Although this is a broken record response to writing you've previously shared, I'll continue. My deep dive into the human condition began with harari's sapiens but gained direction after reading Wright's moral animal soon after. I then moved into Stoic philosophy and world religion self-teaching and realized Stoicism and Buddhism had much in common. During this learning I attempted to understand the 2016 presidential campaign and its outcome by picking up a book you may have heard of, The Righteous Mind by some moral philosophy professor who collaborates with generally awesome people. With lessons from Righteous mind along with Gurri's book, I entered 2017 with an informed worldview that provided relative clarity about how the election went as it did and why people became unhinged in both directions. Later that year Why buddhism is true confirmed my priors. Not long after, I was sufficiently prepared for a particularly unfun episode of major depression since my depressive realism enhanced cognition while undergoing CBT provided obvious context for the direct line through Buddhist, Stoic, and CBT teachings.
An interesting take, that social media can be part of a meditation practice ... I think there is truth there. I did do a very intensive vipassana meditation course in a forest monastery outside of Chang Mai a long long time ago where indeed one learned to not get caught up with anything that wasn't permanent - which is nothing according to Buddhism - like thoughts and physical feelings and instead just simply observe so as to know. Went in maybe aware of 5% of what was going on in my mind, coming out now maybe 85% aware of the actual world in and out of my head. I still remember my first sight coming out of the monastery: seeing a car. It was like seeing one for the first time but this time REALLY seeing it: they are a trip!
I don't know if that is where I gained my ability to not get ruffled by most things - my wife and kid get frustrated when I never take offense at anything! - but I'm sure it up'd my game tremendously.
There are so many ways to go down THIS rabbit hole of thinking such as entertaining Apollo's no. 1 maxim, Know Thyself, or Jesus's, "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free," or focusing on the need for epistemology humility for being able to make it by the intimidation and possible humiliations involved with weathering, nee embracing, nee calling out for, elenchus, that is refutation, which is necessary to pursue truth via socratic dialectic...
I also think of how 'detachment' (if really done correctly I think it can actually enable one to 'attach' to what is actually real; as CS Lewis believed, instead of conquering our desires they can be blessed by that which is actual Truth, capital T) can help achieve the observatory state whereby one can avoid getting infected with rudeness and therefore not pass it on. I've never agreed with the author of the article linked to below that, "Unfortunately, unlike the flu, there currently is no known inoculation for this contagion," the contagion that enables the spreading of rudeness, for there is indeed one and that is consciousness, actually knowing what is going on in front of and in you as you encounter the world and the world encounters you. Knowing you are getting, 'infected,' is the first step in not letting it happen.
I myself call this ability, in this context, Love, for that is what loves does, it observes, notes, listens and tries to understand what others are saying, doing etc. but here, again ala CS Lewis, it does it out of a desire, a blessed desire, to not take the offenses thrown at one by supposed enemies, but instead to, 'turn the cheek,' let the offenses fly on by and not infect you and instead, with your attention, love the infected so as to heal them.
Lots of material to ponder when one observes, particularly when one correctly, actually, observes.
"Rude Behavior Spreads Like a Disease - Scientists study the contagion of obnoxiousness"
... okay, now I'm ready to wade back into the world of social media, the storm that challenges our consciousness; the world that offers so much samsara to get caught up in. Unless! ....
This was one of the first books I read on meditation and it really helped my skeptical, science-minded brain get a handle on why I should meditate. Now it's a daily practice that has seriously improved my mental health and I'll be thinking about this fascinating view of social media all day!
Although this is a broken record response to writing you've previously shared, I'll continue. My deep dive into the human condition began with harari's sapiens but gained direction after reading Wright's moral animal soon after. I then moved into Stoic philosophy and world religion self-teaching and realized Stoicism and Buddhism had much in common. During this learning I attempted to understand the 2016 presidential campaign and its outcome by picking up a book you may have heard of, The Righteous Mind by some moral philosophy professor who collaborates with generally awesome people. With lessons from Righteous mind along with Gurri's book, I entered 2017 with an informed worldview that provided relative clarity about how the election went as it did and why people became unhinged in both directions. Later that year Why buddhism is true confirmed my priors. Not long after, I was sufficiently prepared for a particularly unfun episode of major depression since my depressive realism enhanced cognition while undergoing CBT provided obvious context for the direct line through Buddhist, Stoic, and CBT teachings.
An interesting take, that social media can be part of a meditation practice ... I think there is truth there. I did do a very intensive vipassana meditation course in a forest monastery outside of Chang Mai a long long time ago where indeed one learned to not get caught up with anything that wasn't permanent - which is nothing according to Buddhism - like thoughts and physical feelings and instead just simply observe so as to know. Went in maybe aware of 5% of what was going on in my mind, coming out now maybe 85% aware of the actual world in and out of my head. I still remember my first sight coming out of the monastery: seeing a car. It was like seeing one for the first time but this time REALLY seeing it: they are a trip!
I don't know if that is where I gained my ability to not get ruffled by most things - my wife and kid get frustrated when I never take offense at anything! - but I'm sure it up'd my game tremendously.
There are so many ways to go down THIS rabbit hole of thinking such as entertaining Apollo's no. 1 maxim, Know Thyself, or Jesus's, "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free," or focusing on the need for epistemology humility for being able to make it by the intimidation and possible humiliations involved with weathering, nee embracing, nee calling out for, elenchus, that is refutation, which is necessary to pursue truth via socratic dialectic...
I also think of how 'detachment' (if really done correctly I think it can actually enable one to 'attach' to what is actually real; as CS Lewis believed, instead of conquering our desires they can be blessed by that which is actual Truth, capital T) can help achieve the observatory state whereby one can avoid getting infected with rudeness and therefore not pass it on. I've never agreed with the author of the article linked to below that, "Unfortunately, unlike the flu, there currently is no known inoculation for this contagion," the contagion that enables the spreading of rudeness, for there is indeed one and that is consciousness, actually knowing what is going on in front of and in you as you encounter the world and the world encounters you. Knowing you are getting, 'infected,' is the first step in not letting it happen.
I myself call this ability, in this context, Love, for that is what loves does, it observes, notes, listens and tries to understand what others are saying, doing etc. but here, again ala CS Lewis, it does it out of a desire, a blessed desire, to not take the offenses thrown at one by supposed enemies, but instead to, 'turn the cheek,' let the offenses fly on by and not infect you and instead, with your attention, love the infected so as to heal them.
Lots of material to ponder when one observes, particularly when one correctly, actually, observes.
"Rude Behavior Spreads Like a Disease - Scientists study the contagion of obnoxiousness"
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/rude-behavior-spreads-like-a-disease/
... okay, now I'm ready to wade back into the world of social media, the storm that challenges our consciousness; the world that offers so much samsara to get caught up in. Unless! ....
I didn’t know that I was a « cool cat »
This was one of the first books I read on meditation and it really helped my skeptical, science-minded brain get a handle on why I should meditate. Now it's a daily practice that has seriously improved my mental health and I'll be thinking about this fascinating view of social media all day!
Love this book. Truly transformational for me!
PS - Also, really good as an audio book. Not to be mean, but they picked a much better narrator for it than if Wright had done it
Sounds like the Borg.