Kunal Profile picture
Aug 23, 2020 11 tweets 3 min read Read on X
The broader impact of this change on society would be interesting.

I'd highly recommend reading Tao Te Ching. It will help you appreciate the beauty of this cultural shift.

Some loose thoughts follow. <thread>
I'm personally going through this shift and it has been cathartic.

My previous frame was very achievement-oriented.

I used to think that it was important to have a strong self-narrative.. a strong why... a story that motivates you.
But when you do that, you're chasing an external ideal

You think there's a destined place out there and once you get to it you'd have truly arrived.

You pick certain goals based on how you've been conditioned by others (parents/society/twitter).

This actually hampers your ability to be yourself and truly immerse in the moment.

Here's a relevant excerpt from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Image
Also, even from an achievement point-of-view, if you use creativity as a means to an end (money/status), you'll never reach the heights you're capable of.

Creativity is its own reward.

Someone would rightfully point out the impact of "having a mission" on productivity and motivation.

But if you truly loved the process, you'd face little internal resistance.
I'd recommend reading this article by
@patrick_oshag -- Growth Without Goals (investorfieldguide.com/growth-without…)

He lays down this idea in a perfectly pragmatic way.
A part of me still thinks that wealth is a worthy goal. Especially with the possibility of being able to achieve it in the 2nd quarter of your life.

The process will expose you to a lot of experiences, people, and important lessons.

More importantly, It will give you freedom.
Similar to how investing time in taking care of your health will give you more freedom (mental and physical) later in your life.

It can't be denied that escaping the 9-to-5 will drastically improve the quality of your life.
Maybe I'm not correctly assessing the "costs" associated with this pursuit.

Or maybe this is somewhat of a false dichotomy and you can still work towards some goal without sacrificing presence (can you?).
I'm still putting it all together, but the ideas I've discussed above have definitely created a fundamental shift in my perspective.

Hope it gives you something to think about.

Would love to hear your thoughts.

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More from @kunaaaaaal

Jun 10, 2021
When I first came across Metta (loving-kindness) meditation, it seemed very... woo? wishy-washy?

I looked it up on YT, and it basically involved cultivating loving emotions towards yourself and others

"Yeah, this doesn't really look like meditation, seems forced and artificial"
It did not fit my preconceived notions of what "meditation" should be like. So I dismissed it.

A couple of years later, I saw John Vervaeke discuss Metta in his brilliant lecture series. And it woke me up to what Metta is actually about.

Dr. Vervaeke offers an existential interpretation of Metta.

He says love is not an emotion or feeling, it's an existential mode. It's a way of being. It's a way of knowing and being known. It's a commitment to a way of life with someone.
Read 9 tweets
Mar 6, 2021
Understanding Anger (𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍)

Anger is a misunderstood emotion. Society often paints it in a negative light. And there's a sense of shame attached to feeling angry.

But there are no wrong emotions. Every emotion provides us valuable information and guidance. [1/13]
Anger is our body's adaptive mechanism to make us aware and respond to an unmet need.

The need could be concrete — like a promotion, a relationship, or more money. Or it could be abstract — like the need to be understood, or the need to be respected.
An unmet need could also reflect a sense of injustice. Something is wrong, according to your values, and you need to make it right.

Anger acts as a stimulant. It causes a rise in dopamine levels, flushes the skin, and increases the heart rate.
Read 14 tweets
Jan 3, 2021
Doing Nothing (𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍) — On building a better relationship with your self
Trust is one of the fundamental prerequisites for love.

So if we're striving for self-love, we first need to be able to trust ourselves. And trust is built on truth.
Now we can't really lie to ourselves. It's not possible to simply make yourself "believe" something, especially if your mind knows it's not the truth.

But we can obfuscate the truth. We are naturally brilliant at self-deception, at bullshitting ourselves.
Read 12 tweets
Oct 18, 2020
We are all narcissists — A (𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍) on overcoming the need for external validation
"Don't worry about what other people think" is useless advice (well-intended though).

Try this — don't think of a pink rhinoceros. Were you successful?
Deliberate attempts to suppress certain thoughts only make them more likely to surface.

When you tell yourself "stop thinking about X!", the mind monitors all your thoughts and brings anything that revolves around "X" to your awareness.

This is called the Ironic process theory.
Read 28 tweets
Sep 27, 2020
How Meditation Alters the Brain (𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍)

Here's how meditation changes the brain — structurally and functionally
For a long time, I dismissed meditation as spiritual woo-woo.

How could closing your eyes and focusing on your breathe or thoughts or whatever make any difference?

To my "rational" (and ignorant) mind, it made no sense.
Sometime last year, I read up on the science of meditation. And it made me feel stupid for ignoring it all these years.

So for over a year, I've meditated almost daily. I'm not going to talk about the (life-changing) benefits I've experienced. Because your mileage may vary.
Read 25 tweets
Sep 19, 2020
How to Hack Willpower (𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍)

We know what we need to do to get where we want to.

We know the things that we need to avoid and cut out.

But when it comes to making things happen, we often fail to follow-through and give in to our temptations.
We fail to win these battles because in that moment we lack the required willpower to overcome the resistance.

Imagine what your life would look like if you had the ability to avoid all distractions and check off everything on your to-do list.
You wouldn't be a slave to your urges and feelings.

You'd be able to prioritize the things that are truly important to you.

You'd have freedom in the true sense.

But we can't just think our way into increased willpower. It's not a question of "mental grit".
Read 35 tweets

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