I've cowered through life, loathing every moment of existence, finding ways to be disrespectful and demeaning to myself. Only to reach a place in life to gain perspective to live better and love thyself. Although, it comes at such a late stage, I'd want nothing but to share this perspective to those who are looking and to those who aren't, especially to the ones who aren't, cause they'd be needing it the most.

It's All About Perspective 

My hatred towards self stemmed, some from childhood trauma, some from the constant yearning to please others. But, mainly from me constantly feeling less amongst my peers, and generally just anyone about me. Anyone I saw, looked perfect. And I belittled myself trying to impress the perfect beings around me. Unless I had the crucial perspective change that changed my life.

Everyone Is Perfect

Yes, this is where my life took a turn. The moment I realised that I'm neither lesser nor better than anyone around me. Rather, when broken down, we're all the same. Different lives, trying to make sense of the world, with their own insecurities and imperfections. At the end of the day, we're all just little pieces of fawked up beings. And your imperfections aren't more imperfect than anyone else's around.

We Are All Just Fawked Up

After you've gained this perspective, easier said than done, but once you truly embrace this idea that nobody matters, and everybody matters at the same time. Is the time you let go of your ego, and let go of your shame, and be truly you. And the truly you, is a kind hearted empathetic being, cause everyone's the same. Everyone is you...and nobody is you...and that's the beauty of being.

Not Shame, Not Ego, But Empathy!

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

philosophy

Philosophy

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

mindfulness

Mindfulness

Perspective 

"sooner or later, life makes philosophers of us all."

The New York Times bestselling author of The Geography of Bliss embarks on a rollicking intellectual journey, following in the footsteps of history’s greatest thinkers and showing us how each—from Epicurus to Gandhi, Thoreau to Beauvoir—offers practical and spiritual lessons for today’s unsettled times. We turn to philosophy for the same reasons we travel: to see the world from a dif­ferent perspective, to unearth hidden beauty, and to find new ways of being. We want to learn how to embrace wonder. Face regrets. Sustain hope. Eric Weiner combines his twin passions for philosophy and global travel in a pil­grimage that uncovers surprising life lessons from great thinkers around the world, from Rousseau to Nietzsche, Confucius to Simone Weil. Traveling by train (the most thoughtful mode of transport), he journeys thousands of miles, making stops in Athens, Delhi, Wyoming, Coney Island, Frankfurt, and points in between to recon­nect with philosophy’s original purpose: teaching us how to lead wiser, more meaningful lives. From Socrates and ancient Athens to Simone de Beauvoir and twentieth-century Paris, Weiner’s chosen philosophers and places provide important signposts as we navigate today’s chaotic times. In The Socrates Express, Weiner invites us to voyage alongside him on his life-changing pursuit of wisdom and discovery as he attempts to find answers to our most vital questions.

books

Books

The New York Times bestselling author of The Geography of Bliss embarks on a rollicking intellectual journey, following in the footsteps of history’s greatest thinkers and showing us how each—from Epicurus to Gandhi, Thoreau to Beauvoir—offers practical and spiritual lessons for today’s unsettled times. We turn to philosophy for the same reasons we travel: to see the world from a dif­ferent perspective, to unearth hidden beauty, and to find new ways of being. We want to learn how to embrace wonder. Face regrets. Sustain hope. Eric Weiner combines his twin passions for philosophy and global travel in a pil­grimage that uncovers surprising life lessons from great thinkers around the world, from Rousseau to Nietzsche, Confucius to Simone Weil. Traveling by train (the most thoughtful mode of transport), he journeys thousands of miles, making stops in Athens, Delhi, Wyoming, Coney Island, Frankfurt, and points in between to recon­nect with philosophy’s original purpose: teaching us how to lead wiser, more meaningful lives. From Socrates and ancient Athens to Simone de Beauvoir and twentieth-century Paris, Weiner’s chosen philosophers and places provide important signposts as we navigate today’s chaotic times. In The Socrates Express, Weiner invites us to voyage alongside him on his life-changing pursuit of wisdom and discovery as he attempts to find answers to our most vital questions.

Eric Weiner

The Socrates Express

"Following your genuine intellectual curiosity is a better foundation for a career than following whatever is making money right now."

career

Career

Long term

Consciousness is the experiential quality of existence. It's whatever feels to be us. Consciousness operates with sensory inputs (images, sounds etc) ... but ultimately is a black box form a scientific point of view. But since each of this experience is fundamentally personal we can not build on it. What we do is equate existence with what we can explain with words, abstract concepts and so on. These are important but they are not an accurate representation of existence.

