This is so insightful. Not only did your fluid way of writing suck me in, the idea is also beautiful.
Sometimes, more stress comes from not knowing what we're after, not knowing what we want. We chase the wind and return wasted. Seeking purpose is good advice.
Brilliantly written and beautifully read. Loved this. I've been thinking lately about the idea of having an ecology of practice in which your routines and systems are coherent with your sense of self, aspirations, and external everyday constraints and this view of a practice fits really nicely - The Internet is a useful tool in the hands of the master, but it takes a self-awareness and deliberateness to learn how to wield it wisely.
Really great essay. Thanks for this. It speaks (directly and indirectly) to a few different things I'm struggling with at the moment, e.g., working to overcome my deep distaste for social media while trying to use Notes productively/purposefully, finding a clearer direction to take my writing, and so on. After reading this piece, I read some of your others, and they've all been incredibly helpful.
I think it’s so important to encourage people to read with a specific purpose. Sometimes we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to get through a reading list, but it’s a lot more effective to use a book as a guide with a current problem you’re facing...almost like a friend or mentor there to help you for a current life objective.
Gaining financial freedom at this economic crisis is a must. Trade stocks, real estate, crypto and rare metals for generational wealth. Hit me up to gain more insight about investing tips
Thanks for this beautiful essay Henrik. I resonate with many of the points you discuss, but wanted to add a different perspective. As adults, having full control of our frontal lobes, many of us can 'play the internet like a piano'. Yet this analogy does not translate to children. Interfacing with the internet produces 'hyper attention' while other analog activities such as reading a physical book, engaging with nature, or interacting with people face-to-face nurtures 'deep attention'. When deep attention has to compete with hyper attention, it is akin to throwing a dolphin into a tank filled with piranhas and hoping that they will find a way to coexist.
I like using the analogy of a beautiful, mountainous, and mysterious landscape. At a young age, children have the opportunity to build train tracks to the farthest reaches of this wondrous scenery (by developing their deep attention). If they build these connections now (i.e., by immersing themselves in literature, history, nature, the art of conversation, etc.), they will forever be able to travel to the most remote locations that few others reach. If, however, they were to neglect the laying of these tracks now (and fall for the easy lure of hyper attention), the wonders of this landscape would remain largely hidden from them in their adult lives; only glimpses might be caught when flying over to another far-away land.
This is so insightful. Not only did your fluid way of writing suck me in, the idea is also beautiful.
Sometimes, more stress comes from not knowing what we're after, not knowing what we want. We chase the wind and return wasted. Seeking purpose is good advice.
Brilliantly written and beautifully read. Loved this. I've been thinking lately about the idea of having an ecology of practice in which your routines and systems are coherent with your sense of self, aspirations, and external everyday constraints and this view of a practice fits really nicely - The Internet is a useful tool in the hands of the master, but it takes a self-awareness and deliberateness to learn how to wield it wisely.
A brilliant antidote to the "tool as devil structure" meme. You and Alan Levinovitz appear to be on the same page: https://hedgehogreview.com/web-features/thr/posts/the-dao-of-using-your-smartphone
Really great essay. Thanks for this. It speaks (directly and indirectly) to a few different things I'm struggling with at the moment, e.g., working to overcome my deep distaste for social media while trying to use Notes productively/purposefully, finding a clearer direction to take my writing, and so on. After reading this piece, I read some of your others, and they've all been incredibly helpful.
I think it’s so important to encourage people to read with a specific purpose. Sometimes we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to get through a reading list, but it’s a lot more effective to use a book as a guide with a current problem you’re facing...almost like a friend or mentor there to help you for a current life objective.
This is beautiful - thank you!
Gaining financial freedom at this economic crisis is a must. Trade stocks, real estate, crypto and rare metals for generational wealth. Hit me up to gain more insight about investing tips
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Thanks for this beautiful essay Henrik. I resonate with many of the points you discuss, but wanted to add a different perspective. As adults, having full control of our frontal lobes, many of us can 'play the internet like a piano'. Yet this analogy does not translate to children. Interfacing with the internet produces 'hyper attention' while other analog activities such as reading a physical book, engaging with nature, or interacting with people face-to-face nurtures 'deep attention'. When deep attention has to compete with hyper attention, it is akin to throwing a dolphin into a tank filled with piranhas and hoping that they will find a way to coexist.
I like using the analogy of a beautiful, mountainous, and mysterious landscape. At a young age, children have the opportunity to build train tracks to the farthest reaches of this wondrous scenery (by developing their deep attention). If they build these connections now (i.e., by immersing themselves in literature, history, nature, the art of conversation, etc.), they will forever be able to travel to the most remote locations that few others reach. If, however, they were to neglect the laying of these tracks now (and fall for the easy lure of hyper attention), the wonders of this landscape would remain largely hidden from them in their adult lives; only glimpses might be caught when flying over to another far-away land.