The Introverted Thinker Newsletter #024
On finding peace, the compound effect of choices, and welcoming boredom into our lives.
Happy Sunday everyone,
How are you all doing? I’ve had a rather uneventful week, but I have been trying to write one article every single day, and it’s been like a workout for the creative muscle. I quite literally felt it get easier day by day.
Also, it was my birthday on Thursday, one year older.
This week’s edition of the newsletter doesn’t include any book reviews or podcasts, but there are some cool recommendations and an interesting thought I have to share.
I also have included a section of an article I wrote about finding peace in the ever-changing nature of the universe. I wrote it because I realized that a lot of us live in a constant state of apprehension, worrying about the uncontrollable nature of things and what’s going to happen next.
Enjoy!
To Find True Uncorrupted Peace You Must Do This One Thing
Just trust the universe, damn it…
The delegation of authority.
What does this phrase mean to you? Does it have any spiritual significance to you? It probably doesn't. Well to me, this phrase perfectly explains what is necessary to do when we talk about the universe.
Nowadays our minds are scattered puzzles of millions and millions of pieces that seem impossible to ever complete. I would honestly argue that a lot of us are suffering from insanity without realizing it. We simply dismiss it as anxiety or stress.
For some reason, we think that our minds are the control center for the universe, that everything depends on our thoughts. This is wrong. We must lose this false sense of authority and delegate it. Place your trust in the universe, and understand that your preoccupied mind isn't responsible for everything in your life.
This is what the cliche phrase of “letting go” is about.
How To Willingly Lose Control
Lao Tzu says that the great Tao flows everywhere, in all directions. The Tao loves and nourishes everything and when commendable merits are accomplished, it doesn't claim them. It just sees them as a part of nature.
The ‘Tao’ is basically the concept of being and flowing with the universe. It doesn't involve any resistance, the best way to summarise it is: Just be.
Our obsession with power and control keeps us up at night. We run through the motions in our heads, we think about every single possible scenario and how we can execute it perfectly, going down rabbit holes of hypothetical scenarios. I am guilty of this, it’s one of my greatest pitfalls.
But after studying speeches from Alan Watts, the great philosopher from the 1950s who bridged Western and Eastern philosophy, I understood that I was living in a paradox.
It’s a paradox that is responsible for people's incorrect idea of what ‘oneness’ actually is. The principle of unity and coming to a sense of oneness with the universe isn't about trying to have power over it.
It involves total submission to the power of the universe.
“The way to become one with the universe is to trust it.” — Alan Watts.
It’s as simple as that. Your worries and anxieties will no longer be so prominent once this is done. Instead of being hooked like a fish on a rod to your circumstances, try to understand that it’s part of being. It isn't bad or good, it’s just something you have to accept.
The rest of this article has been published on Medium, you can read it by clicking here.
A 3 Minute Video You Should Watch:
THE CHOICE
This 3-minute video has 22 million views on youtube. It’s basically a side-by-side comparison of two individuals who live the same life, except one chooses to make good decisions every day. Like meditating, eating healthy, going to the gym, listening to a podcast.
And the other individual chooses to watch TV rather than meditate, eat junk, go out partying rather than working out and listening to music over a podcast.
And at the start, these decisions don’t have any great significance or implications, because the two people look the same. But over time, they add up, and the distance between the two individuals becomes insurmountable. One is happy and healthy, the other obese and depressed
It’s a testament to how we should view the small decisions in life. They seem like nothing in the moment, watching Netflix rather than listening to an educational podcast won’t change anything right? But make this decision every day for a year and it will start to have an impact.
Choose wisely what you do, always choose the better path. The little daily decisions we make are responsible for the people we are, and the person we want to become. The video ends with the following words:
“Small choices become actions,
actions become habits,
and habits become our way of life.”
A Thought I Had:
Why is boredom so vilified today? My dad always tells me stories about when he was growing up, and there was nothing like phones or social media, all he had was his mind to keep him entertained.
And he recalls all the times he was bored, with nothing to do, but how he didn’t see this as a negative thing. It awakened his mind, made him more creative, and opened his thoughts up.
When we stay constantly connected to the digital world, our minds are never at rest. The gears are constantly turning, the engine is going into overdrive, it’s begging to be powered off, just for a little bit, but we keep it running constantly, exhausting our dopamine reward system.
As a result, our attention spans are fucked. Most people can’t even sit down and eat a meal for 20 minutes without having to watch something to keep them entertained. I am one of them.
Rather than keeping yourself connected to this unhealthy state of a constant flow of information, just switch everything off for an hour.
Sit there, look outside the window. Be bored. Welcome the boredom. You might be surprised at this feeling of pure boredom because I can bet you haven’t felt it in a long ass time.
Let your mind entertain you, use your thoughts to carry you down rabbit holes of your imagination, watch the surroundings outside your window. Just don’t pick up that phone or turn on that computer.
I promise it will come as a massive surprise to you just how refreshed you will feel from this sensation of having nothing to do.
My favorite thing to do is just have a pen and journal nearby and write the old-fashioned way. Maybe doodle a bit, jot down some thoughts. That’s raw entertainment, not this artificially engineered crap that gives people anxiety and depression.
Try it, and let me know how it goes.
Thanks for reading everyone,
If you made it this far, I appreciate you greatly because it’s your support that keeps me writing these newsletters.
If you are a frequent reader and enjoy my content, why not buy me a cup of coffee?
I do all my writing in coffee shops, so just those few dollars would keep my writing fueled. Thanks again,
See you next week!
I really enjoyed reading about Tao. Your skill to put complex concepts in not just simple but such a soulful way always amaze me. Your writing has a beautiful energy!