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#spirituality-ethics
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2016-06-24
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zcaudate11:06:50

there’s this documentary:

zcaudate11:06:36

@bg got me into the whole dune universe

bg11:06:12

😋 👍:skin-tone-5:

zcaudate11:06:13

my computer is called arrakas

zcaudate11:06:11

and if I get a fish… I’ll call it leto

zcaudate11:06:30

if the fish was male

robert-stuttaford11:06:45

> I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

robert-stuttaford11:06:52

i love, love, love this

zcaudate11:06:04

amazing stuff

zcaudate11:06:39

there’s so much knowledge in those books

zcaudate11:06:57

“The mind commands the body and it obeys. The mind orders itself and meets resistance.”

robert-stuttaford11:06:07

i've been doing a lot of reading on brain / mind topics

zcaudate11:06:12

bg talked about the 3 types of sci-fi - technology as the prime focus (star trek), adventure as the prime focus (star wars) and society/politics (dune)

zcaudate11:06:45

the best type being dune

zcaudate11:06:03

because it’s timeless

zcaudate11:06:28

because even though there is technology, it’s not the main focus

zcaudate11:06:12

which one do you recommend/

robert-stuttaford11:06:22

the top one is the fundamental one

zcaudate11:06:37

I’m reading this myself:

robert-stuttaford11:06:30

fixed vs growth mindset. once you discover your fixed mindsets and work on adopting growth mindsets instead, then you open to relentless learning and being willing to work hard on the things you want

zcaudate11:06:40

there’s some really nice ones on that list

zcaudate11:06:22

I’ve read 12 and 13

robert-stuttaford11:06:08

"the talent code" is great because you learn why you can't avoid deliberate, deep practice to build a skill

robert-stuttaford11:06:10

basically, myelin 🙂

robert-stuttaford11:06:41

it's a fantastic list. Tom's basic idea is that innovation and creativity comes from combining existing ideas. so ideas in, new ideas out

zcaudate11:06:56

hahaha… I need a book that says… take this pill to learn a new language

robert-stuttaford11:06:56

hence the extreme learning focus -- read a LOT

zcaudate11:06:50

just googled myelin

zcaudate11:06:32

I find that we really need to know what drives us

robert-stuttaford11:06:58

myelin is what actually builds a skill, by wrapping neural circuits as you repeatedly trigger them. more layers = faster, stronger signals on those circuits

robert-stuttaford11:06:20

you trigger them by doing the thing, but at the limit of your capability

robert-stuttaford11:06:58

it's fascinating. i agree, we definitely need to know. the reason why mindset is at the top of list, is because it's vital to know and believe that you can change what drives you

zcaudate11:06:05

I find that the thing that gets me down is fatigue

zcaudate11:06:47

so how do we make the right decisions/

robert-stuttaford11:06:12

that leads to the second most important thing: having a goal

borkdude11:06:44

@robert-stuttaford: what was the first important thing?

robert-stuttaford11:06:52

because then the primary guidance for decision making can be "is this moving me towards my goals, or away from them?"

robert-stuttaford11:06:10

having a "growth" mindset, rather than a "fixed" mindset

borkdude11:06:37

@robert-stuttaford: how do you know if your goal is good and how long should you stick to the goal?

robert-stuttaford11:06:49

if you believe you can grow the skills you need, and know what you want to use those skills for, what remains is energy and attention management

robert-stuttaford11:06:57

that's a fantastic question 🙂

borkdude11:06:16

@robert-stuttaford: the question is born from experience 😉

robert-stuttaford11:06:11

there's a great book for that question -- so good they can't ignore you, by cal newport

robert-stuttaford11:06:47

i should caveat everything i'm saying here; i'm trying all of this on, i don't know if it's right 🙂

robert-stuttaford11:06:54

the usual disclaimer, heh

borkdude11:06:22

@robert-stuttaford: I had one goal for 2015 and got a lot of motivation from it. Then changed my goal in 2016 to a different topic, but it didn't work out. Returning to the 2015 goal.

borkdude11:06:52

@robert-stuttaford: I think you have to feel intuitively or from a flow of energy of the goal is really still valid, or something

borkdude11:06:24

@robert-stuttaford: there is probably no recipe for it, but trying too hard can be a trap also. Things have to work out at the right moment, with your cooperation.

