Musings


Abstraction

Don't build abstractions until you've failed without them


Memorization

Memorization is false footing letting people think they understand what they don't


Change

How do I change the way I change the way I feel

Optimize for change because stagnation is the highest risk you can take in life. When you aren't changing you're wagering with your life this is the happiest you'll ever be. Happiness here is interchangeable with any other metric you may want to optimize; the point is that if you aren't exploring the high cardinality experience space, you can't find ways to move through it


Bittersweet

Melancholy men are always witty and I wonder why

Good art often has a bittersweet tinge to it. Tolstoy said the purpose of art is to justify it's existence, but to justify itself is to highlight the wonder of existence at all. It is to say: "I exist! I have value despite the utter void I've come from and will eventually return to!" In showing it's value, it juxtaposes itself against the backdrop of utter impermanence, and makes the impending ultimate loss feel that much more tangible. Or maybe I just consume too much morbid art.