, if lacking, takes some pre-programming to tilt the visionary compass. Taste is grown and groomed by shapeshifting through variegated…
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A catalog of emotions
We live with a catalog of emotions, whipsawing between highs and lows. Most of the undulation is due to poor internal weather. We are not neutral, pushed inside and outside by competing forces. One minute we’re a lover of rule-breakers with scrupulous indifference; the next, we’re just another lemming, a sheep jumping through hoops. We…
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Together as spiritual completeness
It is human desire to share. It is also human desire to compete. The two — cooperation and competition — bleed into each other to test human resolve. One excels in their particular field to consume another’s comparative advantage. As soon as those walls close down, trouble is lit. Every man for himself, absolute freedom,…
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Memes are a hurricane of influence
A meme is a hurricane of influence. It finds a human host, a signal booster, who spreads the meme before it takes on a life of its own. Historically, words are the simplest of memes, necessitating a language of thought. But most memes today are visual concepts manifested in viral images shared on social media.…
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The bright rush of ideas
Where do good ideas come from, and how do they form? They come from extensive research bolstered by the ability to connect the dots between knowledge and different experiences. Good ideas form through time, osmosis, long walks, boredom, and the misheard; a fruitful combination of work, rest, and fearless play. Maintaining curiosity motivates part of…
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The invention of things
Most creativity depends on building on top of what’s already there. Novelty exploits and aggregates preexisting stems to manufacture new and different, which is all people pay attention to. However, what’s new isn’t always copy-pasta, nor is it always welcome. Most inventions and reinventions are dull and undeluded, shocking just at their orientation. No to…
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The shared intimacy of the individual
Behavior operates at the amygdala level. Without conscious interpretation, we either fight or run away. Instead, what we seek is more constructive: long-term serotonin levels that strengthen emotional agility. Once we develop kinship between our senses and surroundings, we can level set and carry on when things go against us. There will always be those…
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The brilliance in absurdity
The synergy between brilliance and absurdity is one of the paradoxes of our time. One can’t be crazy without being wickedly smart. Thinking different isn’t supposed to compute. For the innovator, experimentation is the antidote to perfectionism. Trial and error is a mechanism for chance discovery. The right answer is a function of the mistakes.…
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Conformity as a preventative structure
The obvious remains invisible only because we choose to turn a blind eye to any framework that doesn’t align with our interests. Our minds crave homogenization. Even the misfits and activists who believe in no other cause than hope share tribal urges — there’s a strong instinct to join the pack. The herd outwits the…
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Purposely absorbed
Absorbed in the real work, unlike the spasmodic focus of want-to-be influencers. The professional demands order, rituals, and practices that solidify the certainty anchor. Those serious about their craft very much know they’re alive. They draw a map of the future based on reality, then lean right into it. It’s easy to believe that armed…
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Double or nothing
The best art deserves the long look, just as the best books earn a re-read. The second our surroundings pull us out of a desultory scan and compel interpretation, we learn twice as much. Pausing (and thinking deeply) is integral to the learning process. Disfluency extends the hesitation and augments the meaning. We’re not all vacuum cleaners.…