If Your Feet Itch
Advice to the self.
“The universe belongs to those who, at least to some degree, have figured it out.” Carl Sagan
At this point on the trajectory of human civilization the feeling that things are already sorted out and are sorted out well is common. So one has good incentives to follow pre-existing models for life choices, ranging from education to employment or entertainment among other things. And this is not a disaster. On the contrary, conformism is beneficial for the stability of human societies as it strengthens social cohesion, rules and order, and collective narratives like religion and language.
Yet some handfuls have an urge to furtively inspect the basic foundations of the systems — be it of schools or government — and brainstorm if they can add tweaks to any existing rules so that they can optimize the ways the things work. I think humanity needs such troop of people as well who eliminate traditional friction and rust to transcend the civilization. For all this lofty dream of “putting a dent in the universe”, I think one should begin by being curious. Plus 35 other adjectives.
However, the world will not improve with the increase in the number of people who want to change the world before their demise. The world rather needs people who try to understand the world and its problems first. This makes the primary purpose of a life not to change the world but to figure out the problem one will enjoy to solve. But how can we progress with selecting a problem and then solving it? The answer is easy. Only thing that is hard is its implementation and trailing a path that doesn’t reward you immediately. Whatsoever, the answer is such:
The first person to consult when you are embarking in a novel journey is yourself. Ask yourself what is the hard problem you’re or will be working on. “Where are all the people going to solve this problem?” Find where they are, go with them, or follow them surreptitiously if they don’t allow you to be with them. Just ask “Can I? will you? how can I?” You don’t need to know all the answers but definitely work on questions that lead you to answers. The world is never going to be revealed by statements. It will rather be elucidated by questions and unprecedented events. Embrace it, and constantly take leaps from uncertain to a poised state.
You constantly have to disrupt institutional narratives, piss enough people off, go beyond “authorized personnel only” doors, and tear all the super regulated things apart so that you can make sense of the fundamental ways of how things work.
Be vulnerable. Don’t fear being an outlier to the system, break rules super hardly, and pave your own path. If there are two options in your hand, as Peter Thiel will suggest, choose the harder one.
Still when you’re toiling hard to solve a puzzle in this gigantic universe, pause for a while, endorse the view of Neil deGrasse Tyson — “universe is under no obligation to make sense to you” — and enjoy your short ride.
If you want to say hello: https://twitter.com/nischal57, or stay in loop here: https://nishb.substack.com/
