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>> You will NEVER have the energy that the people whom you compare with have. Because they are being themselves, and are connected to the natural wellspring of
by swatkat 12y ago
>> You will NEVER have the energy that the people whom you compare with have. Because they are being themselves, and are connected to the natural wellspring of motivation that comes from genuine interest, while you are the salmon swimming upstream, aping societal ideals and trying to be someone you are not.
>> Almost no one takes my advice because it's so threatening to be natural. What if you are not naturally ambitious? That's a horrific thought to have while being in the company of achievers, isn't it?
Awesome. Yes, this is pure Jiddu Krishnamurti. Basically, comparison causes conflict, conflict causes anxiety, anxiety causes fear, and fear makes mind dull. There's no intelligence where there's fear. Key here is to eliminate comparison. I keep reminding myself often :)
- thegreatpeter 12y ago>Basically, comparison causes conflict, conflict causes anxiety, anxiety causes fear, and fear makes mind dull. There's no intelligence where there's fear. Key here is to eliminate comparison. What a great quote
- sbhere 12y agoAgreed. Upvote.
- diminoten 12y agoI disagree with it. The fires of conflict forge the deepest bonds. I find I don't end up being comfortable with someone until we've argued about something. One of my favorite ways to become friends with someone is to find something we disagree on and debate it.
- otakucode 12y agoThat particular sort of disagreement is underlaid by much more fundamental agreement. If you did not share a tremendous amount with the person, such a debate would not be possible. Debate is not a competition in situations where the participants agree upon the fundamental means of determining truth, it is a collaboration. All participants are attempting to reach the truth through contributing facts and reasoning. A conflict would be if one person was of the belief that truth is determined by the intuitive feeling of correctness and another believing it to be determined by rational soundness and correspondence with reality. In that case, neither can contribute anything which helps the other person reach understanding, giving rise to competition.
- kmjnhb 12y agoIt's like a cross between "Fear is the mind-killer" from Dune, and something Yoda would say. And to actually add something useful to the discussion, I'll add that I think the key to dealing with fear, and distressing emotions in general, is not to try to get rid of it, but to learn to function effectively in it's presence. Sometimes fear is a valid response, and should be respected. A lot of the time, fear is not a useful response. Sometime, when fear isn't seen for what it is, when I'm acting out of fear but not aware of it, fear can be quite destructive. Check out "Things Might Go Terribly, Horribly Wrong" (http://www.amazon.com/Things-Might-Terribly-Horribly-Wrong/dp/1572247118/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?s=books http://www.amazon.com/Things-Might-Terribly-Horribly-Wrong/d...), as well as almost anything from Pema Chodron.
- discreteevent 12y agoYes of course it is very important in some situations. "To survive in grand prix racing, you need to be afraid. Fear is an important feeling. It helps you to race longer and live longer." - Ayrton Senna.
- dominotw 12y agoOh wow I was not the only one thinking about Jiddu K while I was reading OP's post.
- dankohn1 12y ago> Basically, comparison causes conflict, conflict causes anxiety, anxiety causes fear, and fear makes mind dull. Unfortunately, I can report that I have done all of my best work in my career when I was extraordinarily anxious, feeling like I was holding to the side of the cliff with just my fingernails. Whenever things have started to get too comfortable, I found that hubris has disrupted my successes. It's a sad thought, but I see absolutely no reason to believe that the natural state of humanity is to be happy (or, more specifically, content). The Environment of Evolutionary Adaptiveness [0] seems like a pretty harsh place, and that's also where I've found most brains function best. [0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_psychology#Environment_of_evolutionary_adaptedness http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_psychology#Environ...
- eloisant 12y agoThe question is not really what the "natural state" for humanity is to be happy, but what would you choose? Would you rather be happy or productive?
- lgas 12y agoIf I had to pick just one, I guess it would be happy. But I choose both. Fortunately for me I am happiest when I am productive, so it works out.
- pdiddy 12y agoProducing a happiness revolution would be the most productive thing I can imagine and being happy is a good first step.
- miloshadzic 12y agofalse dichotomy alert
- nallurirr 12y agoHow come Happiness and Productivity have become opposite things. Why there is no happiness in Productivity ? Can an unhappy person be truly productive, not just doing some thing mechanically and painfully ?
- rbrady 12y ago>> comparison causes conflict, conflict causes anxiety, anxiety causes fear, and fear makes mind dull Am I the only one who read this in Yoda's voice?
- 0xdeadbeefbabe 12y agoI read it in Grovers voice, dang it.
- logfromblammo 12y agoNo. No, you are not.
- jrs235 12y agoHere's a light-hearted and humorous read / perspective. The Underachiever's Manifesto: The Guide to Accomplishing Little and Feeling Great (Affiliate Link): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007C17AJE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007C17AJE&linkCode=as2&tag=j02-20&linkId=H3YMEDTCWPBDCLQ3 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007C17AJE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=... (Non-Affiliate Link): http://www.amazon.com/Underachievers-Manifesto-Accomplishing-Little-Feeling-ebook/dp/B007C17AJE/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1428508886&sr=1-1&keywords=underachievers http://www.amazon.com/Underachievers-Manifesto-Accomplishing...