Week 3 - "You can lead an untroubled life provided you can grow, can think and act systematically" - Marcus Aurelius
Before proceeding in chronological order, I advise you to read through the first entry of Things to think about before reading the Thoughts of the Week section of this week’s publication. It should help clarify some ideas I talk about. I’ve also omitted the Interesting articles I read this week section as I don’t see many interactions with the links, and don’t want to push something I don’t think is working. I’ll still occasionally add interesting articles, but don’t want to share anything I don’t genuinely find interesting.
Thoughts of the Week
Is it better to be aware of the reasons behind the choices you make, or ignorant? That’s the question I’ve been asking myself all week.
After listening to Chris Williamson's discussion on the proximate and ultimate causes of human behavior on The Modern Wisdom podcast (as mentioned in "Things to think about" below), I had an epiphany. As a result of my constant pursuit to learn about human nature as well as myself, my life has unexpectedly become more challenging. In situations where I normally would have made decisions and acted out of instinct and experience, I now think about the underlying reasons and most optimal paths to follow. This is seemingly a good thing, as thinking through options to make the best decision is something we’ve been taught our entire lives. But I can’t say it always has been.
All of that might not have made any sense, so here’s a good example of what I mean. After reading Dale Carnegie’s book How to Win Friends and Influence People, I became much more conscious of how much I talked in conversation compared to how much I listened. As a result, I started to speak less and listen more, some advice I think most people can learn from. However, it was the awareness of this tendency that ended up filling my thoughts. I found myself mentally keeping track of my speaking-to-listening ratio during every conversation, and even after the conversation ended, I would assess how well I did. This habit has definitely improved my communication skills but has also taken a toll on my ability to enjoy a conversation normally. It’s the awareness of my habits and tendencies as well as the knowledge of the “best” way to act in conversation that has taken away from the conversation itself.
My experience may not be universal but even if there are healthy ways to implement all the information you consume, there aren’t any ways to unlearn new things. Once you’ve learned the “best” or “right” way to do something, you either follow suit or always know you could be doing better.
Yet, I know if it came down to choosing between the awareness I currently have against the ignorance of not knowing any better, I’d always choose the former. Both ways of life can lead to fulfillment, but in different ways. In the aware life, it’s the awareness of knowing the ultimate truth, but being content with reality. In the ignorant life, it’s not knowing the truth, and as a result, being content with reality. In my opinion, awareness can lead to much more fulfilling experiences and a broader perspective of the world.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this question, and what choice you would make.
“Ultimately, happiness comes down to choosing between the discomfort of becoming aware of your mental afflictions and the discomfort of being ruled by them.” - Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
Things to think about
Proximate and Ultimate causes of human behavior
Defined as the immediate reasoning behind an action or behavior, proximate causes are the reasons we usually use to support much of our day-to-day actions and reactions. This differs from ultimate causes which are the evolutionary reasons for our behavior that have developed over time to maximize the chance of survival and reproduction.
“Ultimate explanations are concerned with why a behavior exists and proximate explanations are concerned with how it works. - Chris Williamson
A good example of this is the proximate vs ultimate cause of an individual looking to find a partner. The proximate reason for this urge is to have someone to support you and share experiences with while the ultimate reason is to eventually have someone with which you could have children and continue your genetic line.
What I learned This Week
Open and Closed loop skills
Open Loop skills are associated with stable processes in which immediate feedback is received following a motor action we perform. A classic example of this is throwing a dart, where we often rely on muscle memory and get immediate feedback based on where our dart lands. On the other hand, Closed loop skills are the more intentional processes in which we obtain feedback while we perform the action. An example of this would be riding a skateboard which provides real-time feedback on balance, and requires instantaneous adjustments.
Neuro-Linguistic programming
Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a psychological approach that endeavors to change the way individuals think, feel, and act by changing the languages and images people associate with their experiences. NLP utilizes a variety of techniques including “reframing” which involves altering the way one views something by relating it to a different experience and “anchoring” which involves applying some sort of gesture during some experience/feeling to anchor yourself to that state of being. This anchored state can then be recalled with the same gesture or action.
The invincibility of Echo Chambers
To fully grasp the concept of an echo chamber, it's important to distinguish it from an epistemic bubble. While an epistemic bubble simply disregards contrary perspectives, an echo chamber is a social structure that not only ignores opposing views but also actively discredits them. What makes echo chambers so interesting is their ability to reinforce the beliefs of their members. Group leaders often convince individuals that any attempts to challenge or question the group's core ideas stem from ulterior motives, reinforcing the chamber's cohesion and further isolating them from outside voices. As a result, echo chambers create an invincible element, where any attempt to see a different perspective results in an even more reinforced chamber.1
Training
Monday: 50 minutes/7 miles, Lift: Off
Tuesday: 68 minutes/10 miles(6,5,4,3,2,1 Fartlek), Lift: Legs, Strengthening Drills
Wednesday: Off, Lift: Pull, Core
Thursday: 60 minutes/8.5 miles(Easy with 6 x 20s strides), Lift: Legs
Friday: 75 minutes/10.8 miles (35 minutes Easy, 40 minutes Progressing), Lift: Legs, Core, Strengthening Drills
Saturday: 45 minutes/6.2 miles(Easy), Lift: Pull
Sunday: 90 minutes/13.75 miles(Progressive Long Run), Lift: Push, Core
This week included the first workout of this year. It provided a larger challenge than I would have preferred, but nonetheless, it was good to finally get in a good effort. I’ve also started to feel the delayed onset muscle soreness(DOMS) from my lifts this week, which specifically made my long run harder than it should have been. I’ve considered switching to a 5-day lifting plan, but think I may wait until I reach the 70 mile per week range to do so.
That’s all for this week! If you have any thoughts or suggestions on ways to improve this newsletter or parts you think could be in or excluded, please let me know! Feel free to comment below or message me on Instagram or email @tarun.vedula. Have a great week!
-Tarun
C Thi Nguyen - “Escape the Echo Chamber”, April 9, 2018
I'd choose the discomfort of being aware because for me that awareness would lessen the discomfort of my afflictions.