I feel like we can generalize this concept (feel free to write a post about it, I’m not going to) People have a tendency to be passive. Merely taking an active rule in your own life probably puts you in the top 90% of students. But I believe that the next step is realizing that there are no rules or restrictions at all except those you create for yourself.
A new world opens up if one allows themselves to exit NPC mode, with paths which have never been taken before. But this is probably also gated by energy and courage to a large degree. I believe that not making excessive limitations for oneself is a main part of what “genius” is. Polymaths, for instance, realize that diciplines aren’t actually different, isolated aspects of reality. Concepts like “biology” and “math” are human categories, not real separations.
That said, given that “write about flowers” is an easier task than “write whatever you want” (the latter often causing people to stare at a blank piece of paper with dread not knowing where to begin) there has to be a cognitive benefit to limitations as well. For most people, a list of things you’re allowed to do is probably the most helpful. But it’s interesting to figure out why people don’t see these possibilities naturally in the first place, to teach them how to “wake up” from this tunnel vision/purely reactive state, and of course identifying other areas of life where possibilities go undiscovered because of artificial limitations.
I’d summarize the core idea as “wake up”, and I think it’s similar to ideas like “question everything”, critical thinking, openmindedness, curiousity. In short, entering a higher state of consciousness than the default stupor we’re prone to. People beyond these ideals tend to be quite pushy, as being around people less conscious (or competent, intelligent, etc.) than oneself is frustrating in the long run. Finally, some level of mental health is required for spontaneous behaviour and exploration. Those who lack them experienced something unpleasant that they never got over.
I feel like we can generalize this concept (feel free to write a post about it, I’m not going to)
People have a tendency to be passive. Merely taking an active rule in your own life probably puts you in the top 90% of students. But I believe that the next step is realizing that there are no rules or restrictions at all except those you create for yourself.
A new world opens up if one allows themselves to exit NPC mode, with paths which have never been taken before. But this is probably also gated by energy and courage to a large degree. I believe that not making excessive limitations for oneself is a main part of what “genius” is. Polymaths, for instance, realize that diciplines aren’t actually different, isolated aspects of reality. Concepts like “biology” and “math” are human categories, not real separations.
That said, given that “write about flowers” is an easier task than “write whatever you want” (the latter often causing people to stare at a blank piece of paper with dread not knowing where to begin) there has to be a cognitive benefit to limitations as well.
For most people, a list of things you’re allowed to do is probably the most helpful. But it’s interesting to figure out why people don’t see these possibilities naturally in the first place, to teach them how to “wake up” from this tunnel vision/purely reactive state, and of course identifying other areas of life where possibilities go undiscovered because of artificial limitations.
I’d summarize the core idea as “wake up”, and I think it’s similar to ideas like “question everything”, critical thinking, openmindedness, curiousity. In short, entering a higher state of consciousness than the default stupor we’re prone to. People beyond these ideals tend to be quite pushy, as being around people less conscious (or competent, intelligent, etc.) than oneself is frustrating in the long run.
Finally, some level of mental health is required for spontaneous behaviour and exploration. Those who lack them experienced something unpleasant that they never got over.
cf “there’s no speed limit”