I so enjoyed reading this on the Tube on the way into The City.
Since I’ve know you, your spirit - and your writing - is imbued with that “mood of adventure”. The great thing about It’s a Wonderful Life is that George Bailey also confronts his dread to unlock the trap door at the bottom of his soul in order to live an unbridled life.
The only shame about this piece is that there isn’t a photo with you and Dylan holding hands with your pink mittens!
Fantastic piece, Rick. An interesting observation that's coming to me right now is the connection between Socratic advice to know thyself and the cognitive scienctific perspective on the different aspects of cognition, namely the 4E's: embodied, enacted, embedded, and extended. John Vervaeke has also added the emotional and exapted dimensions which I can't argue with.
I think in English there's a common confusion around self-knowledge and that it's reducible to words.
There's nothing quite like a spontaneous and surprising violation of social norms to evoke this dread you speak of. Quite the pattern interruption, to use modern parlance.
Not only did this piece made me think, it made me travel inside myself! It brought and stretched me into different emotions. In Japanese, we have a word to describe the range of human emotions: 喜怒哀楽 /kido-EYE-rahku/, (literally Joy, Anger, Pathos, Joy/Pleasure). I stepped into all of them. Instead of reading the essay, I experienced it.
I appreciate your invitation to know Dread in a new light. When I look back, it's true: dread has been the foreshadowing of many an arduous journey. The next time Dread visits, I want to try something. Instead of avoiding it, I want to sit down and listen. I welcome it as a guide, one that may or may not travel with me, but one who primarily gives me a heads up on the worst possible conditions. Someone who won't sugarcoat what's ahead and help me get a realist's sober view. Someone who can help me to plan for the worst and hope for the best.
Well, as expected, this piece turned out phenomenally. Great message, uniquely and beautifully conveyed - as always. Your storytelling never ceases to hook me all the way in.
"The mask we created to satisfy what was expected of us by our family and culture of origin wasn’t supposed to be permanent, but for many of us, it becomes so." This is spot on, and I suspect it's responsible for more of our suffering than we realize. There seems to be a general awareness of the importance of authenticity, but you bring up the part of the equation that's often missed: acknowledging and casting off the conditioning that shaped our masks.
“Following your dread, however, is like discovering a trap door at the bottom of your soul.” - All I could think about throughout this piece was Charlie Bleecker’s deep dive yesterday and using metaphors. You do this better than anyone I've seen, and they were all jumping off the page at me.
Also loved the story. Reminded me of a Halloween in college when me and my buddies dressed up as women. I had one friend who was totally uncomfortable with it, and we took full advantage of that uncomfortableness.
Another wonderful piece, Rick! Yes, I'm very familiar with following my dread--I've walked this path a number of times. And yes, it's truly liberating! It can be a lonely path while I'm on it. However, once I emerge, I find just the right people waiting for me at the other end of the tunnel. Thank you for writing and sharing this article.
what if we taught people how not to make money online? that could be a big biz...
I so enjoyed reading this on the Tube on the way into The City.
Since I’ve know you, your spirit - and your writing - is imbued with that “mood of adventure”. The great thing about It’s a Wonderful Life is that George Bailey also confronts his dread to unlock the trap door at the bottom of his soul in order to live an unbridled life.
The only shame about this piece is that there isn’t a photo with you and Dylan holding hands with your pink mittens!
First you say it's ok to be embarrassed, now you tell me to follow my dread. What other negative emotions are you going to advocate for next, Rick?
Fantastic piece, Rick. An interesting observation that's coming to me right now is the connection between Socratic advice to know thyself and the cognitive scienctific perspective on the different aspects of cognition, namely the 4E's: embodied, enacted, embedded, and extended. John Vervaeke has also added the emotional and exapted dimensions which I can't argue with.
I think in English there's a common confusion around self-knowledge and that it's reducible to words.
There's nothing quite like a spontaneous and surprising violation of social norms to evoke this dread you speak of. Quite the pattern interruption, to use modern parlance.
Not only did this piece made me think, it made me travel inside myself! It brought and stretched me into different emotions. In Japanese, we have a word to describe the range of human emotions: 喜怒哀楽 /kido-EYE-rahku/, (literally Joy, Anger, Pathos, Joy/Pleasure). I stepped into all of them. Instead of reading the essay, I experienced it.
I appreciate your invitation to know Dread in a new light. When I look back, it's true: dread has been the foreshadowing of many an arduous journey. The next time Dread visits, I want to try something. Instead of avoiding it, I want to sit down and listen. I welcome it as a guide, one that may or may not travel with me, but one who primarily gives me a heads up on the worst possible conditions. Someone who won't sugarcoat what's ahead and help me get a realist's sober view. Someone who can help me to plan for the worst and hope for the best.
Well, as expected, this piece turned out phenomenally. Great message, uniquely and beautifully conveyed - as always. Your storytelling never ceases to hook me all the way in.
"The mask we created to satisfy what was expected of us by our family and culture of origin wasn’t supposed to be permanent, but for many of us, it becomes so." This is spot on, and I suspect it's responsible for more of our suffering than we realize. There seems to be a general awareness of the importance of authenticity, but you bring up the part of the equation that's often missed: acknowledging and casting off the conditioning that shaped our masks.
Awesome stuff Rick.
“Following your dread, however, is like discovering a trap door at the bottom of your soul.” - All I could think about throughout this piece was Charlie Bleecker’s deep dive yesterday and using metaphors. You do this better than anyone I've seen, and they were all jumping off the page at me.
Also loved the story. Reminded me of a Halloween in college when me and my buddies dressed up as women. I had one friend who was totally uncomfortable with it, and we took full advantage of that uncomfortableness.
Another wonderful piece, Rick! Yes, I'm very familiar with following my dread--I've walked this path a number of times. And yes, it's truly liberating! It can be a lonely path while I'm on it. However, once I emerge, I find just the right people waiting for me at the other end of the tunnel. Thank you for writing and sharing this article.