Sam: Another keen observation here. It tracks with many threads of previous essays from you. I posit that clever marketers have countered your “HIS” with their “HERS”- Hardship Evasion/Resistance System”. The gist of the campaign: why struggle with adversity when you can have all this? as they gesture a la Vanna White at the luxuries and “things” which will ease the discomfort and make them the envy of the neighborhood. Me? I’ll see you on the hill. Tim
100% Tim. The marketing is powerful and built to exploit every desire of ours for ease. Once broken, it is hard to go back. The goal now, as Berry said in another comment, is to build hardship into life from the ground up. Thank you for the comment.
Wow! What a powerful piece, Sam! I too have a complicated relationship with modern day "self care"....I wrote something about it on Substack where I was also lambasting the idea of buying this, that, and the other thing (to add MORE fuel to a capitalist society that everyone claims to hate but continues to feed) as a way of "self care." I don't hate that idea of pampering myself *now and then* but I also enjoy those things so much more after a hard training session at the gym or -even more so- after a long distance hiking trip. The sweetness of modern life (which is sometimes a curse) feels so, so much better after living in the woods for an extended period of time.
“Why not, then, merge the ancient with the modern and practice a savage pleasure in adversity?”
Good question. It is never too late in life to start a physical activity, more natural diet - with a system to practice it, rather than just a goal doomed to failure. It would help to start in childhood. It can morph into different activities but still create habits. It would also help for society to eliminate psychological and physical indoctrination that creates disease. Let’s give MAHA a chance!
I completely agree Berry. We can reshape things from the ground up. Real food, real physicality, real outdoors - we can make the ancient things daily aspects of lives. I appreciate the comment.
I connected strongly with this essay, Sam, and thought 'this explains why I go on strenuous mountain hikes,' or push myself cycling or why 'shared suffering with those I love and trust really bonds us'. The people with whom I have sweated and bled are the people I am closest too, and this is no coincidence. This may actually also explain why some of my students who prepare and suffer together through one of my exams do not hate me, some are even grateful. They experienced 'passion together', compassion--suffering with others. It now is a shared little experience they have overcome. Suffering per se is not the goal, but the *embracing of hard things* seems so essential to the human journey. People start getting weirdly psychosomatic illness when nothing is compelling their energy to be expended creatively and purposefully for living. Too much ease is indeed a disease precursor. Beautiful stuff man.
I really appreciate the comment, Anthony. "Weirdly psychosomatic illness" is something that is fascinating and it is interesting you bring it up. I truly believe when the mind does not have an external antagonist to focus on, it turns on itself, either consciously or subconsciously. When it comes to your students who suffer together and then find gratitude for your work, there is something crucial here that will make good thinking material. Thank you again for the thoughts.
This was another illuminating, powerful thought Sam. I agree with 90% of it, but my own sense is that there's another thought that comes from the recognition that we have lost the joy in the burden of nature. When I try to connect all the dots, I think that loss of nature has dulled our senses to the point where we've lost the relationship to the divine. Not the God of the church, but the mystic's divine, the divine of ancient people who are so atuned to the world that they see gods in everything.
I think this connection to the divine is what keeps the existential angst at bay, and hardship, burden, and separation are some of our earliest ways to find that connection.
I agree with you. This is something I would like to write more about, but when keeping essays <1,400 words, I have to pick and choose a focus. I am fascinated by the ability to "see gods in everything." This is one of the things I enjoy most about Homer and Epictetus as well - they seem to embody this ancient idea. I appreciate the thought, Latham.
It's something I'd like to write more about too. It's a personal struggle figuring out how much of that I should bring my family along for the ride for, and how much of that search is a personal journey that I'm not sure I'm very far along on. Also, the techniques for how to continue on that journey are really interesting.
Have you read All Things Are Full of Gods by David Hart? I'm only starting it. It's dense, so I'm slowly working my way through it, but it's interesting so far (especially if you're a philosophy/human thought nerd like me).
