I feel the same, Tommy, all the time. And I'm wayyyyyy older than you. Discernment is a skill that you hone but never master, and the feeling that emanates from not doing something you wish (or think) you should do gets easier to manage. One thought and one recommendation: you will love The Count of Monte Cristo, and you'll want to read more of Dumas work because its a lot of fun to read, won't seem like work at all; and I would recommend you read "4000 Weeks" because it is by far the best book I've ever read for helping you deal with the struggle you so eloquently captured in this essay. Keep it coming brother, you're doing great work.
Grant, thank you so much for reading and leaving such a thoughtful note. Made my day.
Discernment is a great way to capture it. I think part of it is getting closer and clearer on your sense of self, knowing exactly what is for you and what isn't for you. But I think that process takes time and trial/error.
I first read The Count of Monte Cristo two years ago and absolutely loved it. I've also read 4000 weeks twice. Yet living it is something I'm continually trying to do.
Thank you again for the kind words. Hope you have an amazing rest of your summer :)
Hope you enjoy your summer as well Tommy 👊. Also loved The Three Musketeers, and The Man in the Iron Mask. Amazing storytelling. This conversation has prompted me to go back and read them again 😆
Ah, Tommy. I think we are kindred spirits my friend. I've been thinking about this too much lately, specifically this line, "Life would be easier, simpler, if I desired less. If I was more sure of myself. If I was more content with what I had." One moment I want to walk into the bookstores of any random city and see my (future) book sitting front and center. The next, I want to care for no opinions other than those of the people in the small rural town I call home.
I heard recently, I can't remember where, that all the lives we don't live are important and beautiful, but not ours. Those other lives are ghost ships that don't carry us, all we can do is salute them from the shore.
Welcome to the modern life, where we have everything, we want everything, but we can't simply come to the understanding that we can't do everything. I remember a famous philosopher once said: "I read books because one life is not enough" and to him, that was enough. Now, even reading books is not enough it seems. This modern life..
Brother Karamazov is on a shelf in its own with one other book, 100 years of solitude (not another rec?!). Every other novel than these two is on a lower shelf for me.
So true, Abdulrahman. 500 years ago we would have far less choice, far less awareness of the multifarious lives we could live. With abundance in the modern world, it places a premium on discernment.
Very interesting. Both of those are high on my to-read list! The classics are so comprehensive, so brilliant, two books thoroughly understood can convey all the wisdom one may need in this life. Maybe we can chat about them someday.
Thank you for reading and leaving such a thoughtful comment. Lots for me to think on. Really appreciate it :)
I love "If" by Rudyard Kipling. The 4-stanza (283-word) poem captures many virtues (patience, integrity, humility, self-trust, willingness to start again, refusal to complain, work ethic).
"If you can wait and not be tired by waiting"
"If you can dream—and not make dreams your master"
"Overwhelm is the overflow of desire. And desire is dangerous. It's the exact opposite of happiness."
WHOO wow gonna be thinking of this one today. I am overwhelmed to wanting to read more, learn more, write more. But maybe what I should be doing is just sitting longer with what information I have and take it from there.
I listened to around 40 Episodes of the podcast Philosophise this! and it do is great, especially to get a summary of the philosopher's most important ideas. But if you want to deep dive into the author's works, I'd recommend just reading their books.
Regarding you wanting to start meditation, there's an app called Oak, that has guided and unguided meditations as well as breath work. And it's free.
Thanks for reading and leaving such a helpful comment Doris! Really appreciate it.
I agree completely. Podcasts can be a great discovery tool. Listening to ~30 minute episodes and then if you find one that resonates, diving into their books.
Thanks for the app recommendation! I'll check it out :)
You're welcome, Tommy! I'm glad the comment helped you.
Hmm, yeah exactly. Like a trailer where you get enough information to know who they are when somebody mentions them. But not a spoiler like some trailers for movies :)
I feel the same, Tommy, all the time. And I'm wayyyyyy older than you. Discernment is a skill that you hone but never master, and the feeling that emanates from not doing something you wish (or think) you should do gets easier to manage. One thought and one recommendation: you will love The Count of Monte Cristo, and you'll want to read more of Dumas work because its a lot of fun to read, won't seem like work at all; and I would recommend you read "4000 Weeks" because it is by far the best book I've ever read for helping you deal with the struggle you so eloquently captured in this essay. Keep it coming brother, you're doing great work.
