how we live>what we live

i started reading Phil Jackson’s book, Sacred Hoops, which he distills his coaching philosophy at the intersection of Zen Buddhism, Native American philosophy, and a deep sense of knowing. so so so so interesting.

gems of the week

list of things ive discovered and wanted to share

• a deep dive into the recent rise of fascism across the globe

• a conversation: phil jackson and rick rubin

  • two old wise dudes spitting fax for 2 hours+

• An Evening with Silk Sonic

  • one of the best albums ive listened to in a long time.

armaan’s thoughts

• wow. music is fucking incredible. hands mold clay the same way music molds the soul.

• calmness is the key. feeling anxious is okay, but realize the anxiety rarely makes you better at doing whatever you’re doing.

• drugs are a window into someone’s soul.

1 reflection

the body holds a wealth of wisdom.

monkeys walking on feet have existed for over 6 million years.

• homo sapiens, you and i and everyone else’s version of “monkeys on feet” have existed for around 300,000 years.

• the first appearance of writing was around 5000 years ago.

• first mass scale civilization started around 4,500 years ago.

take these numbers with a grain of salt, but homo sapiens existed for about 295,000 years without writing. without written transferrance of knowledge of the mind.

yet how many of us live in the mind today?

how many of us fling from tiktok to youtube to instagram, filling our mind with concepts and information?

how many of us study financial markets or human biology, cramming facts and ideas into our skulls until 3 am?

how many of us are ruthlessly obsessed with information, drilling podcasts, lectures, and mounds of notes into our neurons?

its hard to argue that in the 21st century, we are professional mind-livers.

we love the mind. we bask, bathe, and breathe in the world of ideas and concepts.

but ideas are fleeting.
information is temporary.
concepts are replaced by new concepts.

and ultimately, this obsession with the mind and data has estranged ourselves from our bodies.

yet our bodies have existed for HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of YEARS more than this obsession with data. listening to the body predates listening or reading to the mind.

recently ive listened to my body a bit more. 
cultivating silence to hear when my body is hungry, when it wants to sleep, when it yearns for a conversation with someone, or when it simply wants to pick up a book.

listening to within, to the motions of my heart and muscles and eyes and arms and all those cells in between. and when i stop fighting my body - whether it be those pesky hunger signals or gargantuan fears, when stop fighting my body and start acting with it, life is better.

living in the mind is fun. really fun. but longterm, you’re just a monkey with a brain. monkey comes first. biology is real. so don’t forget it.

listen to within.

the body holds wisdom.

see yall soon.

bye. :)

thanks for stopping by.

love you.

share this with a friend if you enjoyed it.

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appreciation

music. especially that silk sonic album

THANK you for reading, you’re the best, and I love you oh so dearly.

Find me on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and more(all @armaan.ajoomal). Share this with a friend if you found something cool, and I’ll see you in a bit