Does it serve you?
People say when you own something, often it can own you.
I say that when you buy something that you expect to get a benefit or favourable outcome from, you want it to serve you. But then you get locked into having it or the expectations of it, now you’re restricted. Like today I let go of the $60-90 Jasper Skytram ticket I booked and didn’t go, because getting there on time would mean stopping minimally on one of the most scenic drives on the planet - the Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper, BC, Canada. I decided that the stops along this incredible freeway drive were worth more than whatever awesome view I would supposedly see on this Skytram, plus I was getting tired and wanted to eat a very late breakfast (3pm) and have coffee to relax at a cafe.
Other things potentially related to serving:
Slaying 💅
Doing what you love in your life
Doing what you love
Some people do things for themselves and other people and not out of self-deception. They actually feel what they want, rather than listening to what people tell them they should do based on their situation (having little money for example) or listening only to logic in their mind or indoctrinated/conditioned internal desires. They know exactly why they’re doing some work or engaging in a particular endeavour and it brings peace to them, which means they go to sleep at night happy and wake up happy. This means they’re generally at peace with their mistakes, flaws, knowing who they are, what they value, what they stand for, being okay with not being seen as okay,
Maybe they help people, maybe they kill people. Slaughter them. Whatever they do serves them. Does that mean they act purely out of self-interest? Yes, in a way. But the negative connotation is socially constructed and really self interest is a neutral thing. I can do things because it makes me happy, like being a teacher and writing content online. This can help other people but really if I didn’t enjoy it, regardless of how much my teaching or writing would help other people, I probably wouldn’t do it. Does that make me selfish? Yes. Do I give a shit? No, not really. Sorry.
Why is being selfish fine? Because there’s no alternative. Even if someone wants to help people, it’s at the most fundamental level what they need to do in order to feel at peace with their actions. If they aren’t helping people, they feel guilty. The internal feeling inside is intrinsically based on “self”.
Silence
Live in a place that feels like a home, even if you’re not there often. Means adding little trinkets, plants, whatever makes it feel lively instead of just white walls and sadness. I’ve learned about this by seeing boring, sad airbnb’s and boring cafes. It doesn’t need to cost much at all to make something feel lively. How incredible is it to decide to open a cafe in a town, city or suburb you feel at home and then think “what can I do here?” designing it as you wish and curating every part of the customer experience. Doing this because you want to do it. Not because you crave a profit, but because you feel better doing it than if you didn’t, regardless of the outcome/success of the business.
What makes me feel this way? Why do I want to hear the word democracy in my head and talk about freedom of speech, censorship, family and love?
Why do I want to say that you don’t need to do anything? You can be as you are right now and it’s no problem at all.
You can change the system if you want to, or at least try and fail. Revolt and get arrested, tased and pushed to the ground by authorities and cuffed as you feel peace in your heart knowing you did the right thing (what felt like the right thing to you).
Why do I want to say that you can rent out or sublet a property to tenants for a fair price, and avoid the temptation of short-term rentals. To screen your tenants to find people who are good people and you can do your best to ensure they enjoy the place they live and feel like they can get somewhere with their life while living there.
Why do I want to tell people that they can simply walk into nature/forests? That they don’t need to find a hiking trail. That as long as they don’t trample nature or litter, they should be able to go and enjoy the trees, sun shining through them, beautiful thick wooden trunks you can look at, brush your hand over or hug. To look out through the trees and stand there in silence. You can write things like “I love you” and post that online without context. You can acknowledge issues in the world like a lack of connection, increased porn consumption and not enough cafe setups making physical connection a priority. Like the cafe I’m at right now that has all the same round tables that 3-4+ chairs can be put around for groups to sit all facing each other, feet and legs touching or almost touching. Love spread. Plants make you feel like you aren’t just boxed into this artificial fake world of perfection, avoidance of nature, restrictions, structure and a lack of creative or opinionated, political or social expression.
You want to post your opinions about how the world works and is going (political opinions) online like on X and to be allowed to do that without fear of losing your job or being arrested.
Make life serve you, simply by doing your best not to let things take life away from you. We should have more trust in people’s intentions, should they not be in a position where they must commit treason to get their basic necessities. Education, making friends in uni. Being able to work what job you like and not worry about not earning enough to sustain basic quality of life and savings. When you die you might never get this thing again, please do all you can with it and live true to yourself.
I’m now reading Wikipedia pages because they’re direct and extensive and so I’d rather read that and it be only partially correct than try to find sources that only give me part of what I want to know but which may be more accurate. I’ll read other sources later. I want to do minors at uni in a mixture between international politics, business and economics.
Making and posting content online purely for yourself and with no expected metric outcomes to actualise is great, especially when people read or watch your stuff anyway. Expressing yourself freely, creating, not just consuming other people’s content. Putting something in the world that wasn’t there before. Just knowing that you can “vibe-code” apps, even if you don’t actually feel a need to do it or at least feel no need to complete an app. You can journal stuff on paper, take photos of it and upload it online if you felt so inclined and weight up potential consequences. Imagine the aesthetic of that - the handwritten pieces of paper crafting a unique message, posted in a multi-image Instagram post and with no caption or simply the words “I love you, live a good life”.
P.S. I know this post doesn’t make much sense and the heading “Doing what you love” only partially corresponds with the contents within, but I found this valuable to write and maybe you’ll get something from it.