Consciousness is LIGHTS ON

We live with the delusion we are the authors of our thoughts. That there is a small dictator in our brain thinking stuff. However upon investigation thoughts seem to come up independent of a self. Subjectively though just emerge. "You don't pick your thought or opinions"Meditation & psychedelics (LSD etc) are tools to break this spell. With consistence practice it become clear that the real freedom begins once these attachment to identify with our thoughts is let go. You are not the originator of consciousness, you are consciousness. Consciousness is a mediator between "us" and the reality.

Breaking the spell of self with meditation & psychedelics

At the extremes consciousness can be a side-effect of information processing (neurons firing in our brain causing this feeling of "being me") or panpsychism, the idea that consciousness is fundamental to the structure of the universe (atoms are conscious).Sam Harris is agnostic on the scientific issue. However while the scientific approach has merits, he thinks our methodology is wrong. We tend to break reality into mind and matter, a Western division that (upon investigation) does not match our lived experience.

The sources of consciousness

Sam Harris didn't try DMT, mainly because he does look at its effects as psychotic. After ingestion (usually through smoking) people are "teleported" to the center of the universe where they claim to meet aliens or angels. This fundamentally different than an "acid trip" (LSD) where your openness to reality heightens.

Psychedelics vs psychotic drugs

Sam Harris's problem with general AI is that it might get to a level where a robot behaves like a conscious being. And since conscious is a scientific mystery still we will have no other option but to believe them. Because consciousness is an experience more than an explanation. Life is not a something that can be explained but something that needs to be experienced. So we might have perfect imitations of conscious behaviour but we have no way of knowing if that's real or not.

AI and Conscious Robots

Sam Harris thinks free will is an illusion. He combined scientific materialism or Buddhism non-dualism to reach this conclusion. The practical element is just that hate stops making sense: "If we cannot assign blame to the workings of the universe, how can evil people be held responsible for their actions? In the deepest sense, it seems, they can’t be. But in a practical sense, they must be. I see no contradiction in this." Harris argues that once we accept the truth of determinism, we’ll be less concerned about assigning blame and seeking retribution via punishment.

The illusion of free will & the futility of hate

2 slow talking people discussing deep topics 

Sam Harris is an author, podcaster, and philosopher. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – National Instruments (NI): https://www.ni.com/perspectives – Belcampo: https://belcampo.com/lex and use code LEX to get 20% off first order – Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lex and use code LEX to get 1 month of fish oil – Linode: https://linode.com/lex to get $100 free credit EPISODE LINKS: Sam’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamHarrisOrg Sam’s Website: https://samharris.org/ Sam’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNAxrHudMfdzNi6NxruKPLw PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: – Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best

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Health

podcasts

Podcasts

Conversations about science, technology, history, philosophy and the nature of intelligence, consciousness, love, and power. Lex is an AI researcher at MIT and beyond.

Lex Fridman Podcast

#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning

Consciousness, Free Will & Psychedelics with Sam Harris

Imagine growing up without words. You live in a typical industrialized household, but you are somehow unable to learn the language of your parents. That means that you do not have access to education; you cannot properly communicate with your family other than through a set of idiosyncratic gestures; you never get properly exposed to abstract ideas such as “justice” or “global warming.” All you know comes from direct experience with the world.

What Lack Of Language Practically Means

It might seem that this scenario is purely hypothetical. There aren’t any cases of language deprivation in modern industrialized societies, right? It turns out there are. Many deaf children born into hearing families face exactly this issue. They cannot hear and, as a result, do not have access to their linguistic environment. Unless the parents learn sign language, the child’s language access will be delayed and, in some cases, missing completely.

Lack Of Language Is Not A Scenario. It’s Some People’s Reality. 

Does our mind develop normally under such circumstances? Of course not. Language enables us to receive vast amounts of information we would have never acquired otherwise. The details of your parents’ wedding. The Declaration of Independence. The entrée section of the dinner menu. The entire richness of human experience condensed into a linear sequence of words. Take language away, and the amount of information you can acquire decreases dramatically.

Language And The Mind

The lack of language affects even functions that do not seem to be intrinsically “linguistic,” such as math. Developmental research shows that keeping track of exact numbers above four requires knowing the words for these numbers. Imagine trying to tell the difference between seven apples and eight apples. The task becomes almost impossible if you can’t count them—and you can’t count them if you never learn that “seven” is followed by “eight.” As a result of this language-number interdependency, many deaf children fall behind in math, precisely because they did not learn to count early on.

Language And Number Interdepedency

Another part of your mind that needs language to develop properly is social cognition. Think about your interactions with your family and friends. Why is your mom upset? Why did your friend go inside the house just now? Understanding social situations requires inferring what the people around you are thinking.

Language And Social Cognition

Ludwig Wittgenstein claimed that “the limits of my language mean the limits of my world”; So far, the evidence does suggest that the limits of our language mean the limits of our world. However, what happens if language disappears once the mind is fully developed? Will we then lose the ability to use math and understand others?

What If Language Is There And Then It Disappears? 

Imagine you are a typical adult; let’s say you’re 40. You wake up one day, and suddenly, you realize that your language is gone. You look around the room, but no words come to mind to describe the objects you see. You’re starting to plan out your day, but no half-formed phrases rush through your mind. You unlock your smartphone, but, instead of text, you see a sea of squiggles. Desperate, you cry out for help, and someone rushes up to you—but, instead of speech, all you hear is meaningless murmur.

Nightmare Scenario: You Wake Up And Your Language Is Gone

The condition described above is known as global aphasia. It arises from severe damage to the brain, often as a result of a massive stroke. While some aphasias are temporary, in some cases the damage is irreparable, and the person may lose language for life. In your case, let’s say that a dozen doctors examined you and said (or, you think they said) that nothing can be done. If the limits of your language mean the limits of your world, should you conclude that the way you experience the world is now fundamentally limited? Do you even have a mind?

Again, Not A Scenario. It’s A Reality, Called Global Aphasia. 

Research on adult individuals with aphasia has demonstrated that math, theory of mind, and many other cognitive abilities are independent from language. Patients with severe language impairments perform comparably to the rest of us when asked to complete arithmetic tasks, reason about people’s intentions, determine physical causes of actions, or decide whether a drawing depicts a real-life event. Some of them play chess in their spare time. Some even engage in creative tasks. Soviet composer Vissarion Shebalin continued to write music even after a stroke that left him severely aphasic.

Loss Of Language Doesn’t Equal Loss Of Mind

In recent years, neuroscientists have isolated a network of brain regions (typically in the left hemisphere) that react almost exclusively to linguistic input. They respond to written sentences, spoken narratives, words, monologues, conversations, but will not activate in response to memory tasks, spatial reasoning, music, math, or social situations that do not involve dialogue. No wonder many patients with aphasia do not have impairments in other cognitive domains—language and other functions are housed in separate chunks of brain matter.

Language Is Separate From The Rest Of Cognition

Many great thinkers have drawn a strong connection between language and the mind. Oscar Wilde called language “the parent, and not the child, of thought”; Ludwig Wittgenstein claimed that “the limits of my language mean the limits of my world”; and Bertrand Russell stated that the role of language is “to make possible thoughts which could not exist without it.”

Language And The Mind - The Writers’ Perspective

Not all writers support Wittgenstein’s and Russell’s idea that language and thought are inseparable. Tom Lubbock, a British writer and illustrator whose language system gradually deteriorated because of a brain tumor, wrote in his memoir shortly before his death in 2011:““My language to describe things in the world is very small, limited. My thoughts when I look at the world are vast, limitless and normal, same as they ever were. My experience of the world is not made less by lack of language but is essentially unchanged.”

Language And The Mind - A Language-less Writer’s Perspective

So, what can we say about the role language plays in shaping our minds? Well, pick a mind that is still developing, and you will find that removing language will alter it for life. However, pick a mind that is fully formed and take all words away, and you will discover that the rest of cognition remains mostly intact. Our language is but a scaffold for our minds: indispensable during construction but not necessary for the building to remain in place.

Once We Acquire Language, We Can Live Without It

Language is the dress of thought.

Language is what makes us human, what lies at the root of our awareness, our intellect, our sense of self. Without it, we cannot plan, cannot communicate, cannot think. Or can we?

Once we acquire language, we can live without it.

communication

Communication

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

Language Is the Scaffold of the Mind

Consumption is a hallmark of the Western world. The age of information is upon us, a time when everything is available in abundance. Companies hire large teams to create ads that force us to accumulate. Our attention is their oxygen. Practising Zen is going against the grain. It's saying no to advertisers and yes to ourselves. Zen advises living a simple existence in every domain, stripping each aspect of life to the essentials. Simple, intentional, purposeful, choose the definition that works best for you. The idea is to have what you consider enough and no more.

Simple Living

One has to find time to be alone with your thoughts and to sit quietly in nature.Zazen is a meditation practice that originates from Zen and is a chance to sweep the detritus from your mind.Zazen is the art of becoming aware of your thought patterns and bringing yourself into a state of inner peace.The Method: First we assume the correct posture, next we focus on our breathing, and finally we steady our mind. Once we arrange all three of these things, then we begin to practise zazen.Try sitting zazen: empty your mind and allow your thoughts to float up and then drift away.

Zazen Meditation

Munen muso is the act of retaining a clear mind throughout each activity. A clear mind is the best way to approach all tasks in life. By cultivating munen muso, we become less distracted by outside elements and more attentive to our inner dialogue.Another way to say it is just mushin, or ‘clear mind’. You empty your mind and do not let it settle anywhere or wander. This allows you to focus on what needs to be done now, without worrying about all the other things in your life. It is a teaching that demonstrates the amazing power available to us if we can achieve a clear mind.

