diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'content/entry')
| -rw-r--r-- | content/entry/the-narrative-self.md | 10 |
1 files changed, 2 insertions, 8 deletions
diff --git a/content/entry/the-narrative-self.md b/content/entry/the-narrative-self.md index 952797f..b71811d 100644 --- a/content/entry/the-narrative-self.md +++ b/content/entry/the-narrative-self.md @@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ title: "The Narrative Self" date: 2021-12-12T00:00:00 draft: false -makerefs: false --- We all have a voice inside our heads. This voice tells us a story about how our lives are going. When you identify with that story, that is called your "narrative self". Some psychologists believe that selfhood is narrative in nature. To put it more concretely, they believe our core sense of who we are is shaped by and large by the ongoing narrative taking place inside our heads. @@ -22,7 +21,7 @@ Even if you're an extremely lucky person, your inner monologue is bound to be se There's 2 broad strategies you can employ to deal with this neurotic, problem-seeking voice inside your head. By the way, these strategies are generalized tools against suffering. They're not limited to the narrative self. They can also be used for dealing with physical pain, for instance. ## Stoicism -The first strategy is changing the narrative. You can recondition yourself to "think positive" by telling yourself a better story. 21st century Stoics such as William B. Irvine employ a number of mental exercises to put life in perspective and reduce suffering. I won't get into Stoicism here as there are many different exercises, but you can see William's website[1] for more information. +The first strategy is changing the narrative. You can recondition yourself to "think positive" by telling yourself a better story. 21st century Stoics such as William B. Irvine employ a number of mental exercises to put life in perspective and reduce suffering. I won't get into Stoicism here as there are many different exercises, but you can see [William's website](https://www.williambirvine.com/) for more information. ## Zen The other way to deal with your narrative self involves the self. It is Zen rather than Stoic. Instead of changing the voice in your head, you can de-identify from it. Instead of your experience seemingly being centered around your inner monologue, you can recognize the inner monologue for what it is, simply another object of experience. @@ -59,7 +58,7 @@ Schools teach students to be good wagecucks, not happy individuals. The corporat When it comes to happiness, there are so many clear indications that people have no clue what they're doing. Most people are just winging it. -There's mass overconsumption. There's a cult of productivity[2]. People constantly do things which are guaranteed to cause misery. Things like procrastinating, scrolling endlessly through social media, telling lies, eating junk food, not exercising, making excuses, self-deception, and prioritizing traditional markers of success over goals they themselves deem more noble. +There's mass overconsumption. There's a [cult of productivity](/2021/05/21/the-cult-of-productivity/). People constantly do things which are guaranteed to cause misery. Things like procrastinating, scrolling endlessly through social media, telling lies, eating junk food, not exercising, making excuses, self-deception, and prioritizing traditional markers of success over goals they themselves deem more noble. # Summary So why am I writing about this? I'm writing this as a response to the widespread confusion about the causes of happiness. If everyone already understood that achieving the next goal, acquiring more goods and social status doesn't bring lasting peace, I wouldn't be writing this. I'm not here to spoon-feed you the traditional lies about what makes people happy. I'm here to debunk them and promote Stoicism and Zen, highly practical and broadly applicable philosophies for life. @@ -74,8 +73,3 @@ I've also come across people who think they can radically change their conscious Both types of people are usually right about their own circumstances. Which one are you? - - -Link(s): -[1: William B. Irvine](https://www.williambirvine.com/) -[2: The Cult of Productivity](/2021/05/21/the-cult-of-productivity/) |