Stuck in a default state of distractedness, we look away for the next magnetic clue. As the gaze proceeds, a sense of familiarity comes to our aid to help us navigate our way in the world. But most of it is just noise impeding the short-term incremental goals and long-term moon shots. Stare at the […]
Tag Archives: philosophy
Airing out the ego
Never at rest in yesterday’s form. We are always chasing something unique, railing against the establishment. Chances are we’ve already forgotten the information we learned yesterday. With half-closed eyes, we bustle through through life forging connections between experiences. But then one day, it all slows down. It’s not about us anymore but other people: our […]
Intimacy in the midst of indifference
The internet is a sea of intimacy in the midst of indifference. We all hang within our tribes — the Picasso heads, the hip-hop enthusiasts, the mommy bloggers — without curiosity for a broader perspective of differing interests. “Your whole life informs your eye.” Roger Deakins While no one can attain Da Vinci’s single holistic […]
The world is colossal
The world is still colossal, a gaping map of mystery our brains fill in with imagination. It’s delusional to think we know it. Thankfully, any time we traverse the planet we’re awakened by our own trained incapacity, an ignorance blind to nature’s surprises. The ever sprawling internet promises to teach us a few things, but […]
The value of pushy mothers
The extra push. It can come from within, but it also helps to hear it from outside influences. Pushy moms are more likely to build a successful kid. Being annoyed is good for you. It is later on that you’ll steer your own life and develop the habit of pushing yourself. The lessons hatch in […]
Less is best
We achieve breakthroughs because of restraints, not because of profundity. There’s a reason we feel happy when someone removes the cashews at a party; given a choice, we’d keep chowing down on them. A surfeit of choice creates self-control problems. When we have a limited offer on what we can use, eat, etc., we’re more […]
De-essentalizing the response
We’re never safe from the torch of fear and anxiety. The only thing we can control is our reaction to the current circumstances. Wrote the poet John Milton in the seventeenth century: “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.” When we reach the […]
The philosophical zombie
People generally see and believe only what’s in front of them, disconnected from the magic of their consciousness. Reality is separated from the chorus of chemical reactions inside our heads. The prevailing theory ushered in by philosopher David Chalmers is that our conscious experience is considered the “hard problem,” a process so superior and mysterious […]
Play by keeping score
Disorder creates progress. It is within the mess we find out what needs to be cleaned up and what needs to be improved. The same goes for failure — it’s a motivator in disguise, telling us to make improvement more present. A crash adds more wisdom to our craft. Unlike sand, problems never escape counting. […]