diff --git a/Meditation.md b/Meditation.md index 65000c0..ce688a6 100644 --- a/Meditation.md +++ b/Meditation.md @@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ - Meditation is a simple practice available to all, which can reduce stress, increase calmness and clarity and promote [[Mental Health|happiness]]. Learning how to meditate is straightforward, and the benefits can come quickly. Even just a few minutes a day can make a big difference revealing and refactoring various [mental motions](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/WYmmC3W6ZNhEgAmWG/a-mechanistic-model-of-meditation#Uses_for_moments_of_introspective_awareness_). - If you have more introspective awareness of the exact processes that are happening in your mind, you can make more implicit assumptions conscious, causing your brain's built-in contradiction detector to notice when they contradict your later learning. Also, getting more feedback about what exactly is happening in your mind allows you to notice more wasted motion in general. - The goal of meditation is not to quit having thoughts, but to observe them, watch them without reacting and rationalizing them. This helps rewire the way your brain works similar to cognitive behavioral therapy. Typically, people who work towards this, have less anxiety and depression because they don't react to every thought they have, which gives them a greater control of their emotions. -- In [[Programming]] terms, it defragments the hard drive and repairs errors in the OS. +- In [[programming]] terms, it defragments the hard drive and repairs errors in the OS. - Too many distractions lead to a heavy mind. - Meditating is controlling [[Focus|attention]]. Everything is downstream attention. Practice [mindfulness meditation](https://youtu.be/hQo-CQzoW24) to improve your attention and noticing. diff --git a/Mental Health.md b/Mental Health.md index 63e3634..608f438 100644 --- a/Mental Health.md +++ b/Mental Health.md @@ -1,30 +1,26 @@ # Mental Health - When it comes to [mental health](https://jjbeshara.com/2020/06/04/mental-wealth/), our society approaches it like we did with physical health 50 years ago. We only think about it when something goes wrong. -- We benefit from approaching mental health like we invest in anything else in our lives ([[Finances]], [[Relationships]], careers, [[Fitness|physical health]], etc), where one builds wealth in this area by continuous, conscious investment. +- We benefit from approaching mental health like we invest in anything else in our lives ([[finances]], [[relationships]], careers, [[Fitness|physical health]], etc), where one builds wealth in this area by continuous, conscious investment. - Be [[Mindfulness|grateful]] for all the people and things you have. Accept you're not in full control of your destiny. [Success depends on luck](https://youtu.be/3LopI4YeC4I). Luck is a function of surface area. More experiences generate more serendipity. - Lots of little good things is the path to happiness. You want frequent boosts not rare big stuff. -- Maintain strong social ties. Social [[Relationships]] boost happiness. Sharing amazing experiences with those closest to you is as good as it gets. +- Maintain strong social ties. Social [[relationships]] boost happiness. Sharing amazing experiences with those closest to you is as good as it gets. - Be around nature. Have some houseplants as they improve mood. - If you have trouble reading internal signals, try [debugging yourself](https://philome.la/jace_harr/you-feel-like-shit-an-interactive-self-care-guide/play/index.html). - Retrace your path to actions: Examine your behavior and identify the feeling. Ask yourself what story are you telling yourself that causes those emotions. Then, examine the facts and adjust the story to impact your emotions. ## Aversion -Aversion is any sort of mental mechanism that causes us to be less likely to engage in a particular (mental as well as physical) activity, or to do so only with pain, displeasure, or discomfort. Pavlovian conditioning can cause humans to unconsciously flinch from even thinking about a serious personal problem ([Ugh Fields](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/EFQ3F6kmt4WHXRqik/ugh-fields)) you might have. +Aversion is any sort of mental mechanism that causes us to be less likely to engage in a particular (mental as well as physical) activity, or to do so only with pain, displeasure, or discomfort. Pavlovian conditioning can cause humans to unconsciously flinch from even thinking about a serious personal problem ([ugh Fields](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/EFQ3F6kmt4WHXRqik/ugh-fields)) you might have. Aversions can be conscious or unconscious, reasoned or felt, verbal or visceral, and they can range anywhere from a slight tinge of antipathy to outright phobias. There are many reasons folks feel [helplessly blankness](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/puhPJimawPuNZ5wAR/learned-blankness) about understanding a given topic, including: -1. Simple habit. You are not used to thinking about it; and so you just automatically don’t. -2. Desire to avoid initial blunders that will force you to emotionally confront potential incompetence (as with my fear of writing fiction); +1. Simple habit. You are not used to thinking about it; and so you just automatically don't. +2. Desire to avoid initial blunders that will force you to emotionally confront potential incompetence (as with my fear of writing fiction). 3. Avoidance of social conflict, or of status-claims; if your boss/friends/whoever will be upset by your disagreement, it may be more comfortable to “[not understand](https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/11/30/salary)” the domain. -If you’d like to reduce your learned blankness, try to [notice areas you care about, that you have been treating as blank defaults](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/puhPJimawPuNZ5wAR/learned-blankness#Notice_your_learned_blankness). Then, seed some thoughts in that area: set a timer, and write as many questions as you can about that topic before it beeps. +If you'd like to reduce your learned blankness, try to [notice areas you care about, that you have been treating as blank defaults](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/puhPJimawPuNZ5wAR/learned-blankness#Notice_your_learned_blankness). Then, seed some thoughts in that area: set a timer, and write as many questions as you can about that topic before it beeps. -Aversions are [[Problem Solving|decomposable problems]]. Break it down into - -smaller pieces so that you can think about them separately one at a time and - -solve them. +Aversions are [[Problem Solving|decomposable problems]]. Break it down into smaller pieces so that you can think about them separately one at a time and solve them. diff --git a/Mindfulness.md b/Mindfulness.md index 85e6f28..3302b44 100644 --- a/Mindfulness.md +++ b/Mindfulness.md @@ -1,8 +1,12 @@ # Mindfulness -- Enjoy Life. Enjoy people. Appreciate the fact that [you're alive](https://youtu.be/9D05ej8u-gU). Be grateful and [[Meditation|mindful]] about it. You take things for granted, and then they're gone. Don't wait to do things that matter, and savor the time you have. Be present and enjoy the moment as a child does. [Life is short](http://paulgraham.com/vb.html), [enjoy the silly bit in between](https://youtu.be/-mu780uB7mI). +- Make [[time]] to reflect. Don't waste time doing anything you don't enjoy by momentum. Not doing something that isn't worth doing is a wonderful way to spend your [[time]]. + - Look at the big picture and don't climb the current mountain out of inertia (ranks in business, status among friends, ...). + - [If you haven't done it already, schedule a day and time when you can realistically assess how you want your life to affect you and other people, and what you must change to better achieve this](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/4psQW7vRwt7PE5Pnj/too-busy-to-think-about-life). +- Enjoy Life. Enjoy people. Appreciate the fact that [you're alive](https://youtu.be/9D05ej8u-gU). Be grateful and [[Meditation|mindful]] about it. + - [Life is short](http://paulgraham.com/vb.html), [enjoy the silly bit in between](https://youtu.be/-mu780uB7mI). + - You take things for granted, and then, they're gone. Don't wait to do things that matter, and savor the time you have. Be present and enjoy the moment as a child does. - [Humans quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness despite major positive or negative events or life changes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonic_treadmill). Optimize for tranquility in your life. -- Make [[time]] to reflect. Don't waste time doing anything by momentum if you don't enjoy it. Not doing something that isn't worth doing is a wonderful way to spend your [[Time]]. Look at the big picture and don't climb the current mountain out of inertia (ranks in business, status among friends, ...). [If you haven't done it already, schedule a day and time when you can realistically assess how you want your life to affect you and other people, and what you must change to better achieve this](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/4psQW7vRwt7PE5Pnj/too-busy-to-think-about-life). - One task at a time. [[Focus|No distractions]]. - **KISS**. What would less/simple look like? - When [[Communication|communicating]], do it in a clear and concise way. @@ -30,7 +34,7 @@ - [When you think in categories, you underestimate how different (in may other dimensions) two facts are when they are in the same category, you overestimate how different they are when there is a boundary between them and, when you pay attention to these boundaries you don't realize about the big picture](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNnIGh9g6fA). - We rationalize things through one lens. Real causes are gray and hard to understand. - Recognize that tradeoffs happen everywhere. List them explicitly. - - We trade [[Time]] against money against effort against happiness against social capital — we can do so blindly, and hope for the best, or we can think about them carefully and deliberately, and take advantage of opportunities to get more of everything (arbitrage). Identify all your relevant currencies, and note which are being spent faster or are more valuable. + - We trade [[time]] against money against effort against happiness against social capital — we can do so blindly, and hope for the best, or we can think about them carefully and deliberately, and take advantage of opportunities to get more of everything (arbitrage). Identify all your relevant currencies, and note which are being spent faster or are more valuable. - Appreciate what you have. [Don't overestimate the hedonic impact of future events](https://waitbutwhy.com/2013/11/life-is-picture-but-you-live-in-pixel.html). [Showing gratitude for the good things you have is the most powerful happiness boosting activity there is](https://youtu.be/WPPPFqsECz0). - There's no second chance at life. [This is the one chance you have to live as a talking monkey in space at the best point in history as the smartest species on the planet using magic on a daily basis like the internet and jet planes and smartphones with access to all human knowledge at your fingertips and the chance to talk about how cool being alive is](https://youtu.be/VLAAy_pM-k8). - Do not change because of what others or society want, change because of what you want. It's easy to get carried by the environment and start doing things you don't want to do. @@ -40,6 +44,6 @@ - Overcome the bystander effect: there is something that everyone wants to *happen* but nobody wants to be the one to *do* it. Develop the reflex of noticing bystander apathy in your environment, and actively do the thing. E.g. ask a question when there's a confusing point in a talk, notice tiny tragedies of the commons (an empty jug of water that nobody wants to refill), notice when everyone feels uncomfortable being the first to, say, dance at a party, and just do it. - [Our behavior is made up of a complex and chaotic soup of so many factors that it's downright silly to think there's a singular, autonomous "you" calling the shots](https://youtu.be/GRYcSuyLiJk). - Tools and ideas are not neutral. They have baked some principles and values. - - E.g: [[Social Media Issues]], [[Blockchain]] protocols that use PoW wasting energy. - - A person holding a hammer interacts with the world in a different way and could be considered a different entity. Same with ideas. + - E.g: [[Social Media Issues|social media]] encourages rage, [[blockchain]] protocols "waste" energy using Proof of Work. + - A person holding a hammer interacts with the world in a different way. It is a different entity. Same with ideas. - Most of the world is held together with duct tape so don't be surprised when it breaks. diff --git a/Modularity.md b/Modularity.md index 9ab7541..95e47f0 100644 --- a/Modularity.md +++ b/Modularity.md @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ # Modularity -Modularity is a property of [[Systems]]. It means: +Modularity is a property of [[systems]]. It means: - Loosely coupling. Breaking a chair shouldn't break the dinner! -- Multiple parts that play well together. This allows systems to develop [[Emergence]]. +- Multiple parts that play well together. This allows systems to develop [[emergence]]. - Dividing a large systems into multiple smaller competing ones will make them evolve different rule-set and will allow you to pick the best one. diff --git a/Network Effects.md b/Network Effects.md index 44642a2..145e2a9 100644 --- a/Network Effects.md +++ b/Network Effects.md @@ -2,12 +2,12 @@ Networks rule our world. From the chemical reaction pathways inside a cell, to the web of relationships in an ecosystem, to the trade and political networks that shape the course of history. - [Network effects occur when the value of a product or service is subject to the number of users. A positive network effect means that a product or service becomes more valuable to its users as more people use it.](https://julian.digital/2021/12/20/the-power-of-defaults/) +[Network effects occur when the value of a product or service is subject