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Just unstaked my last ETH. Takes 13 days... what a joke

No big deal We make a big deal out of many things. Every once in a while it’s good to remind oneself not to make too big a deal out of whatever it is we’re currently making a big deal of. We do not have to hold everything so tightly, we can loosen our grip just a little bit. And suddenly there is a feeling of greater spaciousness, greater possibility. Georgia O’Keeffe’s “Sky Above Clouds IV” (1965)

Unconventional wisdom 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. ' - Albert Einstein, maybe Over the last couple of years I have had the very visceral realization that in order to change how I act in the world, I have to change who I am. This may sound obvious. But at least to me it wasn’t. I was certain that I could just will myself to act differently in a given situation. Most people seem to be victim to this same insanity. It does not work. In most situations we do not rise to our hopes and aspirational ideas, we fall to the level of who we are at our core. And we can change. We can become a person that reacts differently to a certain stimulus. This is just not conventional wisdom.

Haven’t been as active here but always a delight to be back and read through the posts.

The “mind over matter” fallacy “Mind over matter” is a motivational platitude that does well for those who like to brute-force their way to success. However, powering through life without an organic motivation that is holistically aligned with our being usually does not work in the long run. In fact, mind is, everywhere and always, a phenomenon of matter and vice versa. They can not be disentangled. So when people say “mind over matter”, they usually just mean “I’m overthinking this”. James (Künstler) Gleeson’s ““We inhabit the corrosive littoral of habit” (1940)

The “mind over matter” fallacy “Mind over matter” is a motivational platitude that does well for those who like to brute-force their way to success. However, powering through life without an organic motivation that is holistically aligned with our being usually does not work in the long run. In fact, mind is, everywhere and always, a phenomenon of matter and vice versa. They can not be disentangled. So when people say “mind over matter”, they usually just mean “I’m overthinking this”. James (Künstler) Gleeson’s ““We inhabit the corrosive littoral of habit” (1940)

Is there a better place to spread the gospel about Bitcoin than Japan 🇯🇵? Can some Japanese' nostriches chime in?

Missing the forest for the trees “Missing the forest for the trees” is a pervasive problem in our culture. With real consequences. There is a reason for this. In brief, it’s a result of the objectification of our world: “I, the subject, am here. Objects are out there”. This false perspective leads to an unintegrated view of the world in which we struggle to see how everything is interrelated. Unless you’re moving in the quasi-perfect confines of experimental physics, simple cause and effect is actually pretty hard to come by. The consequences of such an existence befall us every day. They include but are not limited to: electing politicians with no character and integrity, being dependent on dating apps to meet people, relying on drugs for our health, going to university primarily for the degree and electing a career path just for the money. All of these are examples where we chose a simple, usually lazy solution at the cost of our long term physical, mental and societal wellbeing. If we’re to overcome this, we need to zoom out, behold the whole forest and integrate. Barend Cornelis Koekkoek’s “Forest Scene” (1848)

Extending time Our culture is obsessed with prolonging our time on this planet - with very mediocre results if judged by the stagnating or even declining life expectancy in the West. One simple and underrated way to actually extend our time of being alive is to pay attention. Pay attention to each passing moment. Pay attention to each little distinction in our experience. Pay attention to the field of awake awareness. Of course paying attention is not something we just decide to do because someone on the internet tells us to. Like everything else it requires dedication, practice and the creation of the right circumstances.

If you’re still buying cheap sats and those sats are not in self custody, there’s a chance those are not sats at all.

