The Truth is In There
Sometimes I fall off the wagon.
I forget why I’m here (not that I ever will really know this answer), and my days seem to be a series of hourly blocks that are quickly disappearing while I go out and drop $50 on a small grocery run that seems to take two hours to complete.
Other days, I am in the flow, working through different ideas and getting things done in a way that makes me want to pat myself on the back.
I don’t think it’s possible to avoid falling off and going into a mini-slump.
However, coming out of them helps me remember something that I think everyone is constantly searching for: a method, an instruction manual for living, or what I have come to understand is philosophy.
I am still not that interested in philosophy as a subject. The mere thought of reading Plato or Nietzsche makes me want to fall asleep.
However, I subconsciously know that it’s one of the most useful tools that we have at our disposal as humans.
Here are some examples of how philosophy plays into your life:
How do you feel about your relationship with your phone and the content you view in it every day?
How is a good day structured for you?
What is worth worrying about, and what should ideally be discarded?
What is the right balance between thinking about work, and actually doing work?
You can see that taking some time to write or leave a voice note to yourself on matters like these is an exercise in creating your own philosophy, without having anything to do with the classic thinkers of the subject.
In this way, philosophy is very portable, meaning it doesn’t require a degree to begin, or even a lesson.
It’s kind of woven into our fabric as a species with such a high degree of thinking and reasoning skills.
So my prompt this week is to think about what your personal philosophy is. What is your way of living?
If you could pass on information to someone younger than you, what would you want to focus on in this phase of your life?
The Truth is IN There
Those who know others are wise;
Those who know themselves are enlightened.
Those who overcome others are powerful;
Those overcome themselves are strong.
Those who are contented are rich;
Those who act strongly have will.
Those who do not lose their place endure;
Those who die without perishing live long.
-Tao Te Ching
This quote above makes me think of the slogan from the X-Files: The Truth is Out There. Because it could be elegantly rewritten as, “The Truth is In There”.
Those who know themselves are enlightened. Your traps and triggers that bring you down. And by the other side of the coin, the things that inspire you and bring you up.
Rather than waving fingers at people and groups and trying to set society right, I would rather work on myself first.
It’s too easy to outsource the challenges of personal development onto others.
This Week in Vibe Coding Yoga
First up, we have a 3D world that was created in less than 8 minutes.
If music is more your thing, here is the circular drum machine that I structured in the same amount of time.
Things I am learning from this project:
Go with your gut. I named it Vibe Coding Yoga. It’s a weird name, I don’t care. The idea will either sink or swim and it’s not going to be the name that does it. Instead, it’s the substance of the project.
Against the clock. This idea from a video perspective was pioneered by Fact Magazine, which did almost 300 videos with different artists producing music in short amounts of time. Working in this way makes you think about what actually gets the job done. In the case of vibe coding, it’s being a little prepared before you start. Not overly prepared, just enough to give the agent some direction and constraints.
Have fun. I can’t teach or make tutorials on topics that bore me to tears. And that includes the structure of how lessons work. The idea is to bring this into a live environment with people who want to learn. If this interests you, write me back and I’ll tell you more info about how to sign up for the sessions.
THAT. IS. IT.
Have a great rest of your long weekend and a Happy Easter to all the egg hunters out there 🐤 🤘
Elliott
I love your email today. Full of inspiration. Good journaling prompts. Happy Sunday