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Happy Tuesday. Each week I share some thought-provoking insights of my own, along with wisdom from the great thinkers I’ve encountered through books, other media, and my network.
This is the eighth edition of this newsletter. When I started playing with this format, I committed to eight weeks. I definitely have enjoyed the weekly output, although I’m considering the path forward, both whether to continue or not, and updates to the format. I’m considering include reducing the newsletter into three short sections or pivoting to a short weekly passage on one idea. If you have any thoughts about the content or format that have worked well, or could be improved, definitely let me know.
Top of Mind: Disproportionate Value
A common human pitfall is the attempt to try to get disproportionate value from things that were never meant to provide it.
Big Idea: Practical Spirituality
If you were to ask a Buddhist what they thought about the origin of the universe, they might say that they don’t give it much thought, because the origin of the universe doesn’t change the reality of the present.
We can be so focused on whether something is true that we overlook the simpler reality that spirituality is the most practical way to live.
Jordan Peterson would ask, “in a world where you can choose meaning or meaninglessness, why would you settle?”
What practical benefit is there to abandoning any of the following beliefs?
that things happen for a reason
that we are put into circumstances in life for the purpose of growth and transcendence
that there is a divine spark within our parents, siblings, friends, or any life form
that the actions we take matter, and that we ought to take ownership over our experience
that it’s safe to operate with an underlying sense of trust
I believe the underlying principles of religion and spirituality are true, and it’s deeply fulfilling to feel that at a somatic level in addition to thinking it. But I also believe much of life is giving up our default sense of control and adopting a set of empowering beliefs that support our ability to navigate and thrive in our daily lives.
Borrowed Wisdom: On Society and Consumerism
Italian poet and writer Pier Paolo Pasolini in 1975: “no fascist centralism managed to do what the centralism of consumer civilization has done”
Comedian Keith Lowell Jensen in 2014: “what Orwell failed to predict is that we’d buy the cameras ourselves, and that our biggest fear would be that nobody was watching”
Reading, Watching, Listening: “Tony”
With the release of the new Anthony Bourdain biopic, Tony, there have been a lot of different outlets publishing pieces on the life and work of Anthony Bourdain. I listened to a Bourdain themed episode on The Watch and read a NYT Magazine piece called “The Gospel According to Anthony Bourdain”. In both, there are a lot of fun stories that inspire wonder, which is what Bourdain did best, and exploration of the broader cultural impact of his life.
Hope you have a great week.
Adam
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