NomadicNeill - Latest Comments

Re: I don’t look young for my age, everyone else looks old!

District Hideaway — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 03:17:23 -0000

We are in the same boat I guess. People think often I am ten years younger than my actual chronological age. I feel and act it also. . Eating the right kinds of foods, rest and exercise and of course, " good genes" are the contributing factors.

Re: News Is Noise

J A Benton — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 17:35:53 -0000

I couldn't disagree with this mentality more. Basically you're saying that because international affairs are not simple and delivered by a single reliable news source, they are not worth hearing. You then go on to insinuate that even if news could be reliable, it is depressing and you are therefore happier without it.

Better to be engaged and challenged by the world than a satisfied fool.

Re: Thinking Is Overrated

Juli Alexander — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:51:26 -0000

We developed left brain functions for a reason through evolution. Personally, to me, the way to deal with this is the mindfulness approach; watch the left brain do its' thing but don't buy into it. Eventually it gives up and meditation can occur. I also find when I laugh at my thoughts they disappear faster than when I buy into them, so one of my life slogans is,"Don't believe everything you think" (along with "All's well, all things considered".)

Re: Talent: A Damaging Idea

NomadicNeill — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:23:10 -0000

There are certainly ways to make some money from self-publishing (music and writing) but I'm not sure if people will be able to make a full time living from that alone. Seems to me you'll have to pursue several different avenues.

Re: Fuck It Day 2: “Fuck It” Removes Attachment To Meanings

pianoblack — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 13:08:16 -0000

The Fuck It philosophy is indeed very Buddhist: it is a more modern and less verbose way of saying what this Buddhist parable says (and I paraphrase):

There are people like the stone: if you chisel a word or thought in them, it never fades; they hold on to it forever. Then there are people like the sand: if you write a word or thought in them, but it will eventually disappear as the tide comes in. Finally there are people like the water: if you try to write a word or thought in them, it disappears before it is even fully formed.

That's the philosophy I've been following for the past few months, and my anger at both large and trivial things has completely slipped away as I've made myself more like the water.

What's more, is that in the absence of anger and the snap judgements (on a person's character for instance) it would have caused, you are free to understand why the offending situation happened, and through your inner calm your wisdom is increased.

Namaste, I guess ;)

Re: Talent: A Damaging Idea

pianoblack — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 12:29:31 -0000

I actually believe I have talents for music and writing. They're not things I was pushed into as a child (my parents tried so hard to make me a scientist to no avail), or even things I do on a daily basis -- I just find that the things I do in these fields are in many cases better than the average.

In fact I started being 'a musician' at age 10 -- most people I know had parents who pushed them into some instrument at age 3 or 4. In school I knew people like that, and despite my late start and mediocre practice regimen, I still managed to earn various 'best in class' awards for violin and singing, and won a ton of trophies in piano competitions.

I started 'seriously writing' around the same time, and people said the same thing about it that they do today: "WHERE do you get these ideas?" The answer is, I don't know. They just come, and when I write a short story or poem, I never have any fear about someone giving a negative comment -- I always have the confidence of: wow, this is some actually decent literature!

The irony, though, is that I'm neither playing music or writing stories for my supper. I'm a corporate AV tech who wants only to be a published author / performed composer. Despite knowing where my talents lay and even gaining a degree in musical composition, I went back to school for something that kind of (barely) uses what know/love, so I could be more secure in making money.

Lo and behold, the money's not that good.

No wonder I'm reading blogs like this.

Re: Thinking Is Overrated

NomadicNeill — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 14:40:32 -0000

I remember when I was a kid I looked at the other children and I could see they were much more in the moment than I. And I thought to myself.... why I do I think so much... I wish I did it less. :)

Funny how many smart things you come up with as a kid.

Re: Thinking Is Overrated

Rivelino — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:54:53 -0000

great post. for me, i find often that thinking gets in the way of doing. just like you wrote,

“When you’re not thinking there is no self-doubt, no questioning your actions, no hesitation. You’re fully in the moment without judgement or expectations.”

the essence of alpha behavior.

Re: 7 Things You Can Do Today To Start Living A More Authentic Life

Rivelino — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:47:32 -0000

"Thinking is overrated anyway and it isn’t necessary in a lot of situations."

love it.

Re: Fuck It: A 30 Day Blogging Challenge

Rivelino — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:21:53 -0000

i like this concept. fuck it is very powerful. especially for over thinkers like me.

Re: Fuck It Day 3: The Most Amazing Time In Human History

Rivelino — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:18:38 -0000

"Now I don’t know who to believe, whether I should be optimistic or pessimistic about the future."

Re: Fuck It Day 6: Don’t Take It Too Far

NomadicNeill — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:47:05 -0000

Hey Robert,

Sounds like a really interesting experience.

Re: Fuck It Day 6: Don’t Take It Too Far

Robert Fitzsimmons — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:56:37 -0000

I like your fuck it series, great idea!

Yesterday I went to a company called Floatworks (will post a review on my website this month sometime) and what they do is offer a experience where you lose your senses.

So to summarise you float on some body temperature water in the dark. This actually helps get to the answers of questions you have inside you but find it hard to say.

