A snowclone summarizing a handful of baseline important questions-to-self: “What is the state of your X, and why is that what your X’s state is?” Obviously also versions that are less generally and more naturally phrased, that’s just the most obviously parametrized form of the snowclone.
Classic(?) examples: ”What do you (think you) know, and why do you (think you) know it?” (X = knowledge/belief) ”What are you doing, and why are you doing it?” (X = action(-direction?)/motivation?)
Less classic examples that I recognized or just made up: ”How do you feel, and why do you feel that way?” (X = feelings/emotions) ”What do you want, and why do you want it?” (X = goal/desire) ”Who do you know here, and how do you know them?” (X = social graph?) ”What’s the plan here, and what are you hoping to achieve by that plan?” (X = plan)
“What is the state and progress of your soul, and what is the path upon which your feet are set?” (X = alignment with yourself) I affected a quasi-religious vocabulary, but I think this has general application.
“What are you trying not to know, and why are you trying not to know it?” (X = self-deceptions)
I really like the ‘trying not to know’ one, because there are lots of things I’m trying not to know all the time (for attention-conservation reasons), but I don’t think I have very good strategies for auditing the list.
A snowclone summarizing a handful of baseline important questions-to-self: “What is the state of your X, and why is that what your X’s state is?” Obviously also versions that are less generally and more naturally phrased, that’s just the most obviously parametrized form of the snowclone.
Classic(?) examples:
”What do you (think you) know, and why do you (think you) know it?” (X = knowledge/belief)
”What are you doing, and why are you doing it?” (X = action(-direction?)/motivation?)
Less classic examples that I recognized or just made up:
”How do you feel, and why do you feel that way?” (X = feelings/emotions)
”What do you want, and why do you want it?” (X = goal/desire)
”Who do you know here, and how do you know them?” (X = social graph?)
”What’s the plan here, and what are you hoping to achieve by that plan?” (X = plan)
“What is the state and progress of your soul, and what is the path upon which your feet are set?” (X = alignment with yourself) I affected a quasi-religious vocabulary, but I think this has general application.
“What are you trying not to know, and why are you trying not to know it?” (X = self-deceptions)
I really like the ‘trying not to know’ one, because there are lots of things I’m trying not to know all the time (for attention-conservation reasons), but I don’t think I have very good strategies for auditing the list.