Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)

theguardian.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 468 posts

Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)

#101

Post by sn41 »

occamschainsaw wrote: post #85

This quote has fascinated me for a long time. It seems that this is a skill that can be sharpened with deliberate practice. I went to a 10 day silent meditation retreat (Vipasana) abs felt I got much more comfortable sitting by myself just observing my thoughts. The practice part was difficult, probably one of the hardest things I have ever done. 10 days of no talking/reading/writing, sitting in a room, observing you…

This separation of "sense of being" from thought also has been expressed in the teachings of Jiddu Krishnamurti, Sri Ramana Maharishi and Nisargadatta Maharaj. The writings of Nisargadatta are especially helpful in shedding more light on this phenomenon.

A very very corny way I like to think about this is the separation of the init process (being) from other processes (thought, sensation etc.). I know this is a very superficial interpretation, but I find it helpful.

Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)

#102

Post by m463 »

psyc wrote: post #100

I used to have a close friend who was constantly getting into trouble (and calling me to bail her out, sometimes literally). Minor run ins with the police, car accidents, making shady deals or getting into debt to random lowlifes she just met. I always used to say that I wished she would just stay in her room and sit on the bed. Save both of us so much trouble! This was in the days before social media, otherwise I'm…

That's a good point.

Makes me wonder what the reality is with kids nowadays that are right there under their parents nose noodling around on their phone. Are they getting into less trouble, or more trouble?

Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)

#103

Post by known »

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disruptive_innovation

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man" --George Bernard Shaw (b. 1856)

Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)

#104

Post by occamschainsaw »

sn41 wrote: post #101
occamschainsaw wrote: post #85

This quote has fascinated me for a long time. It seems that this is a skill that can be sharpened with deliberate practice. I went to a 10 day silent meditation retreat (Vipasana) abs felt I got much more comfortable sitting by myself just observing my thoughts. The practice part was difficult, probably one of the hardest things I have ever done. 10 days of no talking/reading/writing, sitting in a room, observing you…

This separation of "sense of being" from thought also has been expressed in the teachings of Jiddu Krishnamurti, Sri Ramana Maharishi and Nisargadatta Maharaj. The writings of Nisargadatta are especially helpful in shedding more light on this phenomenon. A very very corny way I like to think about this is the separation of the init process (being) from other processes (thought, sensation etc.). I know this is a very…

Another corny metaphor I use for my mind is: Most of my thoughts are runaway processes that are just burdening my system. You don't want your CPU going at 100% for extended periods of time, same for the mind.

Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)

#105

Post by wpietri »

codechicago277 wrote: post #50

This quote comes from Blaise Pascal's Pensées, accessible here. "That is why we like noise and activity so much. That is why imprisonment is such a horrific punishment. That is why the pleasure of being alone is incomprehensible. That is, in fact, the main joy of the condition of kingship, because people are constantly trying to amuse kings and provide them with all sorts of distraction.—The king is surrounded by peo…

That has a lot of resonance for me. In this modern age, we are all kings, and there are vast industries to save us from ever being alone from our thoughts.

For December, I quit sugar, social media, and video games. It's been really interesting to notice what state I'm in when I go to reach for those things. Sometimes it's just habit, but often it's because I'm uncomfortable or in distress and want to avoid those feelings. But indulging in those things often just kicks the problem down the road.

Indeed, breaking my social media habits reminds me of Oscar Wilde talking about cigarettes: "A cigarette is the perfect type of a perfect pleasure. It is exquisite, and it leaves one unsatisfied. What more can one want?" The same for me is definitely true with Twitter and Facebook. An infinite feed of shiny, entertaining, funny, and outraging things, but almost nothing that's ever satisfying.

Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)

#106

Post by IgorPartola »

occamschainsaw wrote: post #85

This quote has fascinated me for a long time. It seems that this is a skill that can be sharpened with deliberate practice. I went to a 10 day silent meditation retreat (Vipasana) abs felt I got much more comfortable sitting by myself just observing my thoughts. The practice part was difficult, probably one of the hardest things I have ever done. 10 days of no talking/reading/writing, sitting in a room, observing you…

The thing that’s been on my mind lately is that the definition of our human sentience is that a thought about a thought is itself a thought. We to some extent have solved the halting problem. Or rather it doesn’t apply to the way our programming works, if you will.

Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)

#107

Post by jacksonlango »

joe_the_user wrote: post #96
occamschainsaw wrote: post #85

This quote has fascinated me for a long time. It seems that this is a skill that can be sharpened with deliberate practice. I went to a 10 day silent meditation retreat (Vipasana) abs felt I got much more comfortable sitting by myself just observing my thoughts. The practice part was difficult, probably one of the hardest things I have ever done. 10 days of no talking/reading/writing, sitting in a room, observing you…

I've done a variety of meditation techniques and certainly appreciate the benefits they may offer. One thing I'd say is that it's not always the techniques that feel the hardest that actually offer the most benefits. I believe Buddha's term "middle way" referred to a way that was in the middle between extreme privation/altered consciousness and the ordinary world. I think those interested in meditation techniques sho…

This is the opinion of an amateur, but I think this is where "skillful effort" comes into play. A retreat like that will be less strenuous if you already have a daily meditation practice.

I wouldn't describe a weeklong meditation retreat as the "extreme" side of the Buddha's middle way. That would be more like starving yourself in asceticism. With the right practice/preparation (IE a few months of daily hour-long sits), I think a weeklong retreat would be beneficial and reasonable for most people.

Of course, getting to the point of a daily practice is pretty challenging itself, but not too much more than the average workout routine in my opinion.

Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)

#108

Post by sn41 »

manigandham wrote: post #82
rtpg wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The person's point is likely that you spent a lot of energy on something that probably doesn't matter. This might be subjective, of course, but it is possible to think about something for longer than you should. Navel-gazing isn't a virtue. Though ideally you probably want to be with people who think that the same stuff is important.

Longer than you should? There is no such thing. Of course it's possible to spend thought without resulting in any new discoveries but that's not really a problem because thoughts are interconnected and build upon each other to create better mental models for other situations. It doesn't matter how petty or insignificant the topic is, it's the act of thinking deeply about something that's important. Anyway, I understa…

But brooding for a long time is not really healthy. I don't know the exact issue on which you got mocked, but there are these unproductive loops of thought into which you can slip into, spending many days. It takes some other pressing issue to snap out of this.

Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)

#110

Post by Fordec »

rtpg wrote: post #41
manigandham wrote: post #22

Recently I was having a debate with a friend who said "you thought about this lot" in a mocking tone, and I suddenly realized how strange it was that that phrase is used so commonly as an insult. Solid thought isn't just good but necessary and we're seeing the symptoms of this everywhere.

The person's point is likely that you spent a lot of energy on something that probably doesn't matter. This might be subjective, of course, but it is possible to think about something for longer than you should. Navel-gazing isn't a virtue. Though ideally you probably want to be with people who think that the same stuff is important.

And Jobs spent too much time on calligraphy than he should.

And yet, that experience was tinder for the start of font rendering in computing. Whether it is naval gazing or creating unique insight, it's only known in hindsight.

Post reply on HN