anti-rebel.org

What Is This Place? Aim, Values, and Behaviors

Life seems like a process of perpetually waking up to what a fool you are, and remaining awestruck by the vastness of knowledge and beauty around you. I created this place to memorialize my most compelling observations and insights… and help illuminate yours in the process.

I Believe

Above all, everything is OK.
We live in relationship with the same truths.
We get stuck in similar places.
There are reliable ways to find your center.

Aim: Know Myself and Help People Suffer Less

Note to self, 2020

(Read one kind note from a visitor, here). I appreciate interacting with you all – whether on post comments or personal notes.

Values and Behaviors

Sincerity (Antirebellion)

In 1993, a favorite author reflected on how American culture seemed obsessed with ironic mockery. He pondered the antidote might be sincerity: being brave enough to be authentic, even if it doesn’t play to the tastes of culture. I believe in this. I am certain we all need sincerity in our lives, in our relationships, in our institutions and communities.

Careful Consumption of Knowledge

Make contact with great minds. Commit to always learn. Remember that information is distinct from knowledge. Mindless consumption is a modern psychological tragedy, and deceives us into feeling as if we are growing. The world runs on ideas and philosophies – whereas information drips… clickbait, memes, rage-of-the-day, seem like simple carbohydrates for the mind. Focus on the ideas and philosophies. Acquire them, take them apart, inspect them from thousands of different angles. Avoid the allure of mindless information.

Expression

With Words

Share thoughts and ideas. The magic of language is being able to turn our feelings into thoughts. The more we turn our feelings into thoughts, the more we understand ourselves and our relationship to the world. Our relationship with the world, with other humans, whether a close friend or family, or the stranger on the other side of the world, even humans we never meet or have yet to be born. Our connection to other humans is a treasure. Expression, then, is how we can contribute to this connection. How we can add value and build meaningful relationships with other humans.

More Broadly

Add beauty to the world. The human mind does not – should not – merely express in words. Human genius is more profound than words alone can ever convey. Whether it be music, or painting, or photography, or other creative endeavors…. give the mind the open space to roam. 86 billion neurons are ready to work – if only you will give them the chance. Not only is the process of learning an artistic skill endlessly satisfying, it can stir the deepest emotions in yourself and others. Most of us live in a collective delusion that life is mostly about getting through the day. Art reminds that beauty and absurdity are in every direction always. Art reminds us our stories are much more meaningful than getting through the day. Art jolts us out of our routine and reminds us that we are alive. Consume art. Create art.

Contribution to Others

Increase wellbeing in other people’s lives. Donate time, energy, mind, and resources to each layer in the onion of humanity: family, friends, community, city, country, world. Care for friendships. Let people know you love them, frequently. Show it. Equally, help complete strangers around you. Create public resources and tools. Help humanity improve itself. Thoughtfully balance the allocation of energy between personal wellbeing versus the wellbeing of others. We are all responsible for each other. This is obviously hard – the world will accept more than you can ever give. Even so, giving too little is as terrible a mistake as giving too much.

Mindfulness

Deeply understand the the nature of my mind and its contents. This is the well from which all other values are nourished. Meditation, journaling, solitude, and careful contemplation. Inspecting feelings before you act on them. As William James said, “we are mere bundles of habits”. Watch your habits closely. Observe your mindscape repeatedly over time – carefully curate actions in support of all other values.

Physical Health

Treat my body with respect. It’s a gift – a miraculous culmination of millions of years of evolution. Use it or lose it. Pump your heart beyond it’s resting pace – regularly. Run, Bike, Hike, Walk, Explore. Use your muscles. Do calisthenics. Stretch. Sleep well. Eat a majority of clean, unprocessed food. Modern life, unfortunately, discourages all of these things. Fight back. The brain does more than generate thoughts – it runs the entire body. Keep your brain in a deeply engaged relationship with the body – move yourself around. Otherwise atrophy awaits.

Experience the World

Feel the diversity of humanity. Travel. Experience other cultures. Befriend the emotion of being lost, and uncomfortable, and venturing away from familiarity. The motivation is not to flee from boredom, or find happiness somewhere other than where you are. Rather, to deepen appreciation for other perspectives. Experience first-hand things you have only read about, or seen in photos.

Basic Human Needs

Shelter, food, autonomy, accomplishment, confidence, self-respect, humility. These are fundamental to all other values and behaviors. I am including this here to remind myself this: I’ve been focused heavily (perhaps too heavily) on this category for most of my life – I need to allocate precious time to other dimensions of my journey. I am so so grateful I’ve had the opportunity and access to make myself strong in this area. However, I will not continue growing by investing most of my time and energy here. I need to make a change.

Staying On Path

A few reminders I use to keep myself on track.

Curiosity Food

Favorite resources I return to again and again for new perspectives.

Wellness Stack

Universal ideas for vitalizing your wellbeing.

Thanks

If ideas within this site challenged you or provided new perspective, consider leaving comment on the piece. I’d love to interact with you there – conversation is where great ideas are born. (Of course, feel free to reach out directly). Respectful conversation is the best hope we have in expanding awareness and wellbeing. The highest aspiration of this website is to feature perspectives outside of my own!

Along those lines, if you’ve created content, and would love someone to digest and provide thoughts, send it along. I am happy to consider featuring it here.

Thanks for exploring with me.

– Jay

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