Not true. I can sit in a pub a whole day with friends talking less then 500 words
All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)
211–220 of 468 posts
Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)
#212Earlier 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.
I think if you're disciplined in your HN use - like, check the front page twice a day, not a few times an hour - then it's basically a community-curated newspaper. And while newspapers may not be particularly healthy, they're probably better than most social media.
HN content tends to be longer-form which I feel is quite different from the typical infinite scrolling for quick dopamine hits on sites like Reddit or Twitter or Facebook.
Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)
#213I feel like I need to post this video of Jblow where he talks about focus because the quietness is not necessarily about decibels, but about uninterrupted time.
Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)
#214Earlier quoted context omitted.
With all the sociological data we have now, it’s almost certain that Pascal’s wager has never been more true for those looking to lead a meaningful life.
Which deity do you pick in that case? There are many of them.
If you strip away the dogma and cultural "decorations" of most religions the foundations are all mostly the same.
Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)
#215That's a bold assertion. Also a huge oversimplification. How do not some but ALL problems that exist stem from this? How about the problems that have nothing to do with man?
Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)
#216Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
But you can get the same addiction to likes (upvote count) as you'd get on a "real" social platform.
Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)
#217Earlier quoted context omitted.
HN has no user/private profile bubble which is the distinctive feature of social networks in my opinion.
HN has never sent me a notification.
Neither has Facebook, reddit or any other social media I use. That doesn't seem like a meaningful distinction.
Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)
#218Earlier 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.
HN is also in a strange category for me. The articles and the conversations are better quality than on any other social media with the added bonus that what I read is relevant for my daily job and career. At the same time, it's still distracting, I almost never finish an article and go straight to the comments, thinking "entertain me, comment section". I feel productive, but in reality, it's superficial knowledge, an…
I feel the same way.
I've spent countless hours in the last ~5 years on reading seemingly useful articles, and comment sections.
I cannot pinpoint even one instance where anything helped me IRL.
Something might've helped indirectly, but the connection is not clear.
Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)
#219What 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.
This. Unfortunately it's much harder in winter due to short days where I live (currently 7 hour days) but in summer it's great.
I find audiobooks and podcasts are also great for walking. Popular science and good self help is interesting but the best ones for a quiet state of complementation are thoughtful interviews, biographies and story driven intellectual books (Yuval Noah Harari is particularly excellent). In some ways they are another distraction but I like to listen for a while then take off the headphones and think on a section while I walk another mile.
Re: All problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone (2014)
#220Earlier quoted context omitted.
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 a…
There is no legitimate platform for such a person to report back to. There have been many holy books over the years insofar as religions are centred around them.