Grant, thank you so much for reading and leaving such a thoughtful note. Made my day.
Discernment is a great way to capture it. I think part of it is getting closer and clearer on your sense of self, knowing exactly what is for you and what isn't for you. But I think that process takes time and trial/error.
I first read The Count of Monte Cristo two years ago and absolutely loved it. I've also read 4000 weeks twice. Yet living it is something I'm continually trying to do.
Thank you again for the kind words. Hope you have an amazing rest of your summer :)
Hope you enjoy your summer as well Tommy 👊. Also loved The Three Musketeers, and The Man in the Iron Mask. Amazing storytelling. This conversation has prompted me to go back and read them again 😆
I've been meaning to read The Man in the Iron Mask! Maybe I will after I reread The Count of Monte Cristo...
Thanks again :)
I've also read the book 4000 weeks. I can only agree, it helped me a lot with the overwhelm.
Ah, Tommy. I think we are kindred spirits my friend. I've been thinking about this too much lately, specifically this line, "Life would be easier, simpler, if I desired less. If I was more sure of myself. If I was more content with what I had." One moment I want to walk into the bookstores of any random city and see my (future) book sitting front and center. The next, I want to care for no opinions other than those of the people in the small rural town I call home.
I heard recently, I can't remember where, that all the lives we don't live are important and beautiful, but not ours. Those other lives are ghost ships that don't carry us, all we can do is salute them from the shore.
Haley, so good to hear your thoughts. Honored to be a kindred spirit with you.
I also oscillate between different visions for my life. I often complain to my friends about being a carpenter and settling into a simple, quiet life.
A question I've been grappling with recently: how conventional do I want my life to be?
Wow, I love that. There's something to just owning your life, in its imperfect entirety. Loving it precisely because its yours.
Thanks again for the note. Coming out of the mountains and being flooded by emails, this one made my day :)
Welcome to the modern life, where we have everything, we want everything, but we can't simply come to the understanding that we can't do everything. I remember a famous philosopher once said: "I read books because one life is not enough" and to him, that was enough. Now, even reading books is not enough it seems. This modern life..
Brother Karamazov is on a shelf in its own with one other book, 100 years of solitude (not another rec?!). Every other novel than these two is on a lower shelf for me.
So true, Abdulrahman. 500 years ago we would have far less choice, far less awareness of the multifarious lives we could live. With abundance in the modern world, it places a premium on discernment.
Very interesting. Both of those are high on my to-read list! The classics are so comprehensive, so brilliant, two books thoroughly understood can convey all the wisdom one may need in this life. Maybe we can chat about them someday.
Thank you for reading and leaving such a thoughtful comment. Lots for me to think on. Really appreciate it :)
I love "If" by Rudyard Kipling. The 4-stanza (283-word) poem captures many virtues (patience, integrity, humility, self-trust, willingness to start again, refusal to complain, work ethic).
"If you can wait and not be tired by waiting"
"If you can dream—and not make dreams your master"
"If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim"
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46473/if---
"Overwhelm is the overflow of desire. And desire is dangerous. It's the exact opposite of happiness."
WHOO wow gonna be thinking of this one today. I am overwhelmed to wanting to read more, learn more, write more. But maybe what I should be doing is just sitting longer with what information I have and take it from there.
I'm glad this resonated, Becky :) Really appreciate you reading and leaving a comment. Made me smile.
Similar to you, I'm often overwhelmed by everything I want to read, learn, do.
But I agree -- there's something meaningful in choosing something, knowing everything you're not choosing, and committing to it. "Falling in".
I listened to around 40 Episodes of the podcast Philosophise this! and it do is great, especially to get a summary of the philosopher's most important ideas. But if you want to deep dive into the author's works, I'd recommend just reading their books.
Regarding you wanting to start meditation, there's an app called Oak, that has guided and unguided meditations as well as breath work. And it's free.
Thanks for reading and leaving such a helpful comment Doris! Really appreciate it.
I agree completely. Podcasts can be a great discovery tool. Listening to ~30 minute episodes and then if you find one that resonates, diving into their books.
Thanks for the app recommendation! I'll check it out :)
You're welcome, Tommy! I'm glad the comment helped you.
Hmm, yeah exactly. Like a trailer where you get enough information to know who they are when somebody mentions them. But not a spoiler like some trailers for movies :)
No problem. I hope you'll like it!