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| Doesn't know what a smile is. Does anyway. |
Today I wandered.
Lay in a park, hung out with the ants (I might need to get out more). Found a place that sells edible blue powder (mica) which is always good to know about. Discovered that Montreal has a little Peru. And I've been getting gut feelings that are... difficult to interpret. I know there's something to them. (but what?)
Regardless of being unskilled at understanding my instincts, I think the human body is pretty neat. I believe it's intelligent, and has a way of perceiving information that can improve our lives. I like the idea that it's a sort of computer, constantly processing more information than our minds are consciously aware of. If we pay the right attention, maybe we can pick up information that is practical.
The problem with valuing sensory experience is that I can sometimes look for clarity through feelings a little too much. For that """""right""""" feeling. I honestly hate that mindset because I find it limiting. It can stall a person, make them hesitate and freeze. Waiting for Answers.
There are no Answers, I think, but taking action gets us more and more accurate senses of what we want. In a TED talk called 'The Aesthetics of Decision Making', cognitive scientist Joseph Riggio speaks of an idea that I've suspected is true: that sometimes you just need to take action. Don't know? Act anyway.
If you act, even blindly, you'll get more information. Then you can act less blindly and get better information... it's a feedback loop of learning. And it's ok, even better, says Riggio, to make a choice that's 'good enough'. Waiting for the 'best' choice may be impractical. Think of a surgeon needing to make a split second decision.
Probably completely obvious to some people, but to those who tend to dwell in their heads 'figuring things out', or even over-rely on intuition for information (which may just be me), a reminder to just act can be useful.
Maybe a great place to get started, for those who feel the need to take more action, is to be completely outrageous. Rejection therapy is one way of doing this, which is a practise of actively seeking out rejection, typically by making ridiculous requests. This was pioneered by Jason Comely who spent 100 days doing things like asking the pizza place if he could deliver their pizza, or requesting olympic ring doughnuts, for the sake of personal growth. A variation of this is desire therapy, which is the practise of freely asking for all the wildest things that you want or would like, with no expectation or need to receive them in that particular way.
If perpetual happiness is possible, it probably involves an acceptance of not only happy feelings, but all feelings. Perhaps all feelings are just meters of desire. And instincts like a compass. Because the pathway of desire is messy, and rife with rejection, the art of desire involves making peace with the process. Including the uncertainty and the pain. Then action can fine tune instinct, and increasing tolerance to rejection can make one more daring, and things more fun. Which seems to be what the Banded Piglet Squid already knows. That the art of desire can be painful, and difficult, but that all experience is valuable and can ultimately help you get that fish you've been dreaming of for a while.
Things I mentioned!
Noblessence, a company that sells pure natural products, and offers workshops and services on St. Denis in Montreal
The Aesthetics of Decision Making, a TED Talk by cognitive scientist Joseph Riggio
Rejection Therapy, the only rule is to be rejected at least once a day
I - kind of embarrassed by the amount of I's appearing in this post. Wanting this blog to become way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way less focused on that letter. Or better yet, that idea.
