The world is full of secrets, and it may appear that the world has been fully understood with no boundaries left to explore. There’s the seeming disappearance of a frontier, and the ubiquity of modern technology that allows the transmission of everyday dumb voices (me). It seems like there’s a million different ways to live your life. I don’t think I really grew up with a role model. I’ve never really idolized anyone. Either the person I listened to slowly became a fraud, or I outgrew their advice, or I just clicked on the next video essay offering a glimpse into the person I could become.

When someone offers you their philosophy, it makes sense to give it some thought before you use it to overwrite your entire life. Think about the person saying it. Are they the kind of person you want to become in 20 years? Think about your life now. Are you in a position to really take advantage of that idea? Advice is always case by case, yet it always feels like the shit people say online should be added to the ever-growing list of how to be perfect. Use what works for you, apply relentlessly, and learn something about yourself.

Balance is for losers?

Obsession culture is huge these days. Stop being enchanted by the idea of throwing away your life and your loved ones in pursuit of a single goal. To be honest, this 100% works for some people. But you must consider that the people willing to do this might just be different. Do you even have the capability to throw all those things away? Would that advice get you what you want? Stop blindly applying things because David Goggins said it over motivational music.

That’s the obsession pitch. Here’s what nobody shows you in between. Life is mundane. I see videos all the time giving people generic advice, and in the background it’s some guy working out, preparing for a sporting competition, or straight up on vacation. I don’t see a lot of videos showing some guy epically reading a book, going crazy in a cubicle, or putting together an enchanting data room for investors. Look, obviously it’s supposed to be eye-catching, and the algorithm rewards flashy, motivational content that energizes you for a grand total of 5 seconds that earns your likes. I just think it’s misleading, and now I’ve blocked any kind of scrolling app. As a result, I have fewer 5-second moments of euphoria, but I’m also way more consistent in my motivation.

Failing in public

Some of you love to disappear and come back a menace. You don’t want anybody seeing your failures. We imagine ourselves as butterflies completing metamorphosis in a cold, dark room that nobody sees. But caterpillars only transform in the spring, when all the other animals have emerged from winter. If locking in away from society truly gives you unprecedented results, then you should do it. If instead it makes you overly isolated and lonely, you have learned something about yourself, and now that trend of going away for a few months doesn’t apply to you. You should experiment, you should fail, and you shouldn’t hide it away.

Think on your own

Again, use what you can and use what works. Constantly ask yourself if someone told you the truth; be a skeptic. Maybe the person benefits from your ignorance. Think about what they’re not saying.

So, this is why I’m going to begin doing deep dives on pieces of philosophy that guide specific parts of my life. Everything should be well justified: the position of the author, the author themselves, and how their writing fits into my life right now. I don’t know if I would ever do long video essays; those always feel like they’re intellectualizing too much. I’m going to keep my writing short and sweet, and focus on results-driven philosophy rather than philosophy evaluated on the basis of its arguments. I guess I’m hoping my level of thought is the right amount of thought for me.

I’m not writing from a position of success. If anything, I’ve only recently graduated from a consumer to a doer, but I intend to continue doing by putting my thoughts into the world. Not so you could read and learn, but so I put my thoughts out publicly, justify them, and own any and all consequences of holding them. After all, I’ve always thought that I think too highly of my own thoughts, but when it comes down to it, I can’t defend any of it in my own words.

Thank you for reading this brain dump.