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So if I routinely consider signals that are ultimately traceable to bacteria part of me, why can’t I consider signals sent by a bird part of me? Especially given that, had evolution taken a different path, involving mutualistic symbiosis between humans and that species of bird, such signals might routinely seem more like part of me?† The generic point I’m trying to make is this: Lots of information impinges on my brain, and my brain decides which information it will consider part of my self and which information it won’t consider part of my self, and which information—say, the cry of an offspring—falls somewhere in between. And I take it for granted that those decisions comport with some deep metaphysical truth about what is I and what is other. But in fact my brain could have been wired in a different way, so that it interpreted this information differently, leaving me with a very different sense of the distinction between I and other.
Why Buddhism Is True
Robert Wright
Was the problem mainly that you were burned out?
Yes, a part of me did feel very tired and exhausted. But more than that, I felt like I was stuck and frozen, and that my life was no longer in flow.
I had a routine that was almost set in stone. There was so little meaning to my life and my endeavors. There was no flexibility, no spontaneity.
With that came a deep unhappiness and despair, even though I had achieved some measure of financial security.
Also, I had the sense that my whole life happened on a certain plane that seemed very narrow. There wasn't enough expansiveness, aliveness, vulnerability, and trust that things would work out. Everything had basically tightened up.
Why This Startup Founder Left a Multimillion-Dollar Business for Life in the Woods
Contributing Editor
you must practice: Notice repeated phrases and assertions, like “Are we ready yet? Let’s GO!” Anytime you notice an instance, reinforce your observation by scribbling a note, or repeating it silently. Occasionally, either in jest, or in relevant situations where your subject might trot out the phrases, mimic-repeat the phrase. You’ve achieved timing artistry if you ever manage to say it the exact same instant they do. You’ve achieved a “finish each other’s sentences” level of mind-meld with your target. You can then move on to exhortation: using their pet phrase when they themselves hesitate, as in “What do you say, Let’s GO! Right?” When you’re really comfortable with the pattern, you can use it in a “hang by own petard” tactic: persuading people using their own favorite assertions. Obviously, this can be a form of manipulation, but in the best of cases, you can tactfully help others be consistent and lock-in their positive behaviors firmly.
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