Part 1::The Mind - KeynesYouDigIt/Knowledge GitHub Wiki

stillness is the key

The Domain of The Mind

Study of Kennedy during the Cuban missile crises. He was slow, deliberate, contemplative, meditative, and listened carefully to all voices around, not just the loudest. Empathy eventually gave him the breakthrough idea of discussing de-escalation with Krushnev.

Become Present

Marina Abramović's performance piece where she sat still for ~3 months - being fully present caused people to fall into tears, had a huge impact. "The proposition here is just to empty the self. To be able to be present."

Our lack of being present causes anxiety by trying to balance too much at once, and muddles performance by not allowing us to be engaged is he referring to a flow state here? "The moment" that we should live in is as long as we can live presently and not take off in our minds. Matthew 6:34 "Be not therefore anxious for the morrow: for the morrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

Limit your inputs

Napolean didnt read his mail for a crazy amoutn of time. Fast forward to the "CNN" effect of the 90s - leaders were studied and found to be more reactive than proactive, thanks to 24 hour news cycles. T. M. I. Be content seeming stupid about extraneous things.

Work the Eisenhower box! (urgent+important = DO, urgent+!important=DELEGATE, !urgent+important=DECIDE, !!=DELETE)

Silence breeds self awareness and attention to detail. Too much access to info and entertainment is very bad!

Empty the mind

It's impossible to hit and think at the same time" Yogi Berra on baseball

Negative AND positive thoughts about something that isn't right in front of you are worth less, and should be let go. "he let those wild horses run right on by"

A Bowl (room, pitcher, cup, spoon, etc) is most useful when its empty::make space! especially in your mind!

Meditate.

"Over thinking" (over engingeering?) is simply incorporating irrelevant observations, anxieties, etc. it happens when you are not empty, not present.

Slow Down, Think Deeply

Mr. Rodgers and the yellow light - slow down. Observe. learn about what is "essential". Think about the opposite (Kruschev rushing to throw missiles in Cuba) - rash, brash, not well thought out. miss-reading Kennedy. Examine your own thoughts. observe and meta observe.

Thinking is good! it is ok to meditate on things! The thinking should be intentional, well framed. It can be exploratory, just not lazy and random. Not all who wonder are lost

Start Journaling

Slap random thoughts into here like a net.

Journaling is self observation at its best. Anne Frank is an example. Research is really good and theres hundreds of examples of successful people journaling

Cultivate Silence

Seek Wisdom

What divergent schools agree on is humility and curiosity. Keep learning, ask questions, dont be prideful. Ego is the enemy. Hitler "when I read in prison, it helped me recognize the correctness of my views."