Mia de Fleurac
@macadamia
Mia de Fleurac
“Recall that in “Solitude and Leadership,” William Deresiewicz warns that one needs to remove herself in order to be able to think critically. But in the part that I quoted earlier—where he warns against “marinating yourself in the conventional wisdom”—Deresiewicz is talking about “Facebook and Twitter and even The New York Times.” In the very same
... See moreThe solution is to radically build up your awareness through the very way you perceive the scroll state.
mindfulness as remedy
This third mode is inspired by another theory of walking: the dérive, a type of unplanned journey formulated by the Situationist philosophers in reaction to the overstimulation of media and spectacle
walking analogy for social media
And yet occasionally detaching is incredibly important, because it helps you understand how social media actually affects you.
on mindfulness being the first step to let go of consumerist urges
+on what need social media responds to (here, to the need for thoughtless “presence”, akin to meditation)
unless I stop and actually write about it and put my own words to it, I'm not going to make it into my body and become part of my, I'm not going to be transformed by it. I want to be changed by life. I want to grow and change all the time. I want to be affected by life.
Somehow, by writing, I can lower the barrier and let more of reality in and be... See more
Somehow, by writing, I can lower the barrier and let more of reality in and be... See more
The zone is a place at the margin of society.
Henrik Karlsson • Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born
not sure where to write this, but this piece made me think of how in my first year of isolation, I achieved “neutrality” towards my work (unaffected by feedback) and confident in whatever is was (not judging it as good or bad but just necessary), partly because of this state of isolation. I was in the mental state described here, and I think this is partly what I chase his isolation –freedom from norms and conventions, safety for my larval ideas, immunity from perception. The return to perception was a shock that broke me out of this rhythm completely.
He could interface with the mathematical community with integrity because he had a deep familiarity with his inner space. If he had not known the shape of his interests and aims, he would have been more vulnerable to the standards and norms of the community—at least he seems to think so.
Henrik Karlsson • Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born
What solitude gives you is an opportunity to study what personal curiosity feels like in its undiluted form, free from the interference of other considerations. Being familiar with the character of this feeling makes it easier to recognize if you are reacting to the potential in the work you are doing in a genuinely personal way, or if you are... See more
Henrik Karlsson • Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born Cultivating a state of mind where new ideas are born
Nearly everyone who does great work has some episode of early solitary work. As the philosopher Bertrand Russell remarked, the development of gifted and creative individuals, such as Newton or Whitehead, seems to require a period in which there is little or no pressure for conformity, a time in which they can develop and pursue their interests no... See more