“The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.” ― Charles Bukowski Do you ever think about this? Can you think of an example from your life? Sometimes, it seems we’re surrounded by idiots. And they’re loud. This ‘false arrogance’ is annoying. But what’s more annoying is that we introverts and neurodivergents are often so under-confident that we are never heard. What is even worse…
Are you familiar with Jon Kabat-Zinn? In short, he’s one of the people who has made meditation mainstream. While I generally don’t like words like ‘mainstream’ and ‘conformity’, anything that makes helpful tools more accessible to the masses is good in my book. Known as one of the creators of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Kabat-Zinn has written a bunch of books and helped teach meditation to all sorts of regular people. This article is inspired…
Have you ever thought about your boundaries? Maybe a therapist told you your boundaries were weak. Or maybe you read something about relationships and how some people might not respect your boundaries. I learned early on that my boundaries are weak. I tend to pay attention to other people’s needs more than my own. Some people in the world will take advantage of this. Many of us struggle to simultaneously love other people while protecting our…
Do you ever think about what life was like for early humans once we had our basic needs met? You know, once we figured out how to procure victuals and maintain a shelter. What was life like? Experts including historians, anthropologists, and scientists seem to disagree. Some say we were ignorant savages (I’m looking at you, director of Pocahontas) whereas others claim we actually didn’t work that much but spent a lot of time playing. I…
What matters to you? What is important? What do you value (Episode 46 Values)? We say things matter to us when we put energy into developing, protecting, and thinking about them. Our families matter. Our relationships matter. Things that matter have meaning to us. What is meaningful to me might not be meaningful to you. But as I have said before, I think there are some things that have universal meaning. They matter to us all. Life. Peace. Calm. Justice. Love. Integrity. Many would…
Meditation for your middle-of-the-night worries Do you follow the weather? You know, do you check the forecast to see what it’s going to be like outside? Do you appreciate meteorologists? Or beat up on them? It probably depends on whether the forecasts are accurate. And they are accurate a lot of the time. Meteorologists go to school to learn how to be good forecasters. But most of us have zero training in predicting the future.…
You’re probably like, ‘mind control, what’s this guy talking about?’ Either he’s going to tell us how we need to get in our heads and understand what’s going on, or he’s going to talk about how the algorithm has us under its spell. It reminds me of this scene from Monsters, Inc: This week I’m taking about the first thing. Although I’m a huge fan of getting out from under the algorithms, I think that…
Have you heard people say that you can’t control what happens to you, but you CAN control how you react to what happens to you? It’s so true, but it isn’t easy. We all want some degree of control in our lives. Or wish for it. Long for it. But control is an illusion. I’m not saying life is 100% chaotic and unpredictable, but being attached to controlling things really only wears you out. I…
Have you ever really thought about what you want? I mean really sat down and asked yourself what you would change if you could? Maybe you said you want more money. Less time at work. More time with family. Longer vacations. A bigger house, better car, or fancier smartphone. If you keep at this long enough, and wish for all the material things, what do you REALLY want? When I did this sort of iterative…
As we approach 50 episodes at Knowledge + Experience = Wisdom I have been reflecting and preparing for a shift; a pivot, if you will. The last few episodes, 48: Unlearning, 47: Changing Behavior Changes Beliefs, 46: Values, going back to 41: The State of the Podcast, really have been building to something . . . . . new and more organized. I feel like the first 50 Episodes combined with the Curiosity Interview Series…