If you're ever interested in collaborating on something like that, let me know. It would definitely end up being longer than 1,400 words, but I suspect we could figure out a way to make it digestible (I hope).
I have not heard of this book but it looks well worth the read.
Your question about how to bring others on the ride is also crucial - that balance in our world is something I think we can only find through trial and error. The more of us doing it at once, perhaps the better the process will be.
That would be a good time collaborating. Let's think on this and maybe we can make it happen over the summer.
Sam- It seems that the self-care approach belies an assumption that we're meant to be on this planet forever, living lives where longevity is the main objective. This is opposed to living in a way where we see our bodies as what they're meant for: to be used and eventually worn out. No one wants this to happen prematurely, but taken to the extreme, we ironically kill ourselves with self-care and perpetual seeking of comfort.
Jesse, your point reminds me of Bryan Johnson, the billionaire trying to live forever. It raises some questions: at what point does trying to live forever actually prevent us from living? I appreciate the comment and the thoughts it raises.
Deep and powerful. Par for the course with your work and I love it.
Self-care has become self-pampering for many. The concept is in desperate need for reframing. Civilizations has shifted our environment to “protect” us from the stressors that caused our evolution and ability to thrive. Self-care can be a return to these conditions. A way to find harmony in this improved society so we can still tap into what makes us the capable species we are while continuing to progress with all the innovation.
Appreciate you and your writing brother. Another phenomenal piece.
This really had me thinking. I do agree that people use material goods to make themselves feel better, more worthy, whatever and when you really prioritize, you realize how much you can live without. But you're right when you're in survival mode, there is no time to be pondering your existential existence.
It is a theory I have been working on for some time, both during my own experiences in "survival mode" and through study of those whose lives were in this mode. The most interesting aspect, for my part, is the pure existential creation we may now undertake learning from their hardship and our blessing/curse of ease. Thank you for your comment and thoughts.
It makes sense because when you think about it, you see so many kids who grew up with parents who had all the money in the world, yet they end up feeling unfulfilled. Or you hear about people who seem to have everything going for them, but still end up taking their own lives. Money and material things aren’t the be-all and end-all.
This is phenomenal writing. Reminds me of the core message of the Comfort Crisis book. But the reason it really hits home is because of how accurately this depicts my life as a 25 year old as well as others’ lives around me. Loved it
Have you ever read Joanna Macy? World as Lover, World as Self? or Delores LaChapelle?
We are connected to the world we inhabit, seen and unseen and they affect us. Modern human has forgotten the lessons she shares daily and have lost their soul and footing in reality, hence the socks and lipsticks to fill the void created by abundance.
I always appreciate your exploration of these bedrock existential matters Sam. I have the view that the pre-state people you are discussing employed a lot of the "self-care" practices we modern types use such as "meditation" (in different formats), ingesting of psychotropics, entraining practices (chanting, dancing, drumming etc), application of heat (sauna/steam) and cold etc. to manage the existential angst which is a permanent part of human life. But your important point is that we have engineered our way out of many of the reality challenges for which the self-care practices were invented as antidotes. Now we are mostly trying to sooth our feelings of meaninglessness and helplessness that our post-industrial consumerist culture breeds. I notice many people are creating post-apocalyptic stories and movies in which humans return to a more organic form of living. Perhaps there is a yearning there.
100% Baird. That was life for them, normal, expected. I am drawn to how this is precisely why so many pre-state peoples are then drawn to the easy path the moment they can. We are wired for it, and only know what we have lost once it's gone. Getting it back is something I am going to lean even further into in the coming essays. Thank you for your thoughts - the existentialist foundation of present misery is something we need to talk more about.
Sam: Another keen observation here. It tracks with many threads of previous essays from you. I posit that clever marketers have countered your “HIS” with their “HERS”- Hardship Evasion/Resistance System”. The gist of the campaign: why struggle with adversity when you can have all this? as they gesture a la Vanna White at the luxuries and “things” which will ease the discomfort and make them the envy of the neighborhood. Me? I’ll see you on the hill. Tim
100% Tim. The marketing is powerful and built to exploit every desire of ours for ease. Once broken, it is hard to go back. The goal now, as Berry said in another comment, is to build hardship into life from the ground up. Thank you for the comment.
Wow! What a powerful piece, Sam! I too have a complicated relationship with modern day "self care"....I wrote something about it on Substack where I was also lambasting the idea of buying this, that, and the other thing (to add MORE fuel to a capitalist society that everyone claims to hate but continues to feed) as a way of "self care." I don't hate that idea of pampering myself *now and then* but I also enjoy those things so much more after a hard training session at the gym or -even more so- after a long distance hiking trip. The sweetness of modern life (which is sometimes a curse) feels so, so much better after living in the woods for an extended period of time.
I'm stoked you enjoyed it, Niki, and thank you for dropping how you balance the two approaches.
“Why not, then, merge the ancient with the modern and practice a savage pleasure in adversity?”
Good question. It is never too late in life to start a physical activity, more natural diet - with a system to practice it, rather than just a goal doomed to failure. It would help to start in childhood. It can morph into different activities but still create habits. It would also help for society to eliminate psychological and physical indoctrination that creates disease. Let’s give MAHA a chance!
I completely agree Berry. We can reshape things from the ground up. Real food, real physicality, real outdoors - we can make the ancient things daily aspects of lives. I appreciate the comment.
I connected strongly with this essay, Sam, and thought 'this explains why I go on strenuous mountain hikes,' or push myself cycling or why 'shared suffering with those I love and trust really bonds us'. The people with whom I have sweated and bled are the people I am closest too, and this is no coincidence. This may actually also explain why some of my students who prepare and suffer together through one of my exams do not hate me, some are even grateful. They experienced 'passion together', compassion--suffering with others. It now is a shared little experience they have overcome. Suffering per se is not the goal, but the *embracing of hard things* seems so essential to the human journey. People start getting weirdly psychosomatic illness when nothing is compelling their energy to be expended creatively and purposefully for living. Too much ease is indeed a disease precursor. Beautiful stuff man.
I really appreciate the comment, Anthony. "Weirdly psychosomatic illness" is something that is fascinating and it is interesting you bring it up. I truly believe when the mind does not have an external antagonist to focus on, it turns on itself, either consciously or subconsciously. When it comes to your students who suffer together and then find gratitude for your work, there is something crucial here that will make good thinking material. Thank you again for the thoughts.
This was another illuminating, powerful thought Sam. I agree with 90% of it, but my own sense is that there's another thought that comes from the recognition that we have lost the joy in the burden of nature. When I try to connect all the dots, I think that loss of nature has dulled our senses to the point where we've lost the relationship to the divine. Not the God of the church, but the mystic's divine, the divine of ancient people who are so atuned to the world that they see gods in everything.
I think this connection to the divine is what keeps the existential angst at bay, and hardship, burden, and separation are some of our earliest ways to find that connection.
I agree with you. This is something I would like to write more about, but when keeping essays <1,400 words, I have to pick and choose a focus. I am fascinated by the ability to "see gods in everything." This is one of the things I enjoy most about Homer and Epictetus as well - they seem to embody this ancient idea. I appreciate the thought, Latham.
It's something I'd like to write more about too. It's a personal struggle figuring out how much of that I should bring my family along for the ride for, and how much of that search is a personal journey that I'm not sure I'm very far along on. Also, the techniques for how to continue on that journey are really interesting.
Have you read All Things Are Full of Gods by David Hart? I'm only starting it. It's dense, so I'm slowly working my way through it, but it's interesting so far (especially if you're a philosophy/human thought nerd like me).
If you're ever interested in collaborating on something like that, let me know. It would definitely end up being longer than 1,400 words, but I suspect we could figure out a way to make it digestible (I hope).
I have not heard of this book but it looks well worth the read.
Your question about how to bring others on the ride is also crucial - that balance in our world is something I think we can only find through trial and error. The more of us doing it at once, perhaps the better the process will be.
That would be a good time collaborating. Let's think on this and maybe we can make it happen over the summer.
