https://mises.org/library/anatomy-state
> Rothbard regards the state as a predatory entity. > It does not produce anything but rather steals resources from those engaged in production. wow!! downloaded, thank!
Ask HN: What book changed your life?
161–170 of 539 posts
Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?
#162As someone who struggles with Anxiety, Depression, and PTSD “Meditations” by Julius Caesar has been a life changer.
If you haven't gone too far into the stoicism rabbit hole yet, I really recommend "Life of the Stoics", by Ryan Holiday. It's a compilation of the history (and probably myths from their time) of all of the biggest minds of stoicism.
Shows that they weren't always perfect, some of them were assholes, but others (notably Marcus Aurelius and Catho) lived the live they preached, and fought many battles (including literal ones) in ways that were different from their time.
Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?
#163Impro by Keith Johnstone, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, Momo by Michael Ende...
Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?
#1641. The Quran. I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety - reading The Quran is always soothing and sometimes cathartic. One of the common themes is how insignificant this life is compared to eternity; e.g. Putin and Assad destroyed my country, Syria (and they’re now doing the same in Ukraine). I hope I see them brought to justice in this world, but if they’re not, I can live with that. 2. The Fabric of the Cosmos by…
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Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?
#165Earlier quoted context omitted.
Which translation?
Feng and English rides around with me in a messenger bag, but I derive joy from reading other translations, too. It feels like kind of a living document, with everyone viewing the underlying ideas from their own perspectives.
the wise will laugh at me but the foolish will understand
Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?
#166Steven Pinker's "Better Angels of Our Nature" and the sequel "Enlightenment Now" briefly helped to restore my faith that humanity is not entirely an evil virus best gone the way of the dinosaurs. Don't get me wrong though, these books are not easy reads. In the first one Pinker does spend an inordinate amount of time cataloging humanity's centuries of evils against itself before he can make the case that we're doing…
Going to assume that your use of "briefly" there is preceding your attempt at a short synopsis, rather than that your views have shifted again. Personally I'm depressingly cynical when it comes to Pinker's views, looking at, e.g., https://twitter.com/robinhanson/status/1496685550241292293 and then thinking about how now, given modern weaponry one man's decision could basically destroy all life on earth. A few billion…
Sorry, I meant to indicate that my views have shifted again. I am not particularly sanguine about our collective future.
Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?
#167I think the only book I can recall having a direct impact on my conscious awareness was The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle[0]. The book is very easy to read and quite enjoyable with everything that it includes. I definitely recommend to check it out. [0]: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Now-Guide-Spiritual-Enlightenme...
I was very skeptical about this book, and even while reading along I'd get the feeling of "uh, this is way out there wacko", but I decided to just take it at it's word and follow along. And now I am able to briefly enter a state of complete acceptance and feel pure love flowing through me, like the perfect hug from a perfect being that understands me in every way. The first time I actually teared up a bit, the feelin…
It's the God-focus that immediately turned me off to Eckhart. I've had plenty of people recommend him, and own a copy of the power of now, but I can't get past the feeling that there's a hidden agenda. I'm all about being present and experiencing the world through different lenses - I like new ideas and I'm open to thinking differently, but that higher power thing just puts every synapse I have on high alert.
Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?
#168I know it's trite to say it, but in my early 20s reading Atlas Shrugged helped me regain my bearings. And, no, it did not turn me into Peter Thiel.
Glad I found your comment. I was going to say Atlas Shrugged as well because I stopped reading it half-way through when I finally realized that the author was full of shit.
It's a great realization for a young person to have, that something can be published and also be total garbage and a complete waste of time.
Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?
#169Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was very skeptical about this book, and even while reading along I'd get the feeling of "uh, this is way out there wacko", but I decided to just take it at it's word and follow along. And now I am able to briefly enter a state of complete acceptance and feel pure love flowing through me, like the perfect hug from a perfect being that understands me in every way. The first time I actually teared up a bit, the feelin…
Did you have to practice to achieve this or just from reading the book?
I really didn't have to practice. I just read the book and followed some of the directions like, "Ask yourself in your head, what am I going to think about next?"
It is a way to kind of 'separate' your consciousness from your 'thinking'. I don't really have the right words, but you then just observe your own analytical mind. You can observe without judgement, and at that point you're not thinking about the future or the past, but only the present moment exists.
In those moments I can then use thinking as a tool, but in the same way I use my hand to grab something, I'm not always using my hand, and in that state I'm not always using my analytical mind, only when needed.
It's in that state that I feel 'love' or something like it throughout my entire body. I feel like a huge weight is taken off me and I can just relax. And with hints of that love extending outwards and through everything. Something I've never believed in, it could be all internal to my brain still, but I understand how people can feel like there is something else out there.
Random 'thinking' thoughts come and go in that state, you just observe them, acknowledge them, and let them go. And I've heard that's very similar to what most people say about meditation.
He goes on to say that state of mind can become permanent. You live in the moment and only choose when to think about the future and planning, only use that part of you when needed. Worrying about the future all the time is not good, but there are times when you do need to think and plan. You don't always have to analyze everything, but choose to do so when it's needed.
I am nowhere near that point, not sure I could get there. But it does sound appealing, constantly enjoying the present moment, but also deciding when you should learn from the past or think about the future. But not be obsessed with it.
As a side note, I find right when I hit that state, most of the time, I yawn. Yawning is still kind of a mystery, but some current research shows it could be extra excitement of the brain, or even extra brain cooling. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3678674/ Maybe I'm just using a lot more brain power and energy to focus on my consciousness or just to focus on all my senses? All just random guesses, I know barely anything about it.
Re: Ask HN: What book changed your life?
#170Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was very skeptical about this book, and even while reading along I'd get the feeling of "uh, this is way out there wacko", but I decided to just take it at it's word and follow along. And now I am able to briefly enter a state of complete acceptance and feel pure love flowing through me, like the perfect hug from a perfect being that understands me in every way. The first time I actually teared up a bit, the feelin…
This state of being is a focus of Sam Harris' Waking Up book, and one he discusses in some of his initial podcast episodes. The beatific state achievable by meditation, deep prayer, or psychedelics sounds very therapeutic. Note I'm not a Sam Harris acolyte, but I do appreciate his logic-first approach to understanding the world, the mind, current events, and life generally.
Thanks for the recommendation, I'm going to check out that book too.