I asked myself what matters to me, what I'm doing in the future and how I feel about death, and it cleared a lot of things up.

Really good for resetting yourself despite sounding like some new age relaxation technique. I found truely understanding I'm going to die really helps reflect on what mattered to me.

Re: 7 Things You Can Do Today To Start Living A More Authentic Life

NomadicNeill — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 05:40:21 -0000

Thanks Tristan. What is the website url?

Re: 7 Things You Can Do Today To Start Living A More Authentic Life

@WFTristan — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 05:20:48 -0000

This is a Brilliant post, I try to Meditate every day, its probably one of the best things i ever learned to do, I am going to include this in our "world First Weekly Wander"

cheers

Tristan

Re: Program Or Be Programmed

Bluegreen Kirk — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 08:52:38 -0000

Love the video! (what i had a chance to see) Will watch the rest when I get home.

Re: What I Eat: Bachelor Paleo Food

NomadicNeill — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 19:12:34 -0000

Good to hear! As long as it keeps you healthy!

Re: Stop Censoring Yourself

NomadicNeill — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 15:04:55 -0000

Yes I agree authenticity is a fuzzy subject. I acknowledge that, but I still want to explore it. For me the concept does not include any prescriptive component as to what is ethical or moral behaviour. So yes, a terrorist is perfectly capable of being authentic... so be it

I don't think there is a need for a model of self. Although I might have explored the idea of finding some essential self, I've abandoned that idea.

I'm not looking to justify any kind of behaviour, rather looking for a more trustworthy compass to guide my actions in the moment.

I don't really care very much about how I affect the long term viability of the human species or this current mode of civilisation. I care about not hurting people, or affecting the ability of future humans to live healthy and happy lives. But I'm not attached to the future existence of humans being similar to our current civilisation.

Thanks for the comment.

Re: Stop Censoring Yourself

adventure — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 14:50:09 -0000

Authenticity seems like a very hazy concept, completely dependent on a person's idea of selfhood. A fascist dictator, a fundamentalist preacher, a suicide bomber--all of these could as easily believe they act in accord with their "authentic" impulses.

Perhaps the quest for authenticity represents our attempt to justify our behaviors, to make moral sense of our choices, especially choices that manifest conflict within ourselves and our social environments. It seems like a pat on the back and a whisper that "You're ok," in the face of a wildly incomprehensible existence.

In practice, the term remains almost meaningless, as authenticity must be an authentic representation *of something*, and that something remains undefined and slippery. To claim understanding of that something means to answer the question "Who am I?" which may be the most slippery, inspiring, and dangerous question of all. In other words, authenticity seems to function for the practitioner who has already formulated a model of the self. Authenticity supports this model, and only this model, and thus seems like another form of limitation and censorship. It disallows choice and behavior outside the scope of someone's model of reality, much like flat earth model that terrified European sailors before the 1400's with the imaginary danger of sailing off the edge of the world. However, with any modification of the definition of self, of the model of reality, authenticity changes as well. Again, this makes the term authenticity virtually meaningless, and not so different from the terms "manifest destiny" and the "will of god". Everyone already seems to operate from their "authentic" selves.

Why not just do what we do, without babbling on about authenticity to justify our actions to ourselves and others? At least we have a meaningful, functional term for that: Anarchy. How long can the human species and modern civilization last in that mode? Who knows?

I don't post this comment to incite discord, or at least not malicious discord. The mushy idea of authenticity seems to have diluted our ability to think clearly and actually face the immense complexity of our situation. The word seems to cloud the mind more than illuminate it.

Thoughts or perspectives, anyone?

Re: What I Eat: Bachelor Paleo Food

Kym — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 20:53:14 -0000

I eat like this quite regularly, before I even knew there was a label for it ! It just feels better.

Re: Sleep: You’re doing it wrong

NomadicNeill — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 13:05:40 -0000

I find it a good time to do some light reading or creative stuff like writing lyrics and playing guitar.

Re: Sleep: You’re doing it wrong

romeo maldini — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:21:48 -0000

i had never heard of segmented sleep before. fascinating. thanks for the info. i always go to be way too late. but it is true. if i go to bed at 10pm, i usually wake up at 3am, and feel like i screwed up somehow. sounds like maybe that is normal, and i should just allow myself to stay awake for an hour, and then go back to bed.

Re: Fight The Law

romeo maldini — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 09:47:47 -0000

here he is. one of the best essays i have ever read about conventional wisdom being wrong. he just explains it so well.

here's a quote:

"If you believe everything you're supposed to now, how can you be sure you wouldn't also have believed everything you were supposed to if you had grown up among the plantation owners of the pre-Civil War South, or in Germany in the 1930s"

http://www.paulgraham.com/s...

and the follow up.

http://www.paulgraham.com/r...

Re: How TV Ruined Your Life

NomadicNeill — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 07:45:35 -0000

Thanks for the comment. It's not like I never watch TV, it's kind of hard to avoid my house-mate's wide-screen in the living-room!

Just be conscious of what you're subjecting yourself to.

Re: Fight The Law

NomadicNeill — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 07:43:54 -0000

No I haven't heard of him before. I'll look him up.