valid answer – LIFE IN GENERAL

On this day, Morrie says that he has an exercise for us to try. We are to stand, facing away from our classmates, and fall backward, relying on another student to catch us. Most of us are uncomfortable with this, and we cannot let go for more than a few inches before stopping ourselves. We laugh in embarrassment.

Finally, one student, a thin, quiet, dark-haired girl whom I notice almost always wears bulky, white fisherman sweaters, crosses her arms over her chest, closes her eyes, leans back, and does not flinch, like one of those Lipton tea commercials where the model splashes into the pool…

For a moment, I am sure she is going to thump on the floor. At the last instant, her assigned partner grabs her head and shoulders and yanks her up harshly.

“Whoa!” several students yell. Some clap. Morrie finally smiles. “You see”, he says to the girl, “you closed your eyes, That was the difference. Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them too – even when you’re in the dark. Even when you’re falling”.

NB: THIS ARTICLE IS NOT WHAT I USUALLY POST IT JUST ACCIDENTALLY FOUND ITS WAY INTO MY BLOG!

Do you want to know what it means? Are you sure you’re ready for it? Remember, once you read this, you can’t turn back. Continue at your own peril…

The Answer to the Meaning of Life

I really hope you’re ready. This is the only 100% logically supported and valid answer to the question that has puzzled philosophers and kings for millennia:

“…”

How’s that? Are you enlightened?

And no, I don’t mean that the answer to the meaning of life is a meditative silence, although if you gleaned that from “…” then you are definitely paying attention. “…” is just the sound I make when I read a question that makes absolutely no sense. Perhaps an emoticon is better. The answer to the meaning of life is this:

What I mean is, the question is bogus. It’s totally loaded and nonsensical. Here’s what Tim Ferris has to say about the meaning of life:

“It is the characteristic state or condition of a living organism.”

Haha, not what you expected right? Me either. The book goes on:

“’But that’s just a definition,’ the questioner will report, ‘that’s not what I mean at all.’ What do you mean, then? Until the answer is clear – each term in it defined – there is no point in answering it. The ‘meaning’ of ‘life’ question is unanswerable without further elaboration.”

I love it! . I thought questions like these were far out. I often lay awake at night pondering that the earth was actually a single cell in a much larger organism, with us people-folks being nothing more than organelles. Bleh.

But since then, I’ve stopped worrying a lot – or actually, pretty much entirely – about things that I either can’t control or are fundamentally absurd. The question of the meaning of life is exactly the same. Which brings me to my next point:

How to Ignore 90% of Everything around You (and Why!)

While I’ve known this one for a while, I also encountered it in the book, so I’d like to give credit where credit is due. By the way, this is one of those books where the energy of the force behind the author’s words really affects you. I learned a lot of cool techniques, sure, but the sheer unapologetic freedom in Tim’s style is what really got me.

Without further ado, here is my typical decision-making process:

Do I have any influence whatsoever over it?
Will acting upon it change anything for the better?

That’s it. It’s simple by design.

For example, if I were to somehow produce the correct answer for answer the meaning of life, what would I do with it? Would it actually change anything, or allow me to prove anything?

I’m drawing a blank here. There is no real conclusion that you can draw because the question is so vague. Now, if you asked the right question, like, “What is my purpose in life?” Then that’s definitely actionable, provided you can find the answer.

More Stupid Stuff

Politics.

I had to put that single word off by itself after such a dazzling headline as “more stupid stuff.”

The reason being, unless you are running for president or something, almost anything politically related is outside of your circle of influence. So it fails our first “should I care about it” test.

Sure, you can vote if you want, that’s a way to influence politics. But learning who you should vote for is actually a fairly simple process. Find intelligent people that you respect, ask them why they’re voting for who they’re voting for. Get differing opinions. Do some Google searching. If you’re spending more than a day or two on politics of any nature, especially if you are arguing about it, AND it has nothing to do with your job or circle of influence, then you’re wasting your time.

Not that I have anything against wasting time, but I wouldn’t do it on something that raises your blood pressure, as a general rule.

But back on subject: