GN nostr. It was definitely not the easiest day, or evening. But I'm still 10x10, all good.

Until morning!

Same. 🫂

Today I was invited to apply for a position with a new company, similar to my current position. I've been with my current company for 14 years, but ready to make a change.

Perhaps that change is nigh.

Gn.

More like lukewarm beer and streetlights.

I was listening to a podcast today (I think it was Impact Theory) and I was excited to hear the host bring up the importance of emotion in decision-making. He seems to have reached some of the same conclusions as I, regarding emotional primacy

He also brought up some studies that were done on patients that had been lobotomized and no longer had the portion of brain that is responsible for emotion available to them. The study participants could easy make logical pros and cons regarding a decision, but were entirely unable to actually make the decision, regardless of any obvious benefit.

Very interesting stuff.

Gn.

The more wealth I have, the more things I feel free from, because I choose not to have them. Possessions are responsibilities that take our time, money, and attention.

Tonight I joined a motorcycle riding club. Patched member.

GN

Been to Manhattan a couple years ago, it held little attraction for me and I was ready to leave after doing what I needed to do. I personally prefer somewhere between town and small city - just big enough to have a few major stores and a fire dept. I do like to be able to walk to a corner store if I need something. But I don't want to know everyone I pass along the way, although its fine if I know some of them. I don't want a paved jungle of suburbia with planned communities of houses where I can see in my neighbor's windows, but sidewalks are nice.

Outside of family, i would say community, perhaps even brotherhood. This is why I found the motorcycle community so well-equipped to meet something I had been missing in the digital world, which is I have worked for the last couple decades.

Gn

As I am contemplating writing a book, I realize I don't really know the first thing about writing a book. Like if I write it in Word, how do I set that up for basic formatting?

Also this isn't a narrative with plot, characters, etc. Even outlining isn't looking good, because I know as I write I will be adding things, moving them, etc.

I think I just have to start writing. I can write an essay, so maybe I will start there.

GN.

Sometimes writing down helps you find the defect - and I often start any relatively complex automation by writing it all out anyway. Gives me some perspective, and I usually find ways to either speed it up or make it less complex as I go. I'm motivated to do so, as writing it out isn't all that fun.

The things that take time - automate them, and build in thoroughness. Then they can take all the time they need, but it won't be your time, and you can do other impending tasks.

So I started Erik Cason's book in earnest last night - and was surprised at how much of what he saying was disagreeable to me. We've actually came to many similar conclusions, but via very different paths. His tone is very us vs. them - and almost angry. I get it. I agree with the point of bitcoin being sovereignty, and what that means to the current power structures and cultural ethos. We just see the why of all it very differently. I take a much more atheistic view of the topic, for one. And my early research on anarchy was that government was a product of property, and that the early solutioning toward anarchy involved the abolition of property rights. Which is almost the opposite of Bitcoin. I have always been wary of anarchy, as I think property is necessary.

Anyway, I ended up switching over to Heidegger, who I expected to disagree with more, but I hoped reading some of his work would help me better understand Erik's work, as Erik often references Heidegger. So far, reading Heidegger has been more pleasant for me.

More importantly, this exercise is really pushing me to write a book. I've been thinking about it for a long time; it was even one of those things I was hoping to do much earlier in life. I'm actually glad I didn't. But now I'm really feeling the need to formally publish a lot of my philosophy. I may also publish a separate Bitcoin book, but more of a philosophical or anthropological approach to it.

So I'm actually thinking I should write less long-form style thoughts here, and save them for publishing. That said, I may need some help editing when the time comes.

I think this is an early positive coming out of an experience I expected to be positive anyway.

If only moon, then I could spend a few months writing instead of fiat mining. :)

Today I wrote code though. For speeding up some dreary spreadsheet work I was tasked with. Nothing fancy, but I still did it, and made my life less dreary.

It's already there, and been there for at least a couple generations - and what do we have now?

Are you saying that lgbtq (and whomever else may feel "marginalized") would all be considered Dalit? I don't know enough about the caste system and distinctions that go into it.

And how does India teach Dalit history? is it separated somehow from history taught to other castes? Just curious - trying to figure out how different the ideologies actually are on this point.

The original article was written in the US, discussing US/western practices, however I don't know that anything I stated, while definitely intended for a western audience, is any less true within other ideologies. That said, a more collectivist ideology might prefer to be indoctrinated through state/statist education centers, and may thrive on this path as dutiful members of the collective.

This just reinforces the need to have real talks with our children about what propaganda is, what "history" is, and how to be critical thinkers and not believe everything they're told.

There is no such thing as "insert marginalized group here" history, only our understanding of past events and cultural lore, none of which is necessarily true or complete in our understanding of the facts.

The government day cares and indoctrination centers will continue to do exactly what they were designed and incentivized to do - train our children to be slaves to the state. The only thing we can do is deprogram and retrain our children (gently, of course) to see beyond the textbooks and teachers.

🫂

Still listening, mostly.

I struggled to stay awake through Robert Breedlove's forward to Erik Cason's book, but it wasn't boring, just dense, but well written. And I enjoy dense! I may have even read it before.

Anyway, looking forward to digging into Erik's essays. GN!

This is pretty close to my take. We agree there is no past, only our individual perceptions of the past.

Where I may diverge is in the significance of emotion. Our perceptions, both past and active (present) are colored by emotion. Every perception can be changed based on our emtional state.

I also thin every decision has an emotional component, in that we are constantly deciding (and then acting) based on a perception of a desired future state (an expectation), and that perception, as well as all of the risk assessment and perception of past events and present state - is all actually determined by our present emotional state.

So we are emotional beings, above all else. Even those we consider to be "logical" are just emotionally attached to and comforted by a sense of order, so their choices and actions reflect that attachment.

Change your emotional state, and many of your perceptions may change, past, present, and future (expectations). This is why psychedelics used in therapy have been so successful - they free us from overwhelming emotional states, long enough for us to get a glimpse of being free of that emotional state, and experience a different emotional state and all the changes that go with it.

Being "mindful" is just trying to experience the present while tuning in to your own emotions.

I could also argue the present doesn't exist, as by witnessing it, we have already moved on to a perception of the extremely recent past, but enough for now - thanks for your thoughts!