self improvement vs self discovery, condoms, and more

self-improvement vs self-discovery.

self improvement is a weird thing.

it seems to come from a place of lack. of “i’m not enough therefore i must improve myself and become more valuable”.

i’m not anti-capitalist, but i wonder how much of self-improvement stems from a capitalist, value/efficiency based worldview.

forget about that for a sec, but to think you’re always lacking and need to be better to be loved. that’s the “self improvement” mindset.

it’s inherently flawed. it says YOU are not enough and NEED to become better.

f that.

im trying to go on that self-discovery wave. i don’t need to be better. i just be.

3 quotes, 2 questions, 1 story/rant related to philosophy to help u live a happier, more peaceful life :)

3 Quotes

“all great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning” - albert camus

”an artist is no good unless he is obsessed and possessed” - henry miller

“laugh, and the world laughs with you. weep, and you weep alone” - Oldboy(2003)

2 Questions

“what could you do today that would make at least 1 person’s day better?”

“What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love?” - tim ferriss

(please reply with answers)

1 rant

our beliefs are like fire.

they provide warmth, comfort, and light in a puzzling world.
however, when gasoline is poured on them and they become too strong,

they devour everything,

leaving charred bits of hope not even vultures could peck at.

here’s the issue with our society:

we cling to beliefs like puppies to their owner.
every time someone challenges our beliefs, we erupt in a fiery pit of rage.

we yell and scream and shout on twitter.
write hit-pieces and exposes in news outlets.
and throw tantrums like children in a toy store.

all because we tie up our beliefs with our identity.

no, beyond identity.
with our sense of being.

of existence.

our beliefs are our bedrock of being.

billions of individuals cling to “God” and religion.
so much so that we’ve started wars and killed billions over it.

so called “intellectuals” and “academics” put science aboe all, claiming it o be some prophet heralded from the Cosmos!

and don’t even get me started on new-age spirituality and all that.

none of these belief systems are inherently right or wrong.
they’re just troublesome.

troublesome when you accept them as undeniable truth.

Camus talks about this in the notion of Philosophical Suicide

the complete acceptance and clinging to any set of beliefs or behaviors in order to quell Existential Angst or Uncertainty ultimately limits the human experience.

ok that’s a lot, let’s back up.

why do we cling to beliefs?

humans hate uncertainty.
we dislike chaos. a lot.
thus, we cling to beliefs that bring order and meaning to a chaotic world.

essentially, we put a condom over the penis of our mind, protecting it from the ills of the outside world.

this rids us of uncertainty and angst surrounding the mystery of life.
but it also shuts us off.
it shuts us off from the inquisitive nature of the human.

and without this part of the mind that is curious and embraces new ideas, we die.

we stop growing.
we stop expanding.
we stop living.

and we descend into beasts.

fueling polarization wars and bullshit in-group vs out-group dynamics.

we fight and yell and bicker and bitch.
we do anything to prevent human cooperation to create a better world.

what gave our human ancestors advantages on the African Savannah hundreds of thousands of years ago?

cooperation.
banding together.

how the hell can we band together and cooperate in the 21st century if we’re constantly bitching about!

we have lost sight.

lost sight of the fact that the usefulness of beliefs comes from their consequences.

and right now, the human desire for certainty and clinging of beliefs has created a blanket of darkness.

we have embraced suffering, tragedy, and disease in the name of clinging to beliefs.

a malaise of the mind, not from food or drink, but intolerance.
don’t think you’re so right that no one else could be right either.

oftentimes, the opposite of a good idea is another good idea.

Thanks for tuning into Philosophy Fountain :)

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