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

theguardian.com

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

#181

Post by melenaos »

thotsBgone wrote: post #166
NoOneNew wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>introverts make the best leaders To be a good leader, you have to be willing to confront AND navigate conflict within a group setting in a productive manner that ultimately achieves an agreed upon goal. One of the defining traits of an introvert is avoiding conflict. Thus, no, introverts don't INHERENTLY make good leaders. If you've ever dealt with even a moderately diverse group of individuals due to their capabili…

> One of the defining traits of an introvert is avoiding conflict. No it's not. That's one of the defining traits of disagreeableness, which is known to be independent from introversion.

You are right, i have seen my introvert boss, taking verbal damage, hold his anger and his words for 5 seconds and unleash a devastating speech that made the other guy walk away.

He also took leading part in many high management meetings without any social fear.

I am about the middle and i hated working under an extrovert manager, all chatting, big words, self promotion stories, useless long meetings, fake friendly attitude that turned into professional talk when shit got real etc.

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

#182

Post by ulnarkressty »

Maybe one needs to dig deeper - all problems stem from our hunt for resources. This seems to be hard wired into life - man and single-celled organism alike.

Is this all there is? A never-ending search for resources, and the dopamine reward that comes after?

A post-scarcity society doesn't make things better. Nor will ascension to a type I civilization for that matter.

We need to be something different in order to behave differently. I have no idea where to begin though.

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

#183

Post by WA »

Shared404 wrote: post #156
maggotbrain wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you are commenting here, you haven't really quit "social media".

While I agree, I personally give HN a pass due to the fact that conversation is typically better here and the fact that it's technically focused.

It’s still a random search for new information, distraction, entertainment.

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

#184

Post by MaulingMonkey »

somedude895 wrote: post #179
pantelisk wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was looking at this quote for a long time. I forgot who it was from, and only remembered it paraphrased. Thank you. To also contribute to the discussion. I often joke that it takes effort to mess things up. You could instead lay on the beach enjoy the evening breeze than putting in that effort. So before you delve into that process, take a step back and think carefully what you want out of it. I like long walks acc…

Why is it, that sitting alone will have me ruminating, thinking negative thoughts whereas when I'm moving my legs thoughts seem to be more positive or productive?

If you let your car sit for a month, the battery may drain and the car might not start. They were designed in part around the assumption of regular use.

So too has evolution - through the happenstance and accidents of natural selection - ended up relying on the movement and use of the human body to regulate hormones, neurotransmitters, and who all knows what else. Exercise can help release endorphins, dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin...

Unsuprisingly, when we muck with that, there are problems. Not needing to move to avoid danger or to collect nutrition for basic survival is an extremely recent thing on evolutionary timescales, so this wasn't a problem before.

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

#185

Post by feanaro »

WA wrote: post #183
Shared404 wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I agree, I personally give HN a pass due to the fact that conversation is typically better here and the fact that it's technically focused.

It’s still a random search for new information, distraction, entertainment.

Yes, but random search for information is not always a bad thing. There's a time for exploration.

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

#187

Post by wcoenen »

TriNetra wrote: post #173
pmoriarty wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just a bit more on why Pascal thought even a king is unhappy when he thinks about himself: Whatever condition we picture to ourselves, if we muster all the good things which it is possible to possess, royalty is the finest position in the world. Yet, when we imagine a king attended with every pleasure he can feel, if he be without diversion, and be left to consider and reflect on what he is, this feeble happiness wil…

the day you can sit for hours without doing anything, you've attained the state of self-realization – self-love free from all conditions. The conditioned mind is no longer there, the thoughts no longer bombard you, the emotions no longer disturb you. You enjoy the deep peace, contentment and bliss of your infinite self. Then you can truly contemplate deeply on anything you feel important, then the deep mysteries of e…

> Then, you see the truth, of life, existence and the universe.

Pretty words, but do they mean anything? For example, if I reach this state, will it be revealed to me why there is something rather than nothing? I think not, otherwise someone would have reported back with the answer already.

I'm interested in meditation to learn more about my own body and mind, maybe improve my life somehow. But IMHO the discussions around it could do with less of this type of mystic woo.

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

#188

Post by johnchristopher »

maggotbrain wrote: post #141
wpietri wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 feel…

If you are commenting here, you haven't really quit "social media".

HN has no user/private profile bubble which is the distinctive feature of social networks in my opinion.

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

#189

Post by Mulpze15 »

What helps me is to walk, instead of sitting in a room. When I walk, my fidgety body is kept busy, and leaves my brain in peace, not even costing any brain-cpu cycles.

Then, it is a lot harder to reach to your cellphone when you walk. So it helps me get rid of 2 major distractions, body and phone, with very little effort. Now I can think.

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