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Sloww Sunday Newsletter 105 (May 8, 2022) — Theory of Mind, Beyond Thought, Perspectives vs Truth, & More
Happy Sunday!
Here’s the latest from Sloww along with the most interesting things I discovered last week.
To respect your time and attention, every newsletter can be read in under 5 minutes. If you enjoy it, please take 5 seconds to forward the email version to some friends and family. 🙏
🌀 Sloww Stuff
🔒 Stream of Consciousness: Is this the Strangest Thing in Life? (+ Infographic)
This new Premium post tackles what I consider to be the strangest thing. Ever since discovering the lottery of birth, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this realization. Nature somehow convinces each of us to take responsibility for this (points to the total amalgamation of “me” including body, mind, spirit, etc). I think I may finally understand what spiritual teachers mean when they say the “self” is an illusion.
🆕 25 Cognitive Biases to Master for Better Thinking (+ Infographic Cheatsheet)
Last week featured 25 top mental models—this week we’ve got 25 top cognitive biases. As a bonus, it features all of them in an infographic cheatsheet that you can keep in your (mental) pocket for quick reference.
🧠 For a full list of 100+ cognitive biases (across self, interpersonal, belief, perception, emotion, planning, judgment, decision making, memory, learning, and more) get Mini Mind.
75+ lifelong learners have already started:
- “The price is actually quite low when compared to other learning resources.” — Amit T.
- “Congratulations on launching Mini Mind! I’ve subscribed.” — Jim O.
- “Let’s dive into this Mini Mind journey!” — Elien T.
- “Really cool product idea!” — Jakob G.
- “I’m in!” — Steve D.
Ready to begin your year-long learning journey?👇
🧠 Modern Knowledge
What is Theory of Mind?
4 mins | YouTube
Theory of mind refers to the capacity to understand other people by ascribing mental states to them—surmising what is happening in their mind including beliefs, desires, intentions, emotions, and thoughts. While empathy is known as emotional perspective-taking, theory of mind is defined as cognitive perspective-taking (Wikipedia).
Robert Sapolsky, professor of biology, neurology & neurological sciences at Stanford, says humans are not the only species with theory of mind (chimpanzees have it too). However, what is unique to humans is secondary theory of mind: when you understand that one individual has information that this other one does not, unless that one thinks this one is doing this but is actually doing that, etc.
☯️ Timeless Wisdom
Beyond Thought: Bohm & Krishnamurti
80 mins | J. Krishnamurti (YouTube)
As far as I can tell, this is the most-viewed video on YouTube of David Bohm (theoretical physicist) and Jiddu Krishnamurti (spiritual leader). Even though this conversation is ~40 years old, it’s even more relevant today and one of those rare dialogues that actually gets better as it goes along.
Highlights:
- Who am I?: The “me” is the whole movement which thought has brought about. The whole structure of the “me” is put together by thought.
- On Consciousness: The consciousness of humanity is all one, but it has divided itself by thought. Separating the observer and the observed gives the illusion of time. But, the observer is the observed. The thinker is the thought. There is no thinker separate from thought. In that observation, there is no time.
- On Thought: It isn’t clear how the mind (which is one) came to the illusion that it’s all broken up. Thought is limited, and it is not able to see that all suffering is one—therefore it divides it up as mine, and yours, and theirs, and that creates illusion which only multiplies suffering. All the problems that humanity has now are the result of thought. The activities of thought will never bring about peace for humanity.
- On Intelligence: Is there an activity which is not touched by thought? We are saying there is, and that activity is the highest form of intelligence. That intelligence has nothing to do with thought, but it may act through thought.
- On Awakening: The person who hasn’t seen is almost living in a world of dreams psychologically … The world of dreams is not related to the world of being awake. If somebody sees something, then their responsibility is to help wake the others up.
PS: I finished my Anthony de Mello spirituality study—favorite quotes are in this Twitter thread and deeper highlights in the 🔒Sloww Society community. I loved my daily dose of de Mello, so I’m going to continