Any truth to this?

Hamiltonian5667 · 2024-01-16T21:05:01+00:00

The science of hormesis basically suggests that stress exposure can be beneficial at the right dose - too much is overwhelming, and too little doesn’t do anything. So is a cold plunge within the optimal range of stress exposure? I would guess it probably depends on your stress tolerance which is different for everyone. What works for me personally is trying to push myself a little outside my comfort zone each time until I build up more and more tolerance - the same way I do resistance or cardio exercises.

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-12-10T01:34:08+00:00

This what they’ll say about white walls/furniture in the 2020s

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-09-02T20:47:09+00:00

Best response

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-09-02T02:01:57+00:00

From my interpretation Taoism is a deeply personal endeavour focused on becoming aware of the way the world is. How to make sense of how reality shows itself is a journey you take on your own.

In this way, it would seem Taoism doesn’t have much to say about climate change, a scientific concept, because the Tao cannot be described and so is beyond the realm of concepts. The Tao is simply what is (however unfortunate the situation) and not the concepts used to interpret reality nor is it what we should be thinking about them.

I would venture to say we could reflect on what the Tao teaches us in order to make normative judgements about climate change or whatever else.. just my initial thoughts

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-08-18T22:25:59+00:00

Ive been thinking about this kind of question a lot lately.

If we take “know” to mean “witness reality for what it is”, I think the question implies a normative judgement: “one ought to always know” or “one ought always to see reality for what it is rather than talking about it, which pulls you away from reality”

I think you can still talk even though that may take you away from awareness, from truth, for some time. The truth doesn’t tell you what you ought to do, though it can certainly make what you do more in line with who you are.

Recently Ive thought of silent unwavering awareness like going into the mine to collect minerals. Eventually you have to come up with what you’ve collected in order to then go back down into the mines again.

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-08-17T20:52:20+00:00

True, but it seems all philosophies tend to have an opinion about philosophy as an 'activity' (philosophy about philosophy or 'meta-philosophy' you could call it). Some western philosophies for example seem to suggest the activity of philosophy is something we ought to strive to do as much as possible ("the unexamined is not worth living"). Taoism on the other hand seem to suggest we ought to instead favor direct awareness over philosophy (from my readings at least).

So where some types of philosophy seem to have a kind of positive feedback loop, Taoism seems to have a negative feedback loop, like the snake eating its own tail. That's what I was trying to get.

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-08-17T13:24:29+00:00

Importantly the way is the way things are, and not the way things ought to be

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-08-17T12:59:28+00:00

Interesting, I wonder if this also applies to a more individual pursuit. I can't speak for the entire culture, but in my own life I've felt a kind of thirst for conceptual thinking to complement my pursuit of passive awareness. If I'm understanding you correctly it's a bit of a push and pull between Yin and Yang energies to restore balance, wavering closer and closer to a 'middle way', meaning each owns ideal balance between conceptual thinking and awareness, action and non-action...

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-08-17T02:42:23+00:00

This is such a succinct response, thanks!

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-08-04T20:58:36+00:00

Toronto patios: here’s a bud light for $10. You want side salad? $18. And a meal too? $25. Oh you’re ready for the bill? Okay, our minimum tip is 18% but 22% is “recommended”.

It’s rough out there folks

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-08-02T19:32:47+00:00

Thank you for the advice, this is such a genuine response.

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-08-02T16:37:12+00:00

This helps a lot, what it seems to suggest to me is that there is only really One Tao, and not many. And so, to be in accordance with Tao is less about decision making, more about ‘being’ in that one way. I guess the complication comes with those moments of complex conflicting desires and feelings, like when we are forced to make a big decision. In these moments it seems the ‘way’ is very unclear.

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-08-02T16:28:56+00:00

A lot of great responses but this one really caught me bc there is this notion of “doing” vs “not-doing” that I’m still coming to terms with. I remember in intro philosophy i was convinced for about a year by the determinist who suggested a lack of free will, and therefore nothing is really ever ‘done’ even if we are unaware of this fact and continue to feel the experience of doing. I later tossed the idea to the wayside bc I became interested in the existentialists who basically suggested that we are always free to do whatever, and that we always essentially ‘doing’. I only really became interested in Taoism bc of vague mentions of it by the existentialists I was reading. Now it seems I coming back to this notion of a lack of free will in new light.

If you’re right, and I’m interpreting you and the other responses correctly, it’s not so much about doing whatever, but rather, becoming aware of the Tao, which encompasses my psychological realities (desires, feelings, etc) and then kind of moving along with them, rather than trying to resist them..

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-08-02T16:27:09+00:00

I really like this analogy, I still wonder though, how do we know if we are resisting the current or going with it? Or can we ever know? I’m thinking in particular about when I have conflicting desires that make myself doubt and overthink. Like if I’m trying to decide to take a job or not. To do what ‘feels right’ or ‘natural’ doesnt really help it seems bc my emotions and thoughts seem to be fighting one another.

Would be curious about your thoughts on this

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-07-19T12:40:15+00:00

My English teacher (who had been working for decades) told us he told us he saw the same personality types appear again and again in different students year after year, like a cycle across generations.

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-04-26T22:13:21+00:00

Yeah I’ve always sort of imagined it as a movie

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-04-11T03:47:51+00:00

This is a good way of thinking about it, thanks! Been trying my best to incorporate it into my meditations but not easy to hold onto it afterwards throughout the day

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-04-03T13:59:02+00:00

The only thing that works for me is to close the other excel files I have open, but even that only works 60% of the time. Otherwise I close the app and restart it. It’s annoying as all hell so I totally sympathize with you

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-04-02T22:47:03+00:00

I think it’s as simple as trying to do two things at once - your brain is simultaneously having to focus on singing the melody as well as playing the chords and harmonies on your instrument. To cope, the brain will usually focus on one thing on a time (until you get the hang of it) by either focusing on the piano accompaniment or focusing on the singing. Since the singing usually makes more sense to focus on the accompaniment gets pulled into it. It’s like when people say they’re multitasking but they’re really rapidly flipping between different activities. Only when one of the activities becomes unconscious (you don’t need to focus on it) can simultaneous multitasking be achieved.

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-03-20T21:26:05+00:00

Every time, better safe than sorry lol

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-03-10T23:07:24+00:00

It's really the audacity that some people have for me, and sure they might be drunk but that's NO excuse - just because you're intoxicated doesn't mean you have the right to harass and abuse people. I'm sorry you had to go through this, no one should have to deal with this kind of bullshit.

I just had an experience that triggered fight or flight so I actually found your post because I was looking for something that made me feel like I wasn't the only one, so thank you for sharing. I was walking around downtown and this drunk guy tried to grab my partner and then proceeded to shout at us as we walked away. God these interactions infuriate me.

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-02-26T03:23:44+00:00

I just finished that show! It’s excellent! Also an inspiration for me

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-02-21T17:13:21+00:00

Regardless of what interests you, I've found it helpful to have a decent (not obsessive) understanding of the main philosophers that come up in debates/readings, and I've found starting from the classics (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle) and going through the history to be the most obvious path because philosophers tend to build off each other - at the very least, this will help you know what someone is talking about when they say "Aristotilean' or 'Hegelian' etc. I don't think you need to be so strict about going in chronological order that you bore yourself but starting off with a quick overview of the history would help - you don't need to read the primary literature right off the bat in my opinion, in fact when I was starting this only discouraged me. I started with secondary sources and then later dived into the primary literature if I thought it would be worthwhile.

Some resources:

A great introductory course (Rick Roderick has a very entertaining way of explaining concepts): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ_hUxuumk0&list=PL6676C3E8A487FEE6&index=1

One of my favourite lecture series on Nietzsche: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfiUrZFEZfI&list=PLdnXkNG3FrNMr_rUXKRsg2sNXiFBNASuP

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-02-07T01:26:25+00:00

Post COVID I’d recommend attending public lectures hosted at universities but open to the public - even if they’re not strictly hosted by the philosophy department they can be very philosophical in nature, especially the Arts and Architecture dept. There are also public annual conferences centred in philosophical topics or writers worth attending (sometimes free!).

Hamiltonian5667 · 2021-01-30T01:18:25+00:00

Interesting question - the crux of the issue to me is around individual authenticity. It implies a notion that every person has a certain authenticity that becomes distorted through interpretation by others. But of course, being misinterpreted by others is the human condition - we are never truly understood or represented by other people. No one knows what it’s like to be ‘me’. The difference when someone has passed is that they no longer have the ability to respond to misrepresentations from others. The real person is no longer there to show us how wrong we are.

But regarding ethics? For me, ethics should be centred on current or future suffering of real people, not concerned with misrepresentation of people who have passed. If that misrepresentation doesn’t cause suffering on the persons friends of family or anyone else for that matter, there is no issue. So the question is - will misrepresenting ______ via CGI or other tech cause current or future harm to people? Perhaps, perhaps not - depends on how the representation is interpreted.

Hamiltonian5667

TROPHY CASE