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

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

#261

Post by idiocrat » Sun, Dec 20, 2020, 11:32 AM UTC

I know there is an activity center in the center of the brain, which randomly fires impulses in all different directions of the brain.

It is keeping the brain from shutting down itself.

Brain neurons are connected the way that a thought needs to start from somewhere. No induction/initiation - no involuntary thought.

The associative thinking seem also to start as a cause of that activity center, when two or more random independent thought chains are being randomly initiated and come together eventually, at the bottom of the chains, causing cross-thinking.

This gives me a nice excuse why I'm restless and need to think all the time. I cannot close eyes in a dark room and have no thought. My brain is just working as usual -- I like it so.

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

#262

Post by pharke » Sun, Dec 20, 2020, 11:35 AM UTC

prox wrote: post #170

nine_k wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that the Buddhist principle of dukkha, the first noble truth, explains this most succinctly: "to exist is to be dissatisfied / suffer".

It is worthy of mention that the Buddha was a prince, destined to be come king, yet his father tried to lock him up in his golden palace with nothing but entertainment. Eventually the prince does come into contact with suffering, and leads to him trying to find an end to suffering.

It is useful to add that even distraction and entertainment are suffering and unfulfilling in that they are impermanent, illusory and essentially devoid of meaning. All things have "equal taste", good or bad all comes to us through the senses which only produce a reflection of the world in our mind. Even our perception of our own inner world is an appearance of the same sort in consciousness. This shouldn't excuse inaction or wrongdoing or lead one to apathy, however, our actions in the world are still important and have consequences but we should be mindful that this is a condition we are all subject to, a reason for greater empathy and care and a motivation to improve the lives of others as much as we seek to improve our own.

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

#263

Post by loa_in_ » Sun, Dec 20, 2020, 11:36 AM UTC

ck425 wrote: post #221

nprateem wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ecstasy. This dude knew how to meditate. A lot of people think meditation is just an exercise in patience and self discipline to stop the chatter of the mind, and that that is the end in itself. They are unaware of where meditation can lead. When the central channel (referred to as sushumna in yoga) is open and energy flows freely, you can feel ecstatic sensations in the centre of the brain as the upper centres becom…

Any idea what scientifically is actually happening?

This is only an alliteration, but I think it's like watching the debugger window attached to yourself. All the things you were previously unaware of (but still, happening inside your own system) become accessible and visible.

This suggests connecting neural network inputs to the middle of another (or the same) network - essentially exploring own architecture

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

#264

Post by deltron3030 » Sun, Dec 20, 2020, 11:38 AM UTC

chordalkeyboard wrote: post #159

op03 wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does this apply to Ants and Amoebas? They don't seem to enjoy sitting quite either.

This is an insightful question and likely points towards several fruitful modes of analysis. Why are ants and amoebas always moving? Their biological drives continue to give them orders and so they are never satiated.

>Why are ants and amoebas always moving?

Maybe because ant society expects it and can only function with ants constant in motion.

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

#265

Post by not_knuth » Sun, Dec 20, 2020, 11:48 AM UTC

Mulpze15 wrote: post #189

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.

Absolutely agreed.

Though you mention that walking is what helps you keep distractions under control, I like to go walking while listening to history/science podcasts, since it helps me understand the content a lot better.

The act of walking is said to be greatly beneficial for thinking in its own right [0].

So when I get an idea, I usually drop everything I'm doing and go for walk. And my anecdata can only confirm that it's beneficial.

This is why I am so excited about the idea of working remotely using AR glasses. Just imagine going hiking through the mountains while checking your emails or being on a conference call – only taking breaks to type out some code on a portable keyboard.

Regardless of the cognitive performance boost this would give you, it would also mitigate a lot of the health issues we humans have started accumulating since we started sitting down all day.

Of course Einstein also famously claimed to have only moved to Princeton for the walks home with Gödel [1].

[0] I found this news item in a pinch, but I'm sure there are many studies to substantiate the claim: https://news.stanford.edu/2014/04/24/walking-vs-sitting-0424...

