The Introverted Thinker Newsletter #014
Why I've been struggling recently, discussing a poetic essay about nature I read, and an essential Ted Talk.
Hey everyone,
If I’m honest with all of you here, I’ve been heavily struggling with motivation these last two weeks and not really feeling like myself.
Mentally and emotionally especially, I’ve been going through a rough patch, like I’m sure we all do at times. In reality, I know what I have to do to get back on track and back to being the best version of myself again, and I’m working on that.
Struggling with motivation and energy is normal. I guess I’m telling this to you all to show that just like you, I am a person who deals with issues like anyone else. And it may be hard to see this being someone you most likely don’t know much about apart from the fact I send you an email once a week.
I’ve been externally looking for solutions to my volatile emotions when I should be looking internally. Introspective reflection is the only way you can be at peace with yourself and your current life state, and I am now applying this realization so I can get to a better place.
Tomorrow (Monday) is a fresh start, a new week, a new opportunity to start the week off on the right foot, and most importantly, a new week to carry on being the best version of yourself.
Anyway, here’s a short thought I had whilst I was down in the dumps about a depressing philosophy called ‘Defeatism’. I’ll be sure to send a banger of my writing next week.
I’ll be applying some changes to the structural layout of the newsletter next week with some new features.
A Ludicrous Philosophy That Gained More Recognition Than It Deserved
We humans like to think of ourselves as rational, intellectual beings, who have a strong grasp of reality. Well, this is true to some degree. Throughout history, obscure thinkers have risen from the ground putting forth ludicrous theories that leave someone with a rational thought process utterly perplexed.
Philosophy is perhaps the most commonplace for this to happen. This is because philosophy is a subjective, personal pursual and navigation of what it means to exist. Philosophy, unlike science or math, has no objective truth. It’s down to the individual to interpret their existence how they want, and from their own unique ideas, come up with ideas that they feel are sufficient.
Why Defeatism Is Wrong
This nasty nihilistic outlook is absurd in every manner, it’s the type of thought process that can lead to the demise of individuals, the stagnation of society, and the emergence of depression as a baseline emotion.
Otherwise known as Pessimism as Schopenhauer preferred to call it, Defeatism is “the acceptance of defeat without struggle, often with negative connotations.” Its often linked to pessimism in psychology.
Now, think about this for a second. Defeatism in its principle is basically after the undermining of all positivity that society as a vehicle can produce, it’s blunt-edged sword is desperation in itself. In my opinion, damaging beliefs like these can be dangerous if they gain too much support.
It’s of utmost importance that as humans, we carry out our duty to contribute to the good that exists in this world. It’s categorical in nature. Optimism is the answer, not a fatalistic view that renders you dead inside.
If you are however interested in looking into this, Arthur Schopenhauer has all sorts of cynical and depressing essays that highlight the pinnacle of this defeatist attitude.
A Beautiful Book I Read Last Week
Where I Lived, and What I Lived For by Henry David Thoreau
I picked this book up in one of the oldest second-hand book shops in Edinburgh last week for a bargain of £2.50 (with a student discount).
Now, I don’t know if you know this, but American Transcendtalism is probably my favourite philosophical movement, which is why I am such a fan of Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson as philosophers.
There is something about Transcendentalism that speaks to me on such a deep level, and I’m ashamed to admit this is the first proper essay I’ve read from Thoreau, but it was way better than I was expecting.
Firstly considering it was written in the mid 1800’s, the language is so accessible and easy to understand. Secondly, the accounts of his time spent living in Walden pond for two years are poetic in nature and inspiring to say the least.
I’ve always pictured myself iving in a forest like Thoreau did, and the accounts inspire me even more. Here’s a few quotes:
“The morning wind forever blows, the poem of creation is uninterrupted; but few are the ears that hear it.”
“There are none happy in the world but beings who enjoy freely a vast horizon.”
“All memorable events, I should say, transpire in morning time and in a morning atmosphere. The Vedas say ‘All intelligence awake with the morning.’ Poetry and art and the fairest and most memorable of the actions of men, date from such an hour.”
To those of you who love bookshops like me, here’s the pretty little aesthetic bookshop I got the above book from in Edinburgh.
A Great Talk I listened To:
Alain de Botton on Emotional Education
I am a HUGE fan of The School of Life as an organization and more so as a Youtube channel. If you are a philosophy nut like me (which I know many of you are!), you have got to check this channel out. Their videos are sublime.
The recommendation this week is a Ted Talk by the founder of The School of Life, British philosopher Alain de Botton. Now I didn’t know much about Botton before this talk, only that he was a philosopher. But I can confidently say that I am now a sincere fan of his and cant wait to start reading his books and learning more about him.
I came across this talk via a recommendation on famous Youtuber Ali Abdaal’s newsletter. I am so glad I listened to it.
The talk is based on the book Botton wrote titled “An Emotional Education”, where he goes over the premise that as adults, we should be taught how to deal with our emotions just like we are taught maths as kids, and how society is wrong for not doing this.
This man is so incredibly intellectual it is truly fascinating, some of his ideas are so unique, he goes through so many things I couldn't possibly summarise them, but it’s a breakdown of how our emotions work in so many different aspects of human relations and draws upon historical teachings from thinkers throughout the world and philosophical ideas too.
Give it a listen! Please, you will thank me later. Let me know what you think too, I’d love to discuss it with some of you. :)
The Thinker of the Week
Every week, I include a key historical thinker who has impacted the world through their thoughts and actions. They can vary from philosophers, artists, designers, psychologists, sociologists, writers, eastern meditators, and political theorists.
Martin Heidegger: 1889-1976
Heidegger rose to fame with his masterpiece published in 1927 titled Being and Time, which was a complex work of philosophy. His main ideas centre around trying to tell us simple truths about the meaning of our lives, how society is flawed and how we can achieve freedom.
He was born and lived his whole love in a rural province of Germany. Heidegger was a man who loved to pick mushrooms, go out into nature and walk and other things of the sort.
Although he was born to a poor catholic family in 1889, he rose to fame as an academic genius with the publication of Being and Time.
His main objective throughout his career was to help us to live more wisely. He believed in bravery as a concept in how we should face up to reality to live a life that is happier and more pensive.
For Heidegger, philosophy wasn’t just academia. It was as it was for the Ancient Greeks, a therapeutic spiritual endeavour to help us. One of his key ideas can be summarised as so:
“We have forgotten to notice were alive” - The School of Life
We exist, but our existence is a mystery to ourselves, Heidegger called this mystery ‘das Sein’ or ‘Being’. A lot of his central ideas were dedicated to forcing us to realize that this strange existence we are experiencing on this floating rock called Earth is real.
His whole philosophy serves the purpose to wake up our minds to appreciation, and effectively understanding our existence and this feeling of existentialism we so often feel.
That’s it from me this week. Here’s a little thought to round this off from me.
Do something nice for someone! I bought a homeless man outside Sainsburys a bottle of water and some food and he was so thankful. I’m going to aim to do this every week. Not sure why I just shared it with you but oh well!
Thanlks for reading and see you next week.
Feel better soon x