Sam- It seems that the self-care approach belies an assumption that we're meant to be on this planet forever, living lives where longevity is the main objective. This is opposed to living in a way where we see our bodies as what they're meant for: to be used and eventually worn out. No one wants this to happen prematurely, but taken to the extreme, we ironically kill ourselves with self-care and perpetual seeking of comfort.
Jesse, your point reminds me of Bryan Johnson, the billionaire trying to live forever. It raises some questions: at what point does trying to live forever actually prevent us from living? I appreciate the comment and the thoughts it raises.
Deep and powerful. Par for the course with your work and I love it.
Self-care has become self-pampering for many. The concept is in desperate need for reframing. Civilizations has shifted our environment to “protect” us from the stressors that caused our evolution and ability to thrive. Self-care can be a return to these conditions. A way to find harmony in this improved society so we can still tap into what makes us the capable species we are while continuing to progress with all the innovation.
Appreciate you and your writing brother. Another phenomenal piece.
Much appreciated, Kyle. Let's reframe the hell out of it.
This really had me thinking. I do agree that people use material goods to make themselves feel better, more worthy, whatever and when you really prioritize, you realize how much you can live without. But you're right when you're in survival mode, there is no time to be pondering your existential existence.
It is a theory I have been working on for some time, both during my own experiences in "survival mode" and through study of those whose lives were in this mode. The most interesting aspect, for my part, is the pure existential creation we may now undertake learning from their hardship and our blessing/curse of ease. Thank you for your comment and thoughts.
It makes sense because when you think about it, you see so many kids who grew up with parents who had all the money in the world, yet they end up feeling unfulfilled. Or you hear about people who seem to have everything going for them, but still end up taking their own lives. Money and material things aren’t the be-all and end-all.
This is phenomenal writing. Reminds me of the core message of the Comfort Crisis book. But the reason it really hits home is because of how accurately this depicts my life as a 25 year old as well as others’ lives around me. Loved it
I much appreciate the comment and I'm grateful it struck home.
Have you ever read Joanna Macy? World as Lover, World as Self? or Delores LaChapelle?
We are connected to the world we inhabit, seen and unseen and they affect us. Modern human has forgotten the lessons she shares daily and have lost their soul and footing in reality, hence the socks and lipsticks to fill the void created by abundance.
Thanks for this lovely, lovely reminder!
I have not but I will check it out. You are more than welcome.
I work in the field of complex and chronic pain and so much of this rings true.
It must be painful but fascinating to see. Thank you for the comment Liz.
Always enjoy your work, this was no exception. Thank you for sharing!
I'm stoked you enjoyed it, and I appreciate the comment.
Great article! I agree with this take 100%
Thank you Tom!
Thanks for sharing this Wednesday afternoon. Peace while enjoy my coffee.
I'm stoked you enjoyed it, Vince.
I agree exercise is a great form of self-care.
It is wonderful. Thank you for the comment Strawbridge.
You’re welcome.
I always appreciate your exploration of these bedrock existential matters Sam. I have the view that the pre-state people you are discussing employed a lot of the "self-care" practices we modern types use such as "meditation" (in different formats), ingesting of psychotropics, entraining practices (chanting, dancing, drumming etc), application of heat (sauna/steam) and cold etc. to manage the existential angst which is a permanent part of human life. But your important point is that we have engineered our way out of many of the reality challenges for which the self-care practices were invented as antidotes. Now we are mostly trying to sooth our feelings of meaninglessness and helplessness that our post-industrial consumerist culture breeds. I notice many people are creating post-apocalyptic stories and movies in which humans return to a more organic form of living. Perhaps there is a yearning there.
100% Baird. That was life for them, normal, expected. I am drawn to how this is precisely why so many pre-state peoples are then drawn to the easy path the moment they can. We are wired for it, and only know what we have lost once it's gone. Getting it back is something I am going to lean even further into in the coming essays. Thank you for your thoughts - the existentialist foundation of present misery is something we need to talk more about.