Science = Progress, Stories = Meaning - Issue 32 - 23rd October 2022
With technological advancement and enlightenment came immense strides forwards for humanity: living longer, less poverty and starvation, fairer societies etc. However, the consequence of this progress has been poorer mental health, especially in Western, first-world countries.
Sacrifice Today for a Better Tomorrow - Issue 31 - 16th October 2022
The concept of sacrificing now for later is hard-wired into our primitive brains. We had to become aware of time before this. We had to consider thefuture. To become aware of the future, we had to become aware of our own mortality and vulnerability. Once we know our days are numbered, we become aware of the manners in which we can increase those days. We are capable of increasing our chances of seeing tomorrow. In order to guarantee tomorrow comes, we must sacrifice.
Struggle Now, Stronger Later - Issue 30 - 9th October 2022
The struggle is hard. Therefore, it’s not only stopping yourself from eating too much, watching too much or smoking too much. You could become better by doing better. You could sit up and read a page of a book instead of lying in bed all day. You can embrace struggle in this way by voluntarily strugglingand working. However, there’s more weight to be added to your burden. Weight in which you have no choice but to either pick it up and continue striding forwards, or allow it to topple you. Weights in which you can only control your reaction to it rather than instigating it. Grief is a prime example. You cannot control the catastrophes that knocks you off of your feet. All you can do is react with heroism, get back up and carry the burden.
Nihilism vs Meaning - Issue 29 - 2nd October 2022
I’m twenty seven in a couple of days. I spent the majority of my twenties and late teens unwittingly overindulging. Overindulgence, meaningless pleasure and fabricated versions of reality, leading to compulsive and addictive behaviour, psychological ailments, financial overindulgence and a lack of meaning. Or I spent the majority of my twenties and late teens surrounding myself with meaningful relationships, searching for true love and learning and attempting to uncover meaning. The nature of time is a tricky concept to grasp. Both versions of my past are true but dependent on perceptions and interpretations of history. We lose the majority of an event the second it’s over because our minds erase what it believes to be unnecessary based on how we’re feeling at the time, with little to no contemplation or discussion with ourselves, so it’s easy to taint our pasts with everything we perceive to be negative, if we think in this way. My coming of age was at a time of vast change. Of course every generation can say this and they would be right but what was unique about my growth was technology and our complete unpreparedness for its incredibly fast-moving change.
Love is Work - Issue 28 - 25th September 2022
My partner and I just celebrated our two year anniversary last week, so I decided to speak further on love and relationships. Love is an interesting topic when speaking of struggle as we are led to believe by countless movies, TV shows, books and narratives that when you find “the one,” life becomes easy and love becomes paradise. Unfortunately, the most realistic parts of these stories are the parts in the middle, the disruption to the equilibrium, when work must be done to maintain the relationship: an argument ensues, someone moves away, priorities change etc. The act of simply falling in love does not negate you from struggling forward to keep love present. Love is work.
Fundamental vs Objective Truths - Issue 27 - 18th September 2022
I want to touch on the difference between fundamental truths and objective truths. It’s easy to dismiss claims and stories as objectively false. People also enjoy using objectivity to seem more intelligent but the problem with only viewing the world through an objective lens is that a hell of a lot of meaningis hiding right outside that lens. To view the world objectively andfundamentally is to look below the surface of stories and gauge their significance from a moral standpoint rather than a purelylogical one. This allows for better interpretations.
Take a Break - Issue 26 - 11th September 2022
This week’s newsletter article will be relatively short as I find myself with a decreasing amount of time to write and create so perhaps a break is needed. This will only be for this week however as I plan on getting back to writing most days soon.
The Phoenix - Issue 25 - 4th September 2022
There are, as demonstrated, a plethora of stories, symbols, metaphors, myths, characters and morals throughout human history that have survived the test of time and the reason for this is because they are deeply true. Maybe not literally, but symbolically. They resonate and they entice our human nature. These stories are archetypal. They captivate us because they are innately human stories. Thus we should take them seriously, for they are significant. They tell us who we are and how to move forward. They persuade us to live accordingly with them. They command that we leave similar stories for thefuture, because the history of humanity rests on these stories so to ignore their significance, to live a life in opposition to them is to deny your humanity and make the future worse.
The Lord’s Prayer - Issue 24 - 28th August 2022
Continuing on the theme of the Bible, we can take the words from the Bible and rather than utilise them literally, we can utilise the meaning without thebeliefs. For instance, the Lord’s Prayer can still be useful to atheists.
Religious Stories - Issue 23 - 21st August 2022
If you believe that the stories, morals and symbols that’s employed in religious dogma are fantasy and the scourge of society, you’d be as well throwing every product of creativity onto the fire along with the Bible because you’d be hard-pressed to find one that is not directly influenced by religious stories. The story of Harry Potter, for example, may look on the face of it like a fantasy story but it’s a replication of the story of Christ. At the end of thestory, Harry is killed by Voldemort (a manifestation of Satan) but is re-born in order to defeat evil. If you want to throw religion to the flames, you better be prepared to throw everything else in with it because you’ll be left with nothing by nihilism. We’d like to assume that we are happier now than ever before. Materially we have more and we have scientific and rational thought.