Yesterday I introduced the distinction “look with fuzzy eyes” on the Feelings webinar.

Words are tricky. You think you understand them, and you think that everyone hears the same meaning when they hear it. They don’t… maybe ever!

The main problem with the Tree of Knowledge: we learn our world through words, instead of experience.

And you end up delusional, making mistakes, and never happy.

This is the main reason for unhappiness. The words create an illusion of being reality… but they aren’t… and moreover the inner map of reality they create is vastly different from reality itself. Continue reading “Yesterday I introduced the distinction “look with fuzzy eyes” on the Feelings webinar.”

Could reading Charlie Munger’s favorite books be considered being mentored by Charlie Munger?

Could, reading Charlie Munger’s favorite books be considered being mentored by Charlie Munger? 1 Or how to learn to do what people did through reading what they read… So you can do it too. So you can see what they saw.

People with humility and success quote a lot. They know where their views, where their knowledge comes from. And their knowledge is deep, instinctive driver of actions. Not book knowledge, not Trivial Pursuit knowledge. NOT Tree of Knowledge.

I read eclectically. The next few books that are on my list now come from Charlie Munger’s suggestions.

He sees things I don’t. He has wisdom I don’t. What he reads has something to do with it. How he reads, how he thinks… He says: “Becoming rational is a slow, arduous process.” You need to build up to developing that skill. Most of us have very small capacity to use our brains. But it can only be grown like a sculpture. So most don’t even start.
Continue reading “Could reading Charlie Munger’s favorite books be considered being mentored by Charlie Munger?”

The other sculpture method of creating your life, creating your Self

I have been testing a theory that 5-15 minutes of doing something, every day, is more effective than taking one two-hour class a week.

So I’ve taken on learning Hebrew. On a website called Duolingo.com.

I had to learn typing in Hebrew, and I had to learn a bunch of grammar, a bunch of words. Without memorizing. Without really much effort. 2

The secret is to not miss a day. After a missed day it is hard to go back to an activity. The first week I did all my sessions at the end of the day, just before I went to bed. But even then I could put in my 5-10 minutes. It’s been 19 days.

  • First off: it’s satisfying. I have an experience of myself that is pleasant. A feeling that I am growing. That I am not living an empty life… hm… interesting.

Continue reading “The other sculpture method of creating your life, creating your Self”

Approval Addiction: the main symptom of no self, no core, no courage

Statistics show that nearly 100% of the population is addicted to the approval of others, yet few of us are aware of it. And for average person with modest goals, it doesn’t really matter.

The problem arises when an ambitious person decides to build a career, business or pursue dream that requires substantial exposure to rejection. Studies show that over 80% of these people abandon their ambition within the first 12 months due to the pain of daily disapproval.

This is how Approval Addiction shatters dreams.

Approval addiction comes from the misunderstanding and the distortion of what the Tree of Life need, the need to meet the expectation of others tells you. Continue reading “Approval Addiction: the main symptom of no self, no core, no courage”

Another missing piece of the healing puzzle…

chicory-endiveI learned something today. It’s a big catch. And instead of being ashamed… I am happy. Because we can all get better because of it.

I don’t know about you, but I am always surprised when I learn something new. What there is to know rarely show up as something that is missing… and most of my reading rarely results in substantial learning.

But today, I learned two major things… What a day, eh?

One I can share about, the other: I am in the middle of it, so I’ll share once I have made it instinctive part of my life.

This one, the one I can share, is about digestion and well-being.

Before today I had never heard about prebiotics. Or if I did… I must have pooh-poohed it. Just like you pooh-pooh (to express disdain or contempt for; dismiss lightly) many of the things I write… lol. Continue reading “Another missing piece of the healing puzzle…”

Human survival need: Meeting the expectation of others

reason to kill, reason to steal, reason to hateBefore I get into defining what this need is doing, and what is the extent of it, I’ll tell you what may be in your way…

In the movie Sling Blade, the main character is asked in an interview, just before he is released from prison: “Will you kill again?” He answers: “I don’t reckon I have a reason to…”

This is when you know he will…

Animals don’t kill their kind… or not often. And never from anger. Continue reading “Human survival need: Meeting the expectation of others”

Afraid to make a mistake?

incoherenceThis past week almost all and every input scrambled my mind. Made me incoherent. Made me restless, and I ended up tired with nothing to show for my feverish-feeling brain activity. I even continued the activity when I slept… or when I couldn’t sleep, like last night.

Familiar? I bet it is.

You can only move forward if and when you are coherent. 3
Coherence is akin to driving a four-horse carriage… it’s powerful, and it goes where you want it to go. Continue reading “Afraid to make a mistake?”

Lack of humility that causes you not to learn

A fresh look at lack of humility… the lack that causes you to not be able to learn new things

I am reading a book that says: the purpose of life is survival.

It is clear that the purpose of the selfish genes is survival. Not the vehicle (for a human gene the vehicle is a human body) but itself. The gene. Long and short term survival. The gene actually doesn’t care whether that survival is noble, enjoyable, fun. None of that. Just survival long enough to produce another generation of vehicles.

The human vehicle, because of its consciousness, desires quality of life, liberty, and self-determination… the list is probably a lot longer, but the human vehicle, you, definitely considers a life without those not worth living. Not a life for a human. The history of humanity could be told through the struggle, resignation, stagnation, loss, of those values. From freedom to overt slavery to hidden slavery… this is where we are now.

So I am going to look at the issues that hold my students back through that distinction: survival. If what I find is true about my students, it is probably true for other people… as well, maybe even you…

So, the question is: how does lack of humility serve survival… or the illusion of survival? After all an individual’s ability to survive increases greatly by learning new things… and yet.

Continue reading “Lack of humility that causes you not to learn”

When the teacher needs to do the work for herself: climbing the Tree of Life

I listened to step two 4 of the 67 steps, I think, the seventh time three days ago, and then again yesterday.

The step is about evolution. Growth. What it takes to grow… personally. It’s also about being adaptable, it’s about adapting.

Adapting is very hard. Why? Because part of adapting is to say no to what you have been saying yes to.

So it is complete upset, confusion, fear, uncertainty, and personally, it feels to me that death would be preferable. That is my 50% TLB speaking.

I always bring the example of climbing the ladder, but it is not how it feels. It feels really jumping. And when both feet are in the air, you don’t know where you are going to land.

I am seeing that in every area of life all the yes’s I am saying are keeping me the same, and I am terrified of saying no to them and saying yes to something else.

It started with my health.
Continue reading “When the teacher needs to do the work for herself: climbing the Tree of Life”

I don’t feel like writing an article today…

 

I don’t feel like writing an article.

It feels like unless I am careful, I am slipping into a depressed state. This happens around Daytime Savings Time… I get confused and sleep too much. And the body decides that it’s time to go into hibernation.

I have been able to stop this process every time for the past few years… so I am confident that I’ll be able to come back fast.

But this post, instead of an article, will be a few links… links to stuff I found useful reading.
Continue reading “I don’t feel like writing an article today…”