What account is providing the best stream of events from Nashville? #bitcoin

Joining clubs that don’t want me as a member “I Don’t Want to Belong to Any Club That Will Accept Me as a Member.” Groucho Marx’ famous quote rings both funny and true. Most people would like to be accepted to only clubs that are more prestigious and higher status than themselves. However, I’m personally finding this quote accurate and insightful from a slightly different angle: I am seeking out experiences, clubs and products that are not actively looking for members… not because they are secretive but because they are relentlessly focused on quality rather than marketing. Let me give you an example. When I lived in San Francisco, I would frequently play Tennis on the Dolores Park courts on weekends. Often after our match, my Tennis partner and I would relax in the park for a little bit. On one particular day, we saw a group of people practicing acrobatics on the grass, one of whom stood out with some incredible manoeuvres. We walked up to them and found out that he was teaching the rest of the group in a discipline he referred to as movement practice. What was remarkable to me about the encounter was that my friend and I clearly showed interest in joining his class but rather than being keen on getting us onboarded, he was barely forthcoming with any additional information. He clearly was not interested in selling his product and neither was the very basic and bland website he had set up. Instead he was clearly focused on his craft first and foremost. And yet he clearly had an avid following. This combination was what convinced me to try out his class and it ended up being one of the most enriching experiences of my time in San Francisco. Over and over in my life, I have found these rare clubs and products, the ones that don’t advertise but just focus on quality, among the most worthwhile. And so I will keep pursuing clubs that don’t want me as a member.

What's the contrarian belief you're most confident about? Besides the ones that are pretty obvious in this community?

Proof of run! Back under 5 min/km

The lost art of pandiculation: If it is meant to be sustainable, physical movement and exercise ought to be intuitive. The average training consists to a great extent of “mind over matter. This only gets us so far as it usually results in build-up of muscular tension, poor posture and eventual breakdown. What does intuitive movement mean? I would define it as movement that 1) is associated with a corresponding feeling sensation and not performed unconsciously and 2) expresses an intentionality of our being. There are many approaches and modalities to re-embrace more intuitive movement including for example the Feldenkrais method, Qi Gong and Tai Chi or movement practice. One simple and underrated way to regain a more intuitive physicality is pandiculation. Pandiculation is simply the process of stretching and yawning after waking up. It’s a lost art. And it is critical for sending biofeedback to our nervous system, thereby recalibrating the level of muscular contraction and avoiding build up of tension. If you want to try it, don’t start by taking a “mind over matter” approach of checking pandiculation of your to-do list. Instead, just take the time in the morning for a few minutes to feel into what your body actually needs and what movements feel natural. Instead of creating another habit, try getting out of your own way for a moment. Wassily Kandinsky’s “Composition VII” (1913)

Wimbledon — order & passion Today marks the beginning of Wimbledon. It has to be, without a doubt, the greatest sport event to attend in the world. The football World Cup, the Olympics and even other Tennis Grand Slams simply pale in comparison to the level of satisfaction and excitement experienced by visitors of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Why is this? To credit it merely to the lush grass of SW19, the Strawberries and Cream or the Royal Box would be missing the point. The best way to summarize the magic of Wimbledon is order & passion. Wimbledon is perfectly ordered. Its order of play and patent-worthy system for queueing are among the most British documents you’ll ever read. The flawless choreography of the ball boys and girls, the pin-drop silence as players are preparing to serve, the white ballet on the court as a rally is underway — these all contribute to coherence and harmony. Unlike many other great traditions, however, Wimbledon is not ossified and rigid. Its order is not procured at the cost of passion and enthusiasm. It serves them. There is a learning for all of us here. When we organize our days and hone our habits, it is ok to want order. But it should never be an end of its own. Instead it should serve the purpose of creating space for and revealing our passion. George Bellows’ “Tennis at Newport” (1919)

Does having a “stealth” startup mean that you have no idea what you’re doing? If yes, then I think I may have some use for this term in the near future

It's good to be back on #nostr after a little leave of absence!

My favourite quote of the day comes from my seat neighbor at a Maryleborne Café this afternoon: “The only thing that graduating from Central Saint Martins [a prestigious London arts and design school] has given me is ADHD” This is an equally funny and insightful statement. Too often do we treat mental disorders as something intrinsic, rather than something inflicted on us by our circumstance. It’s an important distinction. If ADHD is something intrinsic, then we need to treat the symptoms. And we do. For many children and from a young age. With amphetamines. If instead we recognize it for what it is: a condition delivered to us by a very unnatural environment, then we create a possibility and a responsibility: A possibility to actually address the root causes of ADHD and many other conditions instead of creating more problems by drugging our children. And a responsibility for all of us to change the environment we live, study and work in. Marc Chagall’s “I and the Village” (1911)