Know When The Rest Is Over - Issue 82 - 8th October 2023

One thing I realised upon returning home after two weeks in Italy is the reason why I felt agitated, restless and generally depressed the last few days of the holiday. Many feel this way towards the end of a holiday because they dread returning to their normal, everyday lives of work, responsibility, worries, anxieties etc. I was sad to leave such a beautiful place for sure, however I felt agitated partly because I was not voluntarily struggling and therefore was involuntarily struggling.

Travel Log - Como, Bellagio & Lezzeno, Italy - Issue 81 - 1st October 2023

It’s been almost two weeks since we returned from Italy and of course, it feels like a distant memory so before it dissolves I thought I should log some of the highlights. So my partner and I were lucky enough to be taken to a few cities located on Lake Como by my parents.

Meaning In Suffering - Issue 80 - 24th September 2023

The title of this newsletter, as I’m sure you’re aware, is The Struggle For Meaning. It means a couple of things. I’ve spoken extensively about one definition: the idea and philosophy that meaning in one’s life can be found in the most fundemental ways from times of strugggle and suffering. Fundemental meaning comes when one voluntarily embraces suffering or better yet when one actively seeks out suffering. Those who face their fears, both internal and external, those who push their bodies further, those who continually educate themselves, those who have uncomfortable conversations, those who aim so high that they continually fail. This is what I’ve been advocating for thus far in this newsletter. However, there is another definition to The Struggle For Meaning which I have spoken less about.

What Is A Break To You? - Issue 79 - 17th September 2023

This will be a short issue of the newsletter as I am currently sitting Lake Como-side in Lezzeno, Italy and enjoying a break from the struggle. As much as it is a break, I feel motivated enough to continually exercise most days, albeit in a less intense capacity. I will also be recording some Struggle Shorts whilst I am here as the views are too beautiful not to document (see an example below), so stay tuned for those next week. The point of this newsletter is to let you know that it is beneficial to take a break from the struggle and in a lot of cases can make you more effective when you return to the struggle. Additionally, it’s also useful to consider what constitutes a break for you. For me, I still want to exercise, I still want to read, I still want to be somewhat creative but I am giving myself a break from the requirement of being productive. Taking a break is taking a break from all that you’re required to do and only doing what you want to do.

Get Rid Of Your Crutch - Issue 78 - 10th September 2023

You may have noticed that I enjoy using metaphors. I find that metaphors, symbols and imagery help make complex or fundemental ideas easier to digest and easier to apply to my life. One such image that I have recently come to apply to my life is that of a crutch. A crutch is used to take the weight off of a leg or foot so that it can heal. The beauty of a crutch is that it allows gradual pressure to be put on the injured leg ensuring that it heals effectively. If the crutch was used or relied on too much, the injured leg would whither and become weak. If the crutch wasn’t used at all and you attempted to walk normally whilst the leg is still injured, it would only exacerbate the problem.

Would You Plug In? - Issue 77 - 3rd September

There’s a famous philosophical thought experiment imagined by Robert Nozick in the 1970s called The Experince Machine. The idea is that if there was a time in which it was possible for us to plug into a machine, fall unconscious but feel the experience of anything we want, would we plug in? Our bodies wouldn’t move, we would objectively be unconscious but we would feel the feelings of any experience. “When connected to this experience machine, you can have the experience of writing a great poem or bringing about world peace or loving someone and being loved in return” (2).

Fail Occasionally - Issue 76 - 27th August 2023

It’s imperative to get back up when we fall. It’s also imperative to fall in the first place; falling is a fundamental indication of ambition, of something worthwhile. If you are not falling, if you find that you’re the smartest person in most of the rooms you occupy, ask yourself why. Are you looking forward instead of up?

Be Calm In The Middle Of A Storm - Issue 75 - 20th August 2023

Struggling makes you dangerous but at peace. Part of human nature is that it can seem counterintuitive, paradoxical. It would seem that those who struggle every day, those who are disciplined and who practice the art of struggling are less happy, less at peace, less relaxed. However it is the opposite. Those who struggle are most at peace.

Rehabilitate Yourself - Issue 74 - 13th August 2023

The problem is that we all want the feeling of accomplishment, fulfilment and purpose without any of the effort. We know this because if there was a pill that made you feel the way you would feel after an intense workout or a five minute cold plunge or accomplishing a difficult task, it would be the most popular drug on the market (3). We would all be addicted to it.

Find Authentic Awareness - Issue 73 - 6th August 2023

Last week I wrote about the phrase “we are the things we have lost” and I believe there’s more to uncover here. As examined last week, it seems that we carry memories and the spirit of those who have left this world and we carry the changes and lessons from relationships that have past.