The Straussian Path (Optimizing For Convexity)

https://x.com/oxbquant/status/1964725714080448584

the speed of AI's development

laziness is thinking about the effort/cost instead of the outcome

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1964936881696809123?s=46&t=nluSw7cwYGx8zFxfoYi5Iw

I expect to pass
through this world
but once,
any good thing,
therefore, that I can do
or any kindness I can show
to any fellow human being
let me do it now.
Let me not defer
nor neglect it.
For I shall not pass this way again.

― Stephen Grellet

luck surface area

work is about a search for daily meaning

what makes work meaningful?

pet strollers surpassing baby strollers in Korea

mimetic desire as a trend

the mimetic theory has been identified since early 2000s

very interesting and i think it continues to be more widespread as the world continues leaning into social media, globalisation, and comparing their lives to others on their screens

mimetic desire briefly discussed before in Naval's podcast

its the current trend of society

quick overview from chatgpt on René Girard's theory of mimetic desire

i’m not a political guy, but between iryna being stabbed and charlie kirk being shot

i think civil war happens within the next few years in the US

feels like something’s brewing

any thoughts from politics knowers?

once again i am reminded and thankful for my country because it is so safe here

despite ridiculous cost of living, the safety makes it worth it

one of the most fundamental needs

". . . The thing I would say is, when you grow up, you tend to get told that the world is the way it is, and your life is just to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family life, have fun, save a little money. But life, that's a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact, and that is: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it. You can influence it. You can build your own things that other people can use. And the minute that you understand that you can poke life, and actually something will, you know, if you push in, something will pop out the other side, that you can change it. You can mold it. That's maybe the most important thing is to shake off this erroneous notion that life is there and you're just going to live in it, versus embrace it. Change it. Improve it. Make your mark upon it. I think that's very important. And however you learn that, once you learn it, you'll want to change life and make it better. Because it's kind of messed up in a lot of ways. Once you learn that, you'll never be the same again."

Steve Jobs Secrets of Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYfNvmF0Bqw

You need to be bored. Here's why.

Being bored can lead you to ask big questions (eg. what is the meaning of life?), which are beneficial and important in attaining happiness. The current explosion in mental health issues such as depression is largely due to the elimination of boredom through smartphones. Most people use their phones as a crutch in escaping boredom, making it harder to find meaning in life.

If you learn to be bored, you'll end up happier.

Remedies:
Aim for regular 15mins+ periods of being bored
No devices during meals
No devices during certain periods of the day

https://youtu.be/orQKfIXMiA8?si=zYoX9uFEFjpVv8NM

I'm someone that does not use my phone much, I guess that is a good thing!

probably the main reason why I am questioning life so often and journaling things as well

especially when I'm with company, I think it is important to put your phones aside

aside from being disrespectful to the other party, it helps you stay in the present and be more intentional

the amount of times I have seen friends whipping out their phones to scroll social media the second there is a pause or break in the conversation is astounding

IF (BIG IF)

racism, crime, and violent tendencies are genetic, would it be justifiable to kill the 1% of the population that is contributing to 80% of the crimes, to save the 99% of society?

'Do not ask your children to strive' by William Martin