robert-stuttaford11:06:36

yes, all great points

robert-stuttaford11:06:11

it all gets very zen at some point, because the answer, ultimately, is whatever you end up doing 🙂

borkdude11:06:44

I'm writing down the title of that book, but the list is getting big 🙂

robert-stuttaford11:06:29

there is no reading list, there is only reading hash-tag-zen

zcaudate11:06:56

I like this channel

borkdude11:06:20

Eckhart Tolle said: if you have to choose between your head or your body (when something is not clear) choose for the body.

borkdude11:06:46

I think in retrospective I could have made better choices when I would have applied that.

zcaudate11:06:50

it’s a good refuge from `(->> (update-in blah [:key] do-stuff) (reduce-kv some-function list-of-things))`

robert-stuttaford11:06:10

yeah, michael, this is what i like about mindfulness practice; you get back into your body

robert-stuttaford11:06:21

so many years i've treated my body as a way to move my head around

robert-stuttaford11:06:01

TIL about reduce-kv

borkdude11:06:39

I think I used that function exactly once in some project.

zcaudate11:06:44

it’s useful… but now I’m sorry I brought it up 😂

zcaudate11:06:20

@robert-stuttaford: is mindfulness a buddhist thing?

borkdude11:06:51

@zcaudate: mindfulness is something that can be found in all religions, it's just a practice

robert-stuttaford11:06:55

it's a core part of their teaching, yeah, but i don't think they can claim ownership

borkdude11:06:37

@zcaudate: for example The Order of Saint Benedict is very much mindful

robert-stuttaford11:06:09

buddhism directly relates mindfulness to a broader mental model for learning to befriend yourself

zcaudate11:06:18

I always wonder what people think about when they are being mindful

robert-stuttaford11:06:02

it's not a thinking, it's an observing

zcaudate11:06:13

for me these days, I start to nod off and fall asleep when I meditate and then I start dreaming

borkdude11:06:17

@zcaudate: I think it means doing one thing well, like a good unix command line tool or clojure function 😉

robert-stuttaford11:06:23

being the space for a phenomenon while being aware that you are being the space for the phenomenon

zcaudate11:06:06

so it’s an action

zcaudate11:06:20

or the act of observing the action

robert-stuttaford11:06:50

there's a book (i say this a lot 🙂 ) - http://www.shambhala.com/how-to-train-a-wild-elephant.html - which is great for tackling this idea of mindfulness being something you have to 'do'

robert-stuttaford11:06:10

it's more of a quality of mind while you do whatever it is you would usually do

robert-stuttaford11:06:25

doing so with awareness and intention and -- if possible, non-judgment

robert-stuttaford11:06:49

this book has lots of nice little practices, such as using your non-dominant hand, to force your attention into the present moment

zcaudate11:06:03

see for me, I feel that awareness is just the feedback loop

zcaudate11:06:32

I feel that integrity is what we should be working towards

robert-stuttaford11:06:38

brb work meeting 🙂

zcaudate11:06:42

and awareness helps that

borkdude11:06:46

My colleague just started sitting in meditation posture on his office chair... don't know if he is aware of this conversation 😉

zcaudate11:06:31

but being aware purely for the sake of it… I tend to see it has being a little selfish

borkdude11:06:02

@zcaudate: doing/being more mindful benefits all beings

zcaudate11:06:41

I believe that mindfulness can be used to achieve harmony

zcaudate11:06:00

but the goal is harmony

borkdude11:06:18

just do it for the sake of doing it, the benefits will follow

zcaudate11:06:16

it’s a hard sell though

zcaudate11:06:28

most people these days are like… show me the money

borkdude11:06:33

more money, more responsibility 😉

zcaudate11:06:58

tell me about it

zcaudate11:06:02

I would like to think that I’m more mature because I practised this and that

zcaudate11:06:30

but I’m finding that age automagically solves a lot of the problems of youth

zcaudate11:06:10

for no reason at all

borkdude11:06:13

well, becoming older means you have practiced life a lot more 😉

zcaudate11:06:43

maybe it’s because we don’t give a fuck as much as we did as we were younger

zcaudate11:06:12

but I’m really enjoying getting older

borkdude11:06:35

well, sometimes I wish I wouldn't give a fuck like I did when I was younger

borkdude11:06:57

but I'm glad it's working out for you 🙂

zcaudate11:06:33

same same 😃

zcaudate11:06:07

anyways… back to work...

zcaudate11:06:25

thanks for the conversation