Munen Muso: Clear Mind

The three poisons in Buddhism are greed, anger, and ignorance. Buddhism views them as the root of suffering that prevents us from reaching enlightenment. Irrespective of whether you are a Buddhist or not, we all would benefit from minimizing these negative emotions.When we are afflicted with greed, once we acquire whatever it is we desire, we are still left wanting more. Anger makes us enraged by the slightest things, and once it is provoked, we take it out on others. Ignorance is a state of foolishness: we are heedless of common sense or knowledge and lacking in education.

The Three Poisons

Life is about compromise. If you fuss over black and white, you miss out on the beauty of grey. Buddhists don’t think in terms of black and white. Some things are white, some are black, and in between are various shades of grey. This broad-minded spirit is at the heart of Buddhism, and it has a lot to do with how it took root in Japan.Things don’t need to be defined as right or wrong, black or white. Instead of coming down on one side or the other, a compromise may be the best way.

Avoid Black and White Thinking

Zen emphasizes becoming mindful of the present moment. Using your breath as an anchor can help clarify this concept, which can seem ambiguous at first. As humans, we can only physically live in the present moment; allowing our minds to dwell elsewhere is useless.

Be Here And Now

You will live a happy life if you can find gratitude in your ordinary days. If you must chase desires to feel joy, you will live a life of turmoil.Whether our lives are magnificent or wretched depends upon our ordering of daily details. We must organize the details into a composition that pleases us. Only then will we have meaning in our lives.

Be Grateful For Ordinary Days 

Wanting more leads to suffering. Consider whether you really need an item before purchasing it. Treating ourselves is an essential part of living a healthy life. But there must be a balance between the endless tunnel of human desire.Knowing how much is enough is about finding satisfaction in what you already have. Human desire is endless. Once we acquire one thing, we desire ten of them. And when we acquire ten things, we want a hundred. Even though we know we don’t need it, we cannot rein in our desire. Once engulfed by these feelings, there is no way to satisfy ourselves.

Knowing When To Stop Your Desire

The Japanese term wabi-sabi means finding beauty in imperfection. Being satisfied with the way things are. Perfection is unattainable; if you desire this to be happy, happiness will elude you.

Finding Beauty And Satisfaction in Imperfection

You must think for yourself. Do not construct life from shallow perspectives or opinions but rather from deep consideration. We are often picking these up unconsciously from those around us. Instead, we should always question the thoughts of others before adding them to our mental arsenal. Be aware of the differences between your experiences and learnings. Direct experience should not be confused with theoretical knowledge.Within here lies the distinction between knowledge and wisdom. You can transfer learnings to experiences through action.

Knowledge and Wisdom

Make Time For EmptinessMaking time for not thinking about anything – that is the first step towards creating a simple life.Pare Down Your BelongingsIn your head, picture a scene with a water element, and allow your mind to linger there. These gardens are truly representations of our mindset free.In the course of your everyday shopping, before you acquire something new, give some thought to whether you really need it, and take another look at what you already have. Acquiring lots of things isn’t freedom.

Living simply means, for instance, that the mug you use every day for coffee is a mug that you really like – one that you take good care of and that you will use for a long time. Acquire only good things that will truly be needed. A lifestyle of simplicity is the fundamental practice that will hone the mind.

Minimalism

The act of thinking derives from the concept of sitting quietly. Humans are not capable of thinking while we are moving. We have only one mind, and when our mind is focused on movement, it is difficult for us to engage in profound thought. Even if you try thinking while you’re walking, it will always end up being about something practical, such as work arrangements or what to cook for dinner. Deep contemplation about absolute truth in the world or the meaning of life is not something that can be accomplished while in motion.

Just Sit Quietly

The quiet practice of zazen releases in the brain the neurotransmitter serotonin, which functions as a mood stabilizer and has been shown to be effective in countering depression. Zazen can provide the therapeutic effect of boosting serotonin to the brain without the need to take medicine.Once the brain is in a relaxed state, your blood vessels also gradually relax, improving your blood flow. This spreads warmth throughout your body.

Don’t Think Of Unpleasant Things Right Before Bed

The ability to live with a free mind, accepting things for what they are. This is the way of life that has come to be idealized.The monk and famous tea master Sen no Rikyū coined the phrase ‘seclusion in the city’. It is this model that explains why teahouses in Japan are always set a slight distance away from the main building.A place where you can disconnect from other people and spend time by yourself. A place in nature where you can regain mental freedom. A few moments of seclusion can illuminate the path forward.

Make Time To Be Alone

Anxiety is intangible.Anxiety: where does it actually exist? Inside your mind.There is no need to be troubled by things that have not yet happened. Think only about what is happening right now.Almost all anxieties are intangible. They are the invention of your own mind.

