Thomas J Bevan — Avoiding the Middle Ground (EP.84)

Either aim for Either ascetic simplicity or all-out ambition.

Avoiding the middle is choosing between two extremes. Whatever the road you’re going to take, take that road with determination and fully commit

Also, you can do opposed things at the same time (read “trash” and do it guilt-free, but also read “hard” books)

Commonplacing is the act of compiling knowledge for future reference. 

Benefits of commonplace journaling:

• The best first step for aspiring writers
• Organize your thoughts and generate new ideas
• Get to know yourself and what you think; it’s a low-pressure context because there is no audience to write for
• You can look back observe yourself from a more detached viewpoint (so you don’t fool yourself)

We Are Unreliable Narrators: This is especially true when memory is involved

Things that we think are our memories get constantly updated and rewritten by our operating system.

Because it feels more comfortable in the short term. When you don’t challenge your views, the world is less complicated. It may seem like a good strategy, but any strategy that involves being static leads to disaster.

Things can’t stay like that indefinitely, and that’s why you need epistemic humility. Accept new information and adapt your worldview

It’s impossible and makes no sense to spend your life “avoiding” suffering (that’s some middle ground bullsh*t).

Writers are sometimes stereotypically portrayed as quiet and depressive. In a way, this is the side effect of diving into “the depths” of your being.

But, if you can grab the pearl (a piece of wisdom), and bring it to the surface then it makes it worthwhile. When you have a self-defined meaning behind your suffering, it makes it more endurable.

Jim has seen every European capital from London to Paris to Berlin on foot. Walking is the only way to truly understand a city

Thomas walks at least a couple of hours a day; it’s where he gets his best ideas.

You are thinking at the speed you are walking at; the motion and the fresh air help.