Quote of the Day:
“Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.” - Auguste Rodin
What We’re Thinking About
Yuval Noah Harari notes in his TED Dialogue: "Statistically you are your own worst enemy. At least, of all the people in the world, you are most likely to be killed by yourself. For the first time in history, more people commit suicide than are killed by crime, terrorism, and war put together.”
Re-read that quote a few times.
Why is this happening?
I think a major part of this trend is the imbalance between self-determination and self-confidence. While humans are more in control of their destiny now, more than ever, they are cursed with the power of choice. Psychologist Barry Schwartz spoke about this during his TED Dialogue, “The Paradox of Choice.” He mentioned that while choice awards higher quality it also condemns lack of overall happiness. This is because humans rue the opportunity cost of what could have been or what could be. For example, Barry mentioned he used to buy ill-fitting jeans growing up because that was the only option. Nowadays, there are at least five varieties to choose from and he can find a pair that fit and feel much better than his childhood version. However, he still felt worse after wearing his admittedly more comfortable jeans. Schwartz notes, “Adding options to people's lives can't help but increase the expectations people have about how good those options will be. And what that's going to produce is less satisfaction with results, even when they're good results.”
How does this relate to us as humans?
When we shift the lens onto humans, this analogy becomes quite clear, especially in the United States. We have almost absolute freedom to live wherever we want, to date whomever we want, to pray to whichever religion we want (or to be an atheist), etc. Yet, when we compare ourselves to our peers, we grow unhappy with what they have and we don’t. We lack the self-confidence to understand what resources we truly need and care for. We are failing to understand that just because an 18 year-old became a millionaire overnight by being a social media provocateur, that doesn’t mean we need to follow the same path.
Often times, in the midst of mental turmoil, we’ll ask ourselves, am I making the right decision? I’m very much guilty of this behavior. However, I think the better question to ask is, “what opportunity most excites me?” I believe the best way to bridge the self-determination and self-confidence gap is to find something or someone that causes your spine to erupt with energy and chase that feeling until it goes away. Then move onto something else. It’s a part of “feeding your juice” that helps align your wants and needs. If you follow this path, you’ll be so enveloped with energy that your mind won’t wander on, anxious about the potential fruits of your decision.
Final thoughts.
When I see people that are unhappy, especially my friends and family, I notice they are stuck pursuing jobs, people, or status that are boring and uneventful. My happiest friends are chasing a mysterious lightbulb like a baby when it first sees a shiny set of car keys. So to avoid the pitfalls of anxiety and depression, find meaning in life by pursuing excitement, which shouldn’t come from drugs, fancy cars and clothes, or glamorous vacations. True excitement is as simple as a spark that makes you jump out of bed just a second quicker.
I’m interested to hear your thoughts about this. Feel free to leave a comment and continue the conversation!
Community Bulletin Board
We had a small delay in releasing our interview with HighKeyRandom, a Boston-based rapper, but we will release his story on Thursday! In case you missed it, here’s a short introduction:
Often we take for granted some of the basic human rights afforded to us. One of them, as described by the United Nations in their Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is the freedom of movement.
This privilege, however, has not been afforded to Boston-born artist HighKeyRandom, who has been on house arrest since May 2019.
Though for obvious legal reasons our conversation did not touch on these matters, it has been inspiring to see Random’s resilience throughout this time.
Forced to delay the release of his sophomore album “The Gentle Savage”, he pivoted.
And so fresh off the heels of 2 mixtapes, 5 music videos, and 100s of demos — all produced within the confines of his apartment — FTJ called up one of Boston’s most prolific artists to catch up on the latest and greatest.
We’re looking for creatives to interview. If you have a friend that would be interested in a quick coffee to chat, let us know!
Have something you want to post? Ping us via email or leave a comment!
Creative Content Worth Your Time
(20 minute read)
https://www.vulture.com/2018/11/jerry-saltz-how-to-be-an-artist.html
Acclaimed art critic, Jerry Saltz, discusses his 33 rules to be an artist, growing from a clueless amateur to generational talent!
If you have a creative story to share, email us at jaimindesai@feedthejuice.com and we’ll put you on!