Hope Is F*cked

1. A sense of control: We’re in control of our own life.
2. A belief in the value of something: Something important enough to work toward, something better, that’s worth striving for.
3. A community: A group that values the same thing...

• The default human condition is to avoid pain and pursue pleasure, But this pursuit of pleasure is toxic because it is misleading and self-defeating.
• The antidote is to actively engage with pain and learn to suffer well.

People want diversions from their pain, like social media to scroll through, or cheeseburgers or ice creams to divert them from their stress, These things, these diversions, give us the feeling of ‘freedom’ (temporary freedom from our pain), but really this is just FakeFreedom.

1. Innovations (Upgrade pain): Innovations replace pain with a more tolerable pain.
2. Diversions (Avoid pain): Diversions help people to numb their pain. Examples: weekend out with friends and the use of social media.

1. For every action, there is an equal and opposite emotional reaction.
2. Ur self worth equals the sum of our emotions over time.
3. Ur identity will stay your identity until a new experience acts against it.

Emotional gravity: ...

• Real freedom comes from sacrifices and choosing what to give up.
• The only TRUE form of freedom is through SELF-LIMITATION. It is not the privilege of choosing everything you want in your life, but rather, choosing what you will GIVE UP in your life.

“Humans warp their perceptions to fit their expectations.”

Examples:

1. In the pre-Uber days, we were willing to wait for 30 min for a taxi to come. Today we complain if there is a delay of even 5 min. 
2. A decade back, someone was living in a small apartment and very...