Don’t Be Troubled By Things That Have Not Yet Happened

People who do their best to enjoy what is before them have the greatest chance to discover inner peace. Often, whatever it is they are enjoying – the thing before them – has the potential to turn into an opportunity.In anything, the hard part is just to keep going.‘The work I’m doing now is my true calling.’ Whoever can say this is very fortunate.You can start something as long as you have the energy. Finishing, too, is easy. The hard part is just to keep going. If you tell yourself, day in and day out, that something is wrong for you, then how will it ever be right for you?

Take Pleasure In Your Work

The empty state of not thinking about anything is not easy to achieve. Even practising monks find it difficult.But when you look back over your days, you find moments when you’ve achieved it unconsciously.Ideas or sparks actually emerge from the empty spaces within your mind – from the gaps between your thoughts.To increase the chances of teasing out those ideas from between the gaps, cherish the time when you’re not thinking about anything.

Every So Often, Try To Stop Thinking

When we wake up in the morning, right away we turn on the computer and check our email or we read the news on our phone and look up the weather.We live in a time of constant information, available any time and anywhere. But in such a world, we have all the more reason to maintain proper on and off switches.This is why distinctions are so important. Try erecting gates in your mind.

Create Boundaries

Good fortune brings with it more good fortune. Misfortune attracts further misfortune. All the more reason to make a proper start.The opposite is true with misfortune. Once you take a step into misfortune, you can get caught in a downward spiral. When you feel as though things aren’t going well, try scolding yourself in a loud voice.Cut off misfortune when it begins. And make sure to take advantage of good fortune. That is the secret to a good life.

Make A Proper Start

When you’re uncertain, simplicity is the best way to go.There is a Zen saying about samadhi, the state of intense concentration achieved through meditation: Ichigyo zanmai. It means ‘Strive for just one thing.’Rather than branching out into this, that and what-have-you, focus your attention on just one thing. This is the way to gain satisfaction and fulfilment. And, of course, if what you really crave is omuhayashi, then that is the thing to get.

Think Simple

The essence of Zen is in the beauty of simple things. There is beauty to be found in things that are stripped of everything that is unnecessary and that is without ornamentation.Recognize the luxury of not having things.An appreciation of things is an appreciation of yourself.Even though you already have a computer, when the latest model is released, suddenly you want it. Although you’ve had your car for only three years, you’re eager to replace it with a newer one. Desire feeds upon itself, and the mind becomes dominated by boundless greed. This is not happiness.

Don’t Let Things Go To Waste

Consider the things that surround you now. Develop an appreciation for them. There is something specific that connects you with them, a reason why you acquired them. Take good care of them; treat them like they are the best things.Think of the things that are connected to you as parts of yourself. It’s rare to find someone who does not care about themselves; once you acquire something and begin to take care of it, a love for it will spring up. What is most important is your attitude towards the things that belong to you.

The Beautiful Things Your Already Have

By emptying our mind, we enable a state of nothingness. In the world of Zen, we call this mushiryo, or ‘beyond thinking’. It refers to a state in which we retain nothing within ourselves.Clear your head and look up at the sky – you will see the shifting clouds. Empty your mind and listen actively – all around you are the various interwoven sounds of nature: the singing of small birds, the wind rustling fallen leaves.Take in as much of this natural world as you can. By doing so, you will notice that you, too, are a part of nature.

Try Clearing Your Head

A state of utter clarity, uncomplicated by desire or any attachments – that is the state of ‘nothingness’.The Buddha teaches that human suffering occurs when we lack awareness of this impermanence and insubstantiality.Our confusion and worry stem from an inability to accept that the world is constantly changing, from a belief – or an unconscious hope – that our selves and our possessions, as well as the people who surround us, will never change.

Accepting Change

In both gardens and interpersonal relationships, what is paramount is harmony.Japanese gardens are not designed by cutting and pasting various components on to the landscape. The whole garden is composed in a way that makes the most of each element’s particular features, such as the shape of a rock or how a certain tree bends.What does it mean to make the most of an element in a garden?Let’s say that a garden will have several trees in it. We cannot simply plant the trees and be done with them. It’s important to identify the ideal shape of each tree.

Focus On Others’ Merits

There is a saying that originates in Zen: ichi-go ichi-e, or ‘once in a lifetime’. It means that we should treasure each and every encounter, because we may meet a person only once in our lifetime.This is not to suggest that we should increase the number of encounters we have or that we should have more friends. Concentrate on a single encounter, and build a meaningful relationship. What’s important is not the number of your connections, but their depth.

