mutual tolerance

I am halfway through the book: How democracies die. One part of the book talks about mutual tolerance and its importance in keeping democracy alive. It means running the country together with some disagreement among the ruling and opposition. At the same time, the government and judiciary work together and keep democracy alive.

Once mutual tolerance is lost, democracy turns into anarchy and dictatorship. I found it fascinating.

If we relate mutual tolerance in our everyday life, it will fit in at many other instances in our daily lives as well.

daily

Our brain is a stupid beast. Either we tame it or get enslaved to it.

In the book power of habit, the author talks about how little incremental regulations can do wonders in the long run. At the same time, breaking the habit affects adversely.

Quitting a daily virtue is easy but getting back takes a lot of effort. The brain needs to be tamed, convinced, and politely told what’s not required.

I have been out from pranayam practice for a week and am a 24/7 zombie currently. The same goes with giving up on running cos of injury.

others

We console ourselves with projecting externals in a particular manner. We want to be part of the crowd. Not everyone has the courage or guts to go against the odds.

We are living two lives apart: real and reel. Social media has amplified and increased the projection and seek for recognition. The urge of being someone. We act, present, and position ourselves differently with the hope of getting more eyeballs, likes. What we have forgotten is that these are virtual and limited.

In the end, we have to live with our thoughts. We can fool the world but not our thoughts and emotions. Who are we trying to cheat? At what cost? Why are we trying to become someone like everyone in the same crowd?

locked

Some blame their upbringing or economic condition for ending up as an underachiever. They feel locked with the limited resources in their life. I have over half a dozen friends who still blame their parents for not letting them go abroad for higher studies.

Reading Autobiographies, I see a different picture. Most successful entrepreneurs fought their way to the top. They went against all the odds and built a world for themselves.

There is no level playing field. There never was. We have to free ourselves, do what we feel is our purpose in life. Finding life’s purpose is difficult. A few successful ones got unlocked and built a life for themselves.

Many others died blaming their parents, society, and loved ones for being locked.

If not coffee?

I have been in a few conversations and, some of my friends advocate not to drink coffee. Their simple analogy is coffee affects our sleep and, it’s a drug worth avoiding. A few others tell me coffee intake can result in an uneven heartbeat. If you are a runner, it will have more adverse effects.

The fun part of science and ideology is that both are divided. So what is correct and what is not on our consciousness.

Sometimes what is good one might have adverse effects on another. I tried many times quitting coffee but came back in a few days. The side effects: I was sleeping way too much.

Every now and then brain says give up coffee and, the heart says fucking no and wins.

Another problem: What to drink when out with friends? Contaminated juice with overly sedated sugar syrup or green tea or milky/frothy smoothie?

someone

We want to leave a legacy that outlives us. We want to make a better world for others. It drives us crazy. We secretly expect to be loved, respected for all our contributions.

We want to be live the messiahs of the past. But at what tradeoff? What are we missing out on family, parents, growing up of the newborn child, old friends?

Innocence

Have you seen a newborn child? Aren’t they always curious and hyperactive? As they grow, they start observing more about their surroundings. In most cases touching and eat everything that is in their reach. Even in the developmental stage of their brain, they learn and identify by doing it.

When we are creating anything new, we should strive for a similar level of innocence. It keeps us authentic and keeps us away from societal conditioning. Our creativity thus comes from beyond the textbooks or existing systems.

We build without defined boundaries and, the magic happens. The Impressionism art movement is one such example.

Temporary

It’s stupid on our part how we end up planning our entire future and life without accounting for uncertainty. It is less about the Black Swan moment but more about the actors involved in the journey.

The fast-paced world we are living in thrives on now, at the moment. Everything is temporary as a transaction. In a moment friend can turn foe or lover a stranger. 

The sooner one accepts this reality: life becomes less painful. Or one can escape this rabbit hole and live like Arthur Schopenhauer.

next

Our search for the next big thing is maddening many of us. We are running after mythical unicorns forgetting to tame what we have now. It’s like playing Super Mario and crossing every new round with dopamine for the next one.

This chase has resulted in us not settling down with a job, career, or relationship. We are running away endlessly because we are scared, lost, and clueless about ourselves. The next big thing is an escape.

Only if running away, doing meditation, or posting non-ending vacation pics could get us with our purpose. Or if it could help us with ending the chase.

want

Charlie Munger talks about inversion, taking a problem, and thinking backward. A unique way of seeing any challenge, want, or task. 

Once we stay out of what we do not want in our life, profession, or relationship, our brain stays saner and cognitively active.  

Hence knowing what we don’t want trumps over our desires and needs.