Write something
Pinned
Oct '24 •
This is Water by David Foster Wallace – The Water We Choose to Swim in!
“The most important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about.” In the speech - which would later become known as "This Is Water" - Wallace introduces his argument by using a parable about two young fish swimming along. An older fish passes by and asks, “How’s the water?” The young fish swim on for a bit, and then one turns to the other and asks, “What the hell is water?” Arrogance This anecdote serves as a metaphor for our blindness to the most fundamental aspects of our lives. Wallace explains that we are often oblivious to the mental and emotional "water" we swim in—our default settings that dictate how we interpret and react to the world. One of the most treacherous aspects of this default setting is arrogance. Wallace shares a story of an atheist and a religious man discussing the former’s near-death experience. Both view the event through their own lenses, each arriving at vastly different conclusions. Wallace’s point here is that “blind certainty” can imprison us without our knowledge. When we become trapped by our arrogance, we are incapable of seeing the world from other perspectives. Reject Your Default Setting Wallace then expands on the concept of the “default setting,” which he defines as the unconscious belief that we are the center of the universe. This egocentric perspective can turn mundane experiences—like navigating traffic or standing in line at the grocery store—into sources of frustration and misery. The power of rejecting our default setting lies in choosing to see these everyday annoyances differently. When we choose to recognise the humanity in others, when we choose to see a crowded store not as a hassle but as an opportunity to practice patience and empathy, our experience shifts dramatically. This is not about suppressing negative feelings but about acknowledging them and choosing a more intentional response. Find True Freedom The final lesson Wallace offers is perhaps the most profound: true freedom comes from mastering the power of attention and awareness.
Pinned
Jul '24 •
Is this world good? (3 mins)
"Do you think this world is good?" As I was winding down for bed last night, I received the above text message from my good friend and I thought to myself, 'That's a pretty vague question.' Here's the response I sent: "I would ask for a definition of 'this world' and 'good' but I’ll give it a go anyway. I think the average person walking by you on the street is nice and pleasant and kind and helpful if they can be. I think that people generally lean selfish in a way that makes total sense, but averages out to many decisions going for the guy in power and against the little guy, until you end up like we are today. I think that the world is the world. I can’t apply good or bad to the ecosystems and wildlife. I saw a butterfly land on a flower earlier and that was nice, but on Tuesday I saw a grey squirrel pounce from a branch and slash a pigeon minding it’s own business scattering feathers into the wind - which happened to be blowing in my direction - and that was less nice. I think that the universe is massive, we’ll amount to very little 'in the grand scheme of things' but I think that’s not our job. I think we’re supposed to do our best and live a good life by whatever standards we deem, and some people agree to the standards I hold and some people don’t and that’s OK - and important to remember. I think good and bad are awkward words to describe anything, because the full context of a thing or a person or an event is often obscured before the judgement making process, and after the initial judgment is made the mind hardens to that 'fact'. You can't teach a man that which he thinks he already knows. I think I’m good, until I’m bad by accident and sometimes, even worse, on purpose. I think you’re good, because I don’t know what capacity you have to be bad. I think a stranger walking up to me is bad because I don’t know the capacity they have to be good. I think good can be done by bad people, and bad done by good. I think it’s nuanced in a way that is not satisfying but very human.
Pinned
Jul '24 •
The Library
I want to build a platform which provides free and accessible resources to everybody and anybody who seeks it. I don't pretend to be speaking to anyone but myself right now, but when the time comes please introduce yourself, share your interests and vote on the content you'd like to see.
Poll
4 members have voted
29d •
23
“Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.” I turned 23 today. Here are 23 lessons I learned to live by: 1. God is Good. 2. The Good is The Way, The Truth and The Life. 3. Be a force for good. 4. Know my heart by the fruits I produce. 5. To whom much is given, much is expected. 6. Push the heaviest boulder up the steepest hill. 7. Don’t take myself too seriously. 8. Be. Don’t stress myself too much on what I don’t have. 9. Travel and adventure. 10. Knock and the door WILL open, seek and I WILL find. 11. Honour my parents so that my days are long. 12. My dad is the only man who wants me to do better than him. 13. My mum is the only woman who loves me unconditionally. 14. Love is just the choice of patience and kindness. 15. Love is not envious or boastful, or arrogant, or rude. 16. Never shy away from giving an encouraging word. 17. Never shy away from expressing gratitude. 18. Giving is better than receiving. 19. I need a family, I need friends, I need an intimate partner, I need to be part of a wider community, I need a career, I need to educate myself, I need to push myself mentally and physically, I need to use my time outside of work meaningfully. 20. My life is my average Tuesday. 21. I need a life so rich in meaning that it justifies it’s suffering 22. Live life so at the end of it, you can say “that was so hard… but it was worth it.” 23. A golden heart that’s still remembered is worth more than a crown.
Aug 15 •
I Can Only Take Action When It’s Easy
I’ve spent a lot of time imagining what I’ll do once everything lines up, once the timing’s right, once I feel ready, once the pieces are in place. It’s not even that I believe success should be easy. Just that, somehow, I’ve always expected it to feel easy when it’s time. Like I’ll know. Like I’ll slide right into it without resistance. But that day never comes. Not really. There’s a part of me that only wants to move when things are smooth and light and exciting. As soon as effort or uncertainty shows up, I feel myself pulling away. I try for a bit, just enough to say I tried. Then I quit. I reframe. I tell myself that wasn’t the right path anyway. It’s not that I don’t want things. I do. But the moment they start to cost something - time, pride, focus - they stop feeling like a dream and start feeling like a burden. And that’s when I start rationalising my way out. Sometimes I don’t even realise I’m doing it. I’ll blame my circumstances, the people around me, the structure of the world. Sometimes the excuses can even sound logical, like I’m just waiting for a better opportunity or trying to do things “the right way.” But underneath all of it is just fear. I don’t want to commit to something unless I know it’ll work and I want proof before I begin. I can't put a part of myself at risk without some kind of guaranteed reward. So instead I cycle through plans. I talk about them. I make notes. I fantasise about the moment when everything clicks, usually in some dramatic way, like being thrown into a situation where I have to act. Where it’s sink or swim. Where failure would at least be honest. Imagining how well I would do in a world that forces my hand, like a zombie apocalypse, because then I wouldn’t have to choose - then I wouldn’t have to feel like I was the one stopping me this whole time. There’s a part of me that finds comfort in that idea, the fantasy of being forced to rise to the occasion, because if I die, at least I die trying, and if I win, I prove something to myself. But real life doesn’t work like that. No one’s coming to force my hand.
0
0
1-30 of 96
Suggested communities
Powered by