Deepen Your Connection With Someone

Don’t be too rushed or too relaxed.There is a saying in Japanese, sottaku doji, which means, literally, ‘pecking simultaneously from the inside and out’.It is used to describe what happens when a chick is hatching from its egg: the first part refers to the chick and its pecking from inside the shell; the second part, to the response of the parent bird when it hears the chick and it pecks to help the chick emerge.

Fine-tune Your Timing

Interpersonal relationships can be complicated. No matter how hard you try, it’s difficult to be open-minded towards everybody. Even monks at a Zen temple do not always get along. There’s no need to tell yourself, ‘I’m going to try to get on well with this person,’ or ‘I’m going to get to know this person better.’Being attached to the notion of getting along or being friends with someone will hinder you. You will get caught up with not wanting to be disliked. This only creates tension.

Give Up The Need To Be Liked By Everyone

Words are important.But it is more important not to be swayed by words.At work or in social situations, there may be times when we find ourselves hurt by words that are directed at us. Even though someone may intend to be encouraging, the person on the receiving end can hear their words as cruel or harsh. A single word from a colleague can pierce like a dagger.Try freeing yourself from attachment to things. Do not be attached to words, either. Even when your interactions with someone are strained, do not be attached to the relationship. Try putting it at a distance.

Detach From Words

One hundred people will have one hundred different ways of reasoning or making judgements. Instead of having a gain-or-loss mentality and thinking in terms of whether someone is useful, consider someone’s suitability or compatibility. Doing so will relieve a lot of the pressure on your relationships.The more you try to accumulate money, the more it gets awayThe strange thing about money is this: the more attached we become to it, the more it eludes our grasp. Instead of thinking about money, we should concern ourselves with our higher purpose.

Beyond Gain And Loss

Life is full of fortune and misfortune, but cherish being alive, every single day. Life will pass you by.

We are born into this world, and then we die. These are simply two sides of the same experience. In other words, just as we contemplate how to live, we should contemplate how to die.If you were told that your life was going to end in six months, you would probably give a considerable amount of thought to how you wanted to spend that time. But what if it was only a month? A week? What if your life were to end tomorrow?We must do our best not to squander this ‘blink of an eye’ that has been given to us.

Contemplate How To Die

A comprehensive look at the essence of eastern philosophy.

Relax and find happiness amid the swirl of the modern world with this internationally bestselling guide to simplifying your life by a Japanese monk who embodies the wisdom of Zen. Drawing on centuries of wisdom, renowned Zen Buddhist priest Shunmyo Masuno applies the essence of Zen to modern life in clear, practical, easily adopted lessons--one a day for 100 days. Discover how: * lining up your shoes after you take them off can bring order to your life * putting down your fork after every bite can help you feel more grateful for what you have * spending time barefoot can strengthen your body * planting a flower and watching it grow can teach you to embrace change * going outside to watch the sunset can make every day feel celebratory. In Zen: The Art of Simple Living, you will learn to find happiness not by seeking out extraordinary experiences but by making small changes--to what you do, how you think, how you interact with others, and how you appreciate the present moment. With each task, you will open yourself up to a renewed sense of peace and inner calm.

Drawing on centuries of wisdom, renowned Zen Buddhist priest Shunmyo Masuno applies the essence of Zen to modern life in clear, practical, easily adopted lessons - one a day for 100 days. Discover how Lining up your shoes after you take them off can bring order to your life. Putting down your fork after every bite can help you feel more grateful for what you have. Spending time barefoot can strengthen your body. Planting a flower and watching it grow can teach you to embrace change. Going outside to watch the sunset can make every day feel celebratory. In Zen The Art of Simple Living, you will learn to find happiness not by seeking out extraordinary experiences but by making small changes - to what you do, how you think, how you interact with others and how you appreciate the present moment. With each task, you will open yourself up to a renewed sense of peace and inner calm.

Shunmyo Masuno

Zen: The Art of Simple Living

Zen: the Art of Simple Living

Nagging, repetitive thoughts are the engine for music like Selena Gomez’s, “Back To You” and movies like Jason Segel’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Once the pesky feelings start, they’re hard to stop, and suppressing them just exacerbates the problem.Instead of rejecting thoughts after they arrive, we can prevent them from getting there in the first place.Reactive control can be particularly problematic because thoughts are self-reinforcing. People can partially preempt this process if they want to ensure that this thought comes to mind as little as possible.

Unwelcome Thoughts

Although people could not avoid unwanted thoughts, they could ensure that thinking about an unwanted thought does not increase the probability of it coming to mind again. Fighting your mind’s natural associations could help you win a game of <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1111/taboo">Taboo</a> or prevent you from dwelling on a harsh breakup whenever you hear a crooning Taylor Swift song.some psychiatric diseases inhibit a person’s ability to control intrusive thoughts. The experiments and models could highlight the neural pathways that hinder thought control in clinically diagnosed patients.

