Misery Index
To start 2018, I've made a resolution of maximizing my own happiness.
Embodied Memories
I've recently been trying to reduce my possession footprint. It partially started in 2015 with the move, but it was more a utilitarian process of "will or won't I need this?" than a introspective "why do I have this and what do I still think about it?" It's good to do that time-to-time to remove the glut of stupid possessions that we all pile up. I like to reflect on what I own, with the Fight Club quote "The things you own, end up owning you" still hanging on after all these years.
Reading
I love reading. Being so ubiquitous, we take it for granted how useful it is. For English, all we need is less than 40 distinct written symbols for us to convey practically every thought imaginable. We can express our thoughts and feelings, communicate events, describe how our world works just with abstract symbols. Even with all stuff mankind has created, the written language is still one of its top inventions; without it most other great inventions aren't possible.All this shit should be obvious to anyone reading it, but it's worth repeating.
The Human Mind
The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.
Keeping Up
I've been trying to keep at least a post per month going on here. I keep reminding myself to post more, but my time gets divided between a multitude of things. Moreover, I'm aware of it; when I realize my time is divided up, too much to focus on everything, I start disregarding things. It's a mental attribute I've picked up that allows me to focus on the tasks I have at hand. It's helpful in someways (it allows me to focus on things to accomplish), and harmful in others (myopic view points, forgetting other important things, etc.).
One Dimension of Thought
I'm getting near 30 years old. It sure doesn't feel like it. My mind feels as sharp—no—actually more sharper than it's ever been. I'm more aware of who I am, what's going on, where I at, why I'm doing it, and how I'm going to do it, than I've ever been before. Maybe that's wisdom talking, or it's hubris; I leave it to the reader to decide that one.
Not Enough Time or Control
I've been in a constant state of agitation lately. If I had to describe it, I would say its a state of constant pressing thoughts. To use a 'pedia article I read some time ago, my brain is constantly make using of its executive functions. Between my job, finding a home, following the market, and other responsibilities, I've been set into this mode where I'm constantly taking in new information and making decisions on what I should do about them. I'm sure all of this is taking some toll on me.