Some of Kevin Kelly’s life advice

Source

When you forgive others, they may not notice, but you will heal. Forgiveness is not something we do for others; it is a gift to ourselves.

Efficiency is highly overrated; Goofing off is highly underrated.

Your growth as a conscious being is measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations you are willing to have.

Nothing beats small things done every day, which is way more important than what you do occasionally

What you do on your bad days matters more than what you do on your good days.

Getting cheated occasionally is the small price for trusting the best of everyone, because when you trust the best in others, they generally treat you best.

Habit is far more dependable than inspiration. Make progress by making habits. Don’t focus on getting into shape. Focus on becoming the kind of person who never misses a workout.

Our descendants will achieve things that will amaze us, yet a portion of what they will create could have been made with today’s materials and tools if we had had the imagination. Think bigger.

Rather than steering your life to avoid surprises, aim directly for them.

Podcast notes – Ralph Waldo Emerson on self-reliance: “Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds”

Topic: Ralph Waldo Emerson
Philosophize This podcast

Way to gain access to truth is to turn inwards
Deepest connection is through our own human experience

Emerson published Self Reliance in 1841 – between Revolutionary War and Civil War
America was a baby country then
Call to action to American citizens

Was enemy of dogma, “imitation is suicide”
You sacrifice your life and your unique contribution when you just copy or imitate others
Educate broadly, but trust thyself

Offers alternative morality around the thinking individual
Why do external sources of wisdom are not sources of enlightenment?

3 TRAPS where we lose self reliance

ONE – trap of Conformity – conform to demands of society
Become a “virtuous person” which is defined by society
Society’s primary goal is to get you to stop thinking for yourself, that’s what “maturity” means
Eventually your conformity becomes cowardice
People around you don’t get to see the real you, you don’t offer your unique talents and views to the world
Think of the time you waste sharing or agreeing with views that aren’t yours
True non-conformity must come from turning inwards

TWO – trap of Consistency – society expects us to stay consistent
Society has expectations around our consistency of beliefs (eg, dislike politicians who change their views)
If something is true, it should be just as true tomorrow as today
But individuals are volatile and change all the time
“Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds”
Inconsistency / changing views is often sign that person thinks for themselves, a sign that they may be more connected to truth
Like a boat changing course in the wind – moving closer to its destination, but to observers, may seem haphazard and wasteful
“Dare to be inconsistent” – no great thinker in the world was considered great for adhering to status quo – they seemed constantly misunderstood, like Jesus, Socrates, Newton – to be great is to be misunderstood
However, it’s easy to be non-conformist while sitting in basement and talking to no one

Our own individual intuition is where we should all start – power of intuitive knowledge
Emerson was a Deist, didn’t believe in a God who involves itself in human affairs
Transcendentalism – every part of universe is connected to every other part
“Oversoul” (similar to concept of God)
People who pay attention, observe closely, will get closer to the truth, connect closer to the Universe, to the Oversoul

Thought of himself as a poet, not a philosopher

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Finis! Published here because it’s a departure from my usual crypto / NFT notes which are shared on twitter

Male ants are useless – excerpts from EO Wilson

All ants you see at work, all that explore the environment, all that go to war (which is total and myrmicidal) are female. Adult male ants are pitiful creatures by comparison. They have wings and can fly, huge eyes and genitalia, and small brains. They do no work for their mother and sisters, and have only one function in life: to inseminate virgin queens from other colonies during nuptial flights.

At first, most serve as attendants of the queen mother and her brood, from eggs to larvae and through pupae to newly emerged adults. Next they engage more in nest repair and miscellaneous other internal tasks. Finally, they become prone to service outside the nest, from sentinel to forager, to guard, to warrior. In a nutshell and put more plainly, where humans send their young adults into battle, ants send their old ladies.

Source: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZTTV17B/