31–40 of 266 posts
Isn't a big part of depression is pessimism? I feel like this sentence is the same as saying "People who showed no signs of depression ... had greater reductions in depression"
But what are you sacrificing in return for your “perseverance”? Very few people tend to look at the mind as a system, and also seem to ignore that depression, anxiety, panic disorders, etc. happen for a reason. The reason why modern humanity have increased risk of these symptoms is because they know, given their perhaps wrongly learned models of the world or otherwise, that even when they achieve their so-called life…
Perseverance often leads to a type of pseudo-meditation. When you work very hard towards a goal such as weight loss through exercise, you have to focus on one thing, and this can be almost meditative. This is one reason people find things like running or swimming to be 'relaxing', even though they're also 'tiring'.
If you get no feedback after years on end... watch out
There are too many religions that glorify martyrdom where destruction of self can be seen as a honorable end. This when coupled with these grit narratives, make for very scary things.
The internal dialog must be carefully tuned to a feedback system. And not just any feedback system, one of the individuals chasing (a is intentional). Without proper nurturing, one begins to lose the self - leading to many terrible things.
It's rarely said that marriage, kids, job, degree, a house, car, and most physical things are not missions. And in fact, most of these things -- unless accompanied by a "why am i doing this" and attendant missions/goals do not lead to happiness.
Marriage without goals = divorce. Kids without mission = abandonment. Money without a plan = poverty. Degree without a plan = debt/sadness. Relationship without a mission = break up. Programming without a mission = abandoned code.
But what are you sacrificing in return for your “perseverance”? Very few people tend to look at the mind as a system, and also seem to ignore that depression, anxiety, panic disorders, etc. happen for a reason. The reason why modern humanity have increased risk of these symptoms is because they know, given their perhaps wrongly learned models of the world or otherwise, that even when they achieve their so-called life…
> seem to ignore that depression, anxiety, panic disorders, etc. happen for a reason ...no? In almost all cases, these syndromes are not appropriate responses to the environmental stimulus. OCD is not adaptive in any situation. Neither is Tourette's. Neither is anorexia nervosa. Neither is akinetic mutism. Neither is tardive dyskinesia. (Hypomania and ADHD-PI might be adaptive in exceptional environments — there's so…
> And, to be even more clear, these are unfit mutations, that lower their subjects' reproductive success.
I don't believe this first claim is true and from my understanding the second isn't supported by current evolutionary thought. Could you explain more about why you believe these syndromes are never appropriate responses?
I can offer my own anecdotes that OCD gives me a competitive advantage in many aspects of life despite its drawbacks. But I'd like to hear more of your thoughts.
Yes to this. I often counsel my younger friends to have a "mission". Then once that is completed, to find another one. In fact, one can have multiple missions running at the same time. It's rarely said that marriage, kids, job, degree, a house, car, and most physical things are not missions. And in fact, most of these things -- unless accompanied by a "why am i doing this" and attendant missions/goals do not lead to…
It's so easy to fall into this trap of obsessing over achieving your one goal to the detriment of your health and sanity (developing OCD, etc.)
Can anyone relate? for me it was the gym which spilled over into unhealthy diets and unhealthy relationship to eating normal food that had carbs like it was going to kill me until I realized how obsessed I was becoming and quit the gym for outdoor activities.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Can you give an example of the adverb thing?
Not OP. One may may have the desire to think of oneself as one who lives adventurously [adverb modifying the verb lives ]. Yet this same person may find some of the roles, activities, or trappings of actual adventuring; that is, the things one does to be considered adventurous by oneself and/or by others; to be not actually be enjoyable or tolerable to themselves, which creates tension within an individual, which cou…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Reading Viktor Frankl’s book Man’s Search for Meaning has been the best thing I ever read on this topic. Changed my whole perspective. The tldr version goes something like: “Meaning is irrelevant, but humans need meaning to live. Pick any meaning you want. Doesn’t matter what, just choose something. Then go for it with all your might. If you ever find it wasn’t a good meaning, pick a new one. You’re a different perso…
Huh. I didn’t get that synopsis at all from Frankl’s book, “Mans Search for Meaning” it’s been a long time, maybe I need to re-read, but what I got was “you may not be able to change what happens to you, but you can change how you respond to it, and this gives you power”
Yes to this. I often counsel my younger friends to have a "mission". Then once that is completed, to find another one. In fact, one can have multiple missions running at the same time. It's rarely said that marriage, kids, job, degree, a house, car, and most physical things are not missions. And in fact, most of these things -- unless accompanied by a "why am i doing this" and attendant missions/goals do not lead to…
Since you explained what are not missions, can you give examples for missions?
1. Rearing children with the goal of making them read at 2 years old. Then with the goal of learning calculus at 10. Then others as they grow older.
2. Learning programming by writing a real system that actual people will use -- instead of code katas or reading programming books or attending a boot camp.
3. Marrying not only for love, but with the intention of building a business or farm together.
4. Buying a house, with the knowledge you will sell it or convert it into a rental in a certain number of years. Then repeat with another house.
5. Starting a social media account to cover a specific topic, instead of making random posts about anything (have you noticed the most successful accounts are about one topic??).
6. Taking a degree with the intention of using it in a specific way and knowing how much money you will make to pay off the loan and live a comfortable life.
7. Buying a "beater" car, because you want to hire a new offshore employee for a side project instead of making a high lease payment to the bank.
The world is filled with the stories of people who do things purely on emotion and never had "missions" or a "why" they did the thing.
The downside to this is forming an addiction e.g. get in shape and look good --> eating disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, etc. It's so easy to fall into this trap of obsessing over achieving your one goal to the detriment of your health and sanity (developing OCD, etc.) Can anyone relate? for me it was the gym which spilled over into unhealthy diets and unhealthy relationship to eating normal food that had carbs li…
Ended up giving up on that pursuit, and went into the software world and became a developer. It was really hard throwing that previous dream out, sunk cost and all, but I have never been happier than I am now. I realized that my single focus and obsession about achieving that specific goal meant that the rest of my life had been essentially halted. That's not the case anymore.
I think sometimes, at least for myself, we can get so caught up in the idealized end goal, that we forget that life happens between now and the end goal. If we don't take care of ourselves between those two end-points, we will either never reach that goal, or when we do, be unable to appreciate it.