yuanqufucius Posted January 25, 2016 Posted January 25, 2016 http://www.amazon.com/Antidote-Happiness-People-Positive-Thinking/dp/0865478015/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453765268&sr=8-1&keywords=the+antidote A great book about all the other "Self-Help" books and why they don't work. The central ideas is, "you don't need to feel like doing something, in order to do something". Also got my first dose of stoicism through this book as well.
Kevin Beal Posted January 26, 2016 Posted January 26, 2016 That's great! Have you been able to achieve lasting happiness as a result of the lessons in the book? What's the general idea? What did you learn and change about how you approached things?
yuanqufucius Posted January 26, 2016 Author Posted January 26, 2016 The only thing I remember is, the general idea of happiness being high energy, enthusiastic, big smile, highly motivated, etc... is not the only definition of happiness, one doesn't need to hold fast to the delusion that future is all bright, rosy, to be motivated to do things. All the hype induction/overfill treatment is actually poison. I will definitely read it again, might as well do a youtube videos on it too. From my experience I never liked being around high energy people, they seem narcissistic, and sucks the energy out of me. I've been to sales seminar before, and many other pep-talk like events before (mostly church sermons). You leave with the warm and fuzzy feelings, but it fades away quickly. Real go-getters are seldom high energetic and up beat, they don't need motivation, they just do the things. Have I achieved lasting happiness as a result of the lesson in the book? Yes, but also from different other books, I don't think a single book can achieve that kind of thing, but a collection of books, and in my case, recent development in my thought pattern is heavily influenced by, "Anti-Fragile", prevalence of uncertainty, "Out of Control", things are complex, self organizing, and cannot be controlled, "The Selfish Gene", evolutionary stable strategy, genetic based behavior/ethics that is, things wants to perpetuate their existence, there is no evil or righteous. There are certain gene set that will take advantage of the characteristics of another gene set and increase it's own "existences" at the expense of the existence of that other gene set. However if "righteous" genes begins to dwindle then then entire gene pool suffers and evil genes begins to dwindle. Then "righteous" genes begins to flourish which causes "evil" genes to flourish as well. However this is not a spring back and forth, but it reaches a equilibrium, with "evil" genes take the smaller percentage and "righteous gene being the majority, until the next evolutionary event occurs which breaks up the entire dynamic. And of course "r/k selection theory" as presented by Stefan My sense of happiness is that I am more in sync with my genetics, I no longer hold delusions (thanks to Stefan), every step I make, its on solid ground. I have become more selfish, I give energy, I don't let it get sucked out of me. I don't know what future is like, but I have a clearer vision as to what I got to do, and I seldom procrastinate on those stuff that I need to do. I do whatever that is conducive to the perpetuation of my genetic existence, as well as increasing the quality of that existence.
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