to the number of users. A positive network effect means that a product or service becomes more valuable to its users as more people use it.](https://julian.digital/2021/12/20/the-power-of-defaults/) Network [diffusion](https://meltingasphalt.com/interactive/going-critical/) is the way things move and spread, somewhat chaotically, across a network. For example: -- Infectious diseases jumping from host to host within a population -- Memes spreading across a follower graph on social media -- A wildfire breaking out across a landscape -- Ideas and practices diffusing through a [[Culture]] -- Neutrons cascading through a hunk of enriched uranium +- Infectious diseases jumping from host to host within a population. +- Memes spreading across a follower graph on social media. +- A wildfire breaking out across a landscape. +- Ideas and practices diffusing through a [[culture]]. +- Neutrons cascading through a hunk of enriched uranium. diff --git a/News.md b/News.md index fbc87f1..d061dba 100644 --- a/News.md +++ b/News.md @@ -1,18 +1,18 @@ # News -- Portraying [a society where everyone hates each other](https://ncase.itch.io/wbwwb) is the most dangerous virus of all, because it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Nothing spreads faster than anger. Especially anger in the specific format, ["Just look at how awful the people we hate are"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE3j_RHkqJc). - - There is a hierarchy of "*interestingness*" that applies to the great information currents and media outlets that shape society as a whole. It's better to raise up [controversial topics than high impact one like charity](https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/12/17/the-toxoplasma-of-rage/). - - [[Social Media Issues|Social and news media usually works against fixing the issues]] which most of us agree should be fixed. Instead they focus only on perpetuating the things which keep us all discussing, forever. +- How many of the articles you read in the past 12 months actually led you to take useful actions? +- Portraying [a society where everyone hates each other](https://ncase.itch.io/wbwwb) is the most dangerous virus of all, because it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. **Nothing spreads faster than anger**. Especially anger in the specific format of ["just look at how awful the people we hate are"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE3j_RHkqJc). + - There is a hierarchy of *"interestingness"* that applies to the great information currents and media outlets that shape society as a whole. It's better to raise up [controversial topics than high impact one like charity](https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/12/17/the-toxoplasma-of-rage/). + - [[Social Media Issues|Social media and news usually works against fixing the issues]] which most of us agree should be fixed. Instead they focus only on perpetuating the things which keep us all discussing, forever. - [The amygdala (emotional core of the mind) is built to make us react to "threatening" information that doesn't fit into our worldview the same way we react to a predator. That's called the "Backfire Effect"](https://theoatmeal.com/comics/believe). Remember that [[Thinking|your worldview is not perfect]]! - If our perceptions of reality are increasingly informed by media with other-than-truth motivations, we'll increasingly lose our handle on the truth. [We will be living in a state of split consciousness](https://sandhoefner.com/2019/01/27/on-disbelieving-atrocities/), being immune to thousands of deaths and concerned about the latest changes in your favorite team. -- How many of the articles you read in the past 12 months actually led you to take useful actions? - We're losing our ability to think together. Communities can only think when people talk and when they're free to say what they really think. As echo chambers grow larger and more intimidating, people inside them are afraid to defy the sacred narrative. And the more all-encompassing [[Politics|political]] identities become, the more topics turn from kickable machines to precious infants. Meanwhile, inter-group communication suffers even more, as opposing groups become totally unable to collaborate on [[ideas]]. -- A polarized country that isn't capable of building broad coalitions can't take forward steps—it can only self-inflict. +- A polarized society that isn't capable of building broad coalitions can't take forward steps—it can only self-inflict. - The news also bias the layperson's perception of risk. The very fact that bad events are rare these days, makes them newsworthy. With a large sample size, unusual tragedies happen daily, and they end up on the news nightly. For example, car crashed might cause more damage than other events like floodings or fires. - News are [[Incentives|incentivized]] to cherry-pick stories that spread fast. For example, scam news. A scam is like a virus that converts trust into cynicism, but it's the news, in the name of keeping things entertaining and addictive, that distributes the virus across the whole country. - Media is business and business is for profit. The market is incentivizing bad media. Media is called on bias/inaccuracy only by their political foes, which isn't their audience. Audiences have to start pushing back on the media that shares their bias. - [News programs are, with the exception of a few non-profit or publicly funded ones, commercial enterprises designed to turn and maximize profit](https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/10/01/the-low-information-diet/). - - The profit comes from advertising, and advertising revenue is maximized by pulling the largest audience, holding their attention for the longest possible time, and putting them into the mental state most conducive to purchasing the products of the advertisers (which turns out to be helplessness and vulnerability). This is why the news always starts out with a sensationalist take on a topic of at least plausible national interest, takes a detour into truly horrific and depressing irrelevant tragedies is one that unfortunately crossed my screen when doing research for this article), then ends on an uplifting note with something like a defiant entrepreneur or a caring soup kitchen. An emotional roller-coaster ride every day of the week. They don't explore solutions. + - The profit comes from advertising, and advertising revenue is maximized by pulling the largest audience, holding their attention for the longest possible time, and putting them into the mental state most conducive to purchasing the products of the advertisers (which turns out to be helplessness and vulnerability). This is why the news always starts out with a sensationalist take on a topic of at least plausible national interest, takes a detour into truly horrific and depressing irrelevant tragedies is one that unfortunately crossed my screen when doing research for this article, then ends on an uplifting note with something like a defiant entrepreneur or a caring soup kitchen. An emotional roller-coaster ride every day of the week. They don't explore solutions. - [There isn't enough actual news (ie events that are "new") to fill the standard news slot — so the fillers became pundits and commentators interpreting "news" and "potential news" for us](https://jjbeshara.com/2018/11/20/the-information-pathology-2/). Humans are good at finding efficiencies, and potential events far outweigh the number of past events, and potential negative events captivate our attention better than potential positive events, so these news-cycles naturally became dominated by commentators interpreting any number of potential negative events. - [Progress happens too slowly to notice](https://www.collaborativefund.com/blog/lots-of-overnight-tragedies-no-overnight-miracles/), setbacks happen too fast to ignore. Bad things can happen fast, but almost all good things happen slowly. Even if the trendlines are improving, the feeling the news give is the opposite. - Online & mainstream media and social networking have become increasingly misleading as to the state of the world by focusing on ‘stories’ and ‘events’ rather than trends and averages. This is because as the global population increases and the scope of media increases, media’s urge for narrative focuses on the most extreme outlier datapoints—but such datapoints are, at a global scale, deeply misleading as they are driven by unusual processes such as the mentally ill or hoaxers. @@ -20,4 +20,4 @@ - [On certain topics, it's good to remember that you're often being informed by the most delusional people](https://twitter.com/waitbutwhy/status/1436006304892559365). - When we're talking about very unpopular beliefs, polls can only give a weak signal. Any possible source of noise ([Lizardman's Constant](https://slatestarcodex.com/2013/04/12/noisy-poll-results-and-reptilian-muslim-climatologists-from-mars/)) can easily overwhelm the signal. Beware of [bad designed polls](https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/05/28/bush-did-north-dakota/). - Uncertainty doesn't sell. Nuance doesn't sell. Long, complex lectures don't sell. A video of someone saying "it's complicated" will never perform the way one would of someone using confident, flippant, polarizing rhetoric, and that's a huge problem. -- Main rule of fast-moving situation: No one knows anything. +- Main rule of fast-moving situation (e.g: early days of [[COVID-19]]): No one knows anything.