[1] I would have to do some digging to find the original phrasing (Einstein is often misattributted), so take it with a pinch of salt. But there is an entire book who's title alludes to this : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Einstein_Walked_with_G%C3...

(the book is great btw)

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

#266

Post by faeyanpiraat » Sun, Dec 20, 2020, 11:57 AM UTC

theK wrote: post #224

faeyanpiraat wrote: post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Does it need to be a "direct" benefit? I think sometimes the things we do out of our own volition shape ourselves not only directly but also indirectly. As a personal example, I have noticed how my way of discussing heated topics has changed based on discourse I have seen here. And this would not have happened if I didn't invest time similar to yourself.

Yes in your case you identified a specific way to improve your communication skills by immersing yourself in the HN environment.

This is a hit or miss though, because you either identify specific ways to improve or not, and you may or may not actually improve those identified skills by reading trough the comments (and not taking action).

If improvement is the goal, then there are more efficient ways to eg. learn better ways to discuss heated topics (like reading a specific book on the topic, or attending a "Nonviolent Communication" workshop).

The more I think about this the more HN only seems like a place to get a specific flavour of entertainment (which I personally like), but nothing more.

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

#267

Post by d4nt » Sun, Dec 20, 2020, 11:59 AM UTC

hilbert42 wrote: post #235

"Modern humans spend virtually no time on "inward-directed thought", and not solely because we're too busy: in one US survey, 95% of adults said they'd found time for a leisure activity in the previous 24 hours, but 83% said they'd spent zero time just thinking." I think Pascal was correct because at least those people I know well enough to discuss such matters with tell me they don't spend much time thinking or cont…

I find it disturbing the way a trait that seems to be very common among humans is being framed as a problem.

External stimulus means you’re with other humans that you can cooperate with. That you’re sharing stories and learning. That you’re hunting for food. That you’re building a shelter. All these things are necessary for survival. It seems possible that being sociable and industrious might well have been bread into us at some point. And it’s probably the reason we aren’t like big cats in Africa, just hunting and then resting to conserve energy.

We should not be suggesting to people that their instincts are a moral failure to be cured.

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

#268

Post by LockAndLol » Sun, Dec 20, 2020, 12:03 PM UTC

Probably I'm in the minority, but I have no problem lying in bed just thinking.

Probably people who like camping are similar: just lying outside staring at the sky while crickets chirp, the wind rustles the leaves or grass, the fire crackles and not a human says a word. Soaking in your surroundings and thinking about your place in the universe - how insignificantly small we are in the vastness of space that surrounds us.

It's humbling and helps me with self reflection. What have I done wrong? What have I done right? What are my plans for the future? How can achieve them? What can I do to better myself, the people and the things around me?

That's much more preferable than being shocked and 15 minutes is really nothing...

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

#269

Post by throwaway316943 » Sun, Dec 20, 2020, 12:10 PM UTC

wcoenen wrote: post #187

TriNetra wrote: post #173

Earlier 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 something rather than nothing

Is there?

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

#270

Post by hohenheim » Sun, Dec 20, 2020, 12:11 PM UTC

tectonicfury wrote: post #126

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…

As a Muslim, I pray five times a day, and of late I have begun to perform it "better", as in unshackling myself from worldly thoughts and other mental distractions. I attach zero importance to them and I remind myself that this صلاة (prayer) that I am doing alone deserves any importance, to the exclusion of all others. Thoughts used to come to me to try and induce panic in me, but overtime they have become so feeble…

I don't think what Pascal is trying to get through is that we should numb ourself to inner thoughts. On the contrary, to acknowldege them and if anything, spend more time contemplating. That is when we can learn about ourself, others, and the universe, if I may say.

Working from home this entire year, I have tried to practice taking at least 15 minutes everyday, couple of times a day, laying down and just listening to my thoughts, understanding my anxieties. Trying to understand why I feel the way I do, instead of running away from them by distracting myself by various means.

This new habit of mine truly has been a life saver in this year.