Fighting With Repetitive, Destructive Thoughts

Scientist recently found that people can’t avoid unwanted thoughts, but they can limit how unrelenting they become.

mentalhealth

Mental Health

Research Suggests How to Prevent Unwelcome Thoughts

Inner turmoil can cause debilitating effects on someone’s well-being and relationship with life.We cannot universally define what makes life worth living or what makes people healthy because humans are complex, dynamic, intricate creatures. What is true for one person may not be true for another.

A search for how to live a healthy life

<ul><li>Research in positive psychology tells us work, love, play, and service to others make life worth living.</li><li>A Canadian psychologist writes that the answer is either nothing, religion, happiness, or a combination of work, love, and play.</li><li>According to the Reno Gazette, faith is the answer.</li></ul> The common theme in these answers is inconsistency. Each person who wants to provide an answer will come up with their own unique explanation.

Considering what makes life worth living

Researching what makes people healthy breaks down to social factors, environmental factors, and genetic factors.  Answers to what key pieces need to be in place to live a life free of inner turmoil run in every direction with no singular answer. Perhaps wellness exists more in what we don’t do than what we are striving to find.

Key pieces that need to be in place to live a life free of the inner turmoil

What Determines Our Well-Being?

Nothing […] is a better proof of a well ordered mind than a man’s ability to stop just where he is and pass some time in his own company.

You ask: what is the proper limit to a person’s wealth?First, having what is essential, and second, having what is enough.

Certainly you should discuss everything with a friend; but before you do so, discuss in your mind the man himself.After friendship is formed you must trust, but before that you must judge.

[P]eople who never relax and people who are invariably in a relaxed state merit your disapproval - the former as much as the latter. For a delight in bustling about is not industry - it is only the restless energy of a hunted mind. And the state of mind that looks on all activity as tiresome is not true repose, but a spineless inertia.

Let our aim be a way of life not diametrically opposed to, but better than that of the mob. Otherwise we shall repel and alienate the very people whose reform we desire; we shall make them, moreover, reluctant to imitate us in anything, for fear they may have to imitate us in everything.

Philosophy calls for simple living, not for doing penance, and the simple way of life need not be a crude one […] One’s life should be a compromise between the ideal and the popular morality.People should admire our way of life but they should at the same time find it understandable.

Cease to hope, and you will cease to fear […] Fear keeps pace with hope […] both belong to a mind in suspense, to a mind in a state of anxiety through looking into the future. Both are mainly due to projecting our thoughts far ahead of us instead of adapting ourselves to the present. Wild animals run from the dangers they actually see, and once they have escaped them they worry no more.

You ask me to say what you should consider particularly important to avoid. My answer is this: a mass crowd […] When a mind is impressionable and has none too firm a hold on what is right, it must be rescued from the crowd: it is so easy for it to go over to the majority.

A single example of extravagance or greed does a lot of harm […] what then do you imagine the effect on a person’s character is when the assault comes from the world at large? You must inevitably either hate or imitate the world. But the right thing is to shun both courses: you should neither become like the bad because they are many, nor be an enemy of the many because they are unlike you. Retire into yourself as much as you can. Associate with people who are likely to improve you. Welcome those whom you are capable of improving. The process is a mutual one: men learn as they teach.

Cling […] to this sound and wholesome plan of life: indulge the body just so far as suffices for good health. It needs to be treated somewhat strictly to prevent it from being disobedient to the spirit […] Reflect that nothing merits admiration except the spirit, the impressiveness of which prevents it from being impressed by anything.

The ending inevitably matches the beginning: a person who starts being friends with you because it pays him will similarly cease to be friends because it pays him to do so.If there is anything in a particular friendship that attracts a man other than the friendship itself, the attraction of some reward or other will counterbalance that of the friendship.

The wise man, Chrysippus said, lacks nothing but needs a great number of things, whereas the fool, on the other hand, needs nothing (for he does not know how to use anything) but lacks everything. The wise man needs hands and eyes and a great number of things that are required for the purposes of day-to-day life; but he lacks nothing, for lacking something implies that it is a necessity and nothing, to the wise man, is a necessity.

One’s physical make-up and the attributes that were one’s lot at birth remain settled no matter how much or how long the personality may strive after perfect adjustment. One cannot ban these things any more than one can call them up. The tokens used to portray embarrassment by professional actors […] are a hanging of the head, a dropping of the voice, a casting down of the eyes […]; a blush is something they can never manage to reproduce; it is something that will neither be summoned up not be told to stay away. [These things] are quite independent; they come unbidden, they go unbidden.

Epicurus said ‘We need to set our affections on some good man and keep him constantly before our eyes, so that we may live as if he were watching us and do everything as if he saw what we were doing’.So choose someone whose way of life as well as words […] have won your approval. Be always pointing him out to yourself either as your guardian or as your model. There is a need, in my view, for someone as a standard against which our characters can measure themselves. Without a ruler to do it against [we] won’t make the crooked straight.

A philosophy that saw self-possession as the key to an existence lived 'in accordance with nature', Stoicism called for the restraint of animal instincts and the severing of emotional ties. These beliefs were formulated by the Athenian followers of Zeno in the fourth century BC, but it was in Seneca (c. 4 BC- AD 65) that the Stoics found their most eloquent advocate. Stoicism, as expressed in the Letters, helped ease pagan Rome's transition to Christianity, for it upholds upright ethical ideals and extols virtuous living, as well as expressing disgust for the harsh treatment of slaves and the inhumane slaughters witnessed in the Roman arenas. Seneca's major contribution to a seemingly unsympathetic creed was to transform it into a powerfully moving and inspiring declaration of the dignity of the individual mind.

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

'It is philosophy that has the duty of protecting us ... without it no one can lead a life free of fear or worry' For several years of his turbulent life, in which he was dogged by ill health, exile and danger, Seneca was the guiding hand of the Roman Empire. This selection of Seneca's letters shows him upholding the ideals of Stoicism - the wisdom of the self-possessed person immune to life's setbacks - while valuing friendship and courage, and criticizing the harsh treatment of slaves and the cruelties in the gladiatorial arena. The humanity and wit revealed in Seneca's interpretation of Stoicism is a moving and inspiring declaration of the dignity of the individual mind. Selected and translated with an Introduction by Robin Campbell

Lucius Annaeus Seneca (often known simply as Seneca or Seneca the Younger); ca. 4 BC – 65 AD) was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero, who later forced him to commit suicide for alleged complicity in the Pisonian conspiracy to have him assassinated.

Seneca

Letters from a Stoic

Competitive advantage fades away faster than any time in recent memory. In the 1980s, if you had a performance edge over your competitors, you could reasonably expect to continue being a leader for around 10 years, on average. But now the half-life of that advantage has shrunk to just one year. That means that short-lived success is actually still very common, but sustained success becomes very hard and very rare. That means that, actually, reimagination is the new execution. In order to stay on top, or even just to tread water and stay still, you need to constantly reimagine your business.

Reimagination Is The New Execution

But reimagination is not so simple if you already have a highly successful business model. We become prisoners of the mental models that underpin our past success. In fact, Martin Reeves found in dealing with businesses that you can’t really stretch your strategy unless you stretch your mind.Now play is of course a great way of stretching your mind. Reeves is not suggesting literally that executives huddle around a conference table with a big pile of Lego bricks, for example; instead he’s created a series of imagination games to help executives to stretch their thinking.

Business Play - The Imagination Games

Let’s suppose that you’re stuck in the rut of seeing the world through the lens of your past and current success. Reeves would recommend the “Anti-Company Game,” and here’s how it works. You get a piece of paper, you create a list of everything which is essential to your strategy - everything which underpinned your past success, everything which is core and sacred - and then you flip it. You create the exact mirror-image list of assumptions, and then you make the best business case for this antiself. You’ll be surprised at the ideas that it triggers.

Game 1: The “Anti-Company Game”

You’re the CEO of a hotel chain. Inconveniently, you don’t actually own any hotels or any rooms or even operate any hotels or any rooms anywhere. Ridiculous - quite possibly - but actually, how would you know the difference between ridiculous and the merely unfamiliar, untried and uncomfortable? Actually, had the executives of hotels played the “Anti-Company Game” before 2007, they might have been able to foresee the appearance of Airbnb, the hotel-less hospitality company, and they might have been able to stave off disruption by preemptively disrupting themselves.

The “Anti-Company Game” Example

On the edge of your industries - on the edge of every industry - are a population of maverick companies that are taking a bet against the incumbents’ business model and their view of the future. Actually, they have no choice because to be a miniature version of the incumbent would not be viable. Now, it’s easy not to notice them - many of them are small companies. It's easy to deliberately overlook them with some justification. Many startups disappear fairly quickly after being founded. And it’s very, very tempting, given all of your experience in the business, to judge them.

Game 2: The “Maverick Game”

Play is spontaneous and pleasurable but, more importantly, it accelerates and derisks learning. When we’re kids, it helps us to try out new behaviors, to refine those behaviors and to imagine what is not but what could be or what will be. Martin Reeves, a business strategist dealing with adults, argues that, in fact, play in business is not just possible: it’s essential and even urgent. Here’s why.

To thrive in today's competitive economy, you need to constantly reimagine your business. So what's the secret to sustained success? Strategist Martin Reeves makes a pitch for embracing play to spark innovative business ideas -- and invites you to try out a series of imagination games that he uses to get leaders to stretch their thinking and dream up new possibilities.

The Business Games: Why Play is Essential for Business

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