Chapter Content
Okay, so, you know, getting rid of these, like, self-imposed limitations, right? And, uh, actually seeing the world as it is. It's something I've been thinking about a lot.
Our sense of self, it's really molded during our development, you know? Especially those first twenty years, it's, like, critical. Things like your upbringing, your parents, society, all that jazz, it all shapes you. And then, as adults, we spend, like, our whole lives chasing happiness, wanting that self to be fulfilled. And, well, when anything new comes along, that self is always asking, "How can I, like, change the world, tweak it, so it's more in line with what I want, what I expect?"
But, you know, there's that saying, "Wanting is suffering, not wanting is happiness." It's kind of intense, but, uh, it really makes you think.
Like, these habitual behaviors, they're everywhere, right? You run into problems all the time. You're not gonna treat every single one like it's the first time you've ever seen it. So, as you solve these problems, you develop, well, habits. And we tie these habits really tightly to our self-perception, our self-identity, our self-awareness, and we end up really dependent on them. It's like, "I'm me, and I always do this."
Now, obviously, some habits are good, some are bad, right? And to keep growing, a huge part of it is, well, breaking those conditioned responses, getting rid of the bad ones. You really gotta analyze yourself, figure out how each habit formed. Ask yourself, "Okay, maybe I picked this up when I was little, trying to get attention. And I reinforced it, you know, over and over. Is it even helpful now? Does it make me happier? Healthier? Does it help me with my plans, my goals?"
Personally, I'm not, like, super habitual. I don't really plan out my days. I mean, I *do* have some habits, but, well, they're mostly intentional, you know? Not just stuff that I accidentally picked up along the way.
Any label, really, like "former Democrat," "Catholic," "American," it's just a collection of beliefs, ideas, and identities. We should, I think, be skeptical and re-evaluate everything from, like, first principles.
I try to avoid those pre-conceived notions. I really think that dividing into camps, labeling things, it restricts you, it clouds your vision, makes it harder to see the truth.
To be truly honest, you gotta let go of your identity when you're expressing your views.
I used to think of myself as a liberal, but then I realized I was defending positions without really thinking about them, just 'cause they were part of the liberal package. You can't just have a stance without a reason. If all your beliefs fit neatly into some "ism" or some school of thought, you really gotta question them.
Identifying with anything, at any level, creates these, like, "stable beliefs," right? And I don't like that. It gets in the way of independent thought.
We all have beliefs that are, like, a little out there, you know? Beliefs that aren't really accepted. But the more our identity, our tribe, rejects those beliefs, the more likely they are to be true, actually.
And you know, in the long run, experiencing pain, that's really a required course. It gives you two big things. First, it helps you accept the world as it really is. And second, it can really, really change you. Even though, you know, it's super rough.
Like, say, an athlete gets seriously injured, right? It's awful, obviously. But they gotta accept it. Gotta realize that, well, sports aren't everything. Being an athlete isn't their whole identity. Maybe they start studying philosophy and become a philosopher instead, you know?
Facebook's always redesigning. Twitter's always redesigning. Personalities, careers, teams, they all need to be redesigned, updated, too. In a system that's always changing, there's no one-size-fits-all solution, no permanent fix.