Moar anger! Storm chasing. Hope power. Enough already. Rest up. Find joy. Find people.
When adversity strikes, that’s when you have to be the most calm.
Take a step back, stay strong, stay grounded and press on.
-LL Cool J
1. “The world doesn’t need more anger.”
Can You Stay Calm in a Time of Outrage? – Margaret Cullen – (Greater Good Magazine)
Cullen makes the case that equanimity — an “evenness of mind, even under stress” — is an act of resistance.
It is the quiet refusal to be swept up in the emotional hyper-reactivity that so often masquerades as moral clarity. It is not indifference—it is passion tempered with wisdom. Not detachment—but perspective.
We’re encouraged to react with outrage from all directions. It’s a tactic used to distract us from rational thought and effective response. Equanimity doesn’t mean you don’t care deeply. It’s often a more tactical, thoughtful approach to the issues at hand.
Do this: It’s hard, I know, but try to dial down the outrage-based response and adopt a more thoughtful approach.
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2. “Running into the storm”
The Hidden Power of Running Into the Storm – Sahil Bloom – (Curiosity Chronicle)
When faced with a difficult yet unavoidable situation, do you try to avoid it, anyway? Perhaps you delay dealing with it? Bloom uses the instinctual behavior of bison as a metaphor.
If you turn away from the storm and run, it lingers. It lasts longer. The storm chases you. It controls you. By facing the storm, by charging into it, the bison move through it faster to get to the other side.
It’s not always easy, but often the best way through is directly through.
Do this: Be a bison.
3. “Hope may be the most underrated emotion of them all”
The Power of Hope – Tom Greene – (Wit & Wisdom)
We’re living in times when it would be easy to give up all hope. I’m sure many already have. Greene uses concepts and passages from Viktor Frankl, concentration camp survivor and author of Man’s Search for Meaning, to argue that hope is critical.
The world has no shortage of reasons to despair. But despair is a dead end; hope is a doorway. To live without hope is to surrender before the story is finished. To live with hope is to accept that while we cannot control every outcome, we can always choose our response. And sometimes, that choice is enough to change everything.
Do this: Have hope.
4. “Our economy is built not on the notion of enough but on the notion of more.”
Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World – Anne-Laure Le Cunff – (ebook)
The takeaway above grabbed my attention. So much of what we’re dealing with — socially, politically, personally — revolves around the word “more”. That’s particularly true when we reach one of our goals.
Bigger, better, higher, faster. We want to capitalize on momentum or prove that the hard work was “worth it.” We press on to the next level.
Momentum can be a good thing. But so can saying “enough is enough”. The latter is significantly less stressful, and often all you need.
Do this: Consider “enough”.
5. “You’re not defined by what you produce”
The Riddle of Rest – Lawrence Yeo – (More to That)
Yeo addresses an interesting phenomenon that I experience regularly: peace interrupted by restlessness.
When you’re staring at a still lake and you get restless a few minutes later, that’s usually because a thought sneaks in about what you have [to] get done.
In my case, it’s not a still lake, but meditation, or exercise, or similar situations. I feel a powerful pull to cut them short, or not do them at all, because there’s so much to be done.
Rest is when you’re not associating your self-worth with what you have to do next.
It’s a good, but incomplete definition. I know it probably shouldn’t be, but my meditation practice is tied, however lightly, to my self-worth. I feel guilty, for example, when I skip. But it’s restful when it happens, though it’s certainly subject to the pull of the rest of my to-do list.
Do this: Rest.
#rest #meditation #distraction
6. “Choose joy”
18 Life-Learnings from 18 Years of The Marginalian – Maria Popova – (The Marginalian)
It’s been a while since I featured a good listicle, and this qualifies. There are several worthy thoughts and reminders here; the entire list is valuable. I chose “Choose joy” because it’s a) so hard right now, and b) so important right now for our own sanity and wellbeing.
Joy is not a function of a life free of friction and frustration, but a function of focus.
Friction and frustration are everywhere. But that doesn’t mean we can’t find moments of joy throughout the day. We just have to look.
Do this: See joy. (Popova’s article is worth the read as well.)
7. “Our mind is kind of lying to us”
Why humans are surprisingly bad at being happy – Laurie Santos – (The Well, YouTube)
People are less happy than ever. We can look around at well, everything, and perhaps conclude why, but there are several reasons independent of current events that make happiness hard.
Yale psychology professor Laurie Santos recommends a set of practices, dubbed “re-wirements” to improve our overall happiness. One of them is people.
Every available study of happy people suggests that happy people are more social. They physically spend time around other people and they tend to really prioritize time with their friends and family members
In my ongoing struggles with happiness, this is something I’ve been trying to prioritize. As an introvert, it’s often a struggle to make the time, but each time I do I’m glad I did.
Do this: Socialize.
Random links
- How to Be 20% Happier (Or More) in Old Age – Any age, really.
What I’m reading now
- Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World – Anne-Laure Le Cunff
- Creative Intellegence – Greg Storey
- Swamp Spirits – Jana Deleon
- The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One 1929-1964 (Audio)(re-read)
My Reading List – everything I’ve read since 2021.
My Sources Page – the common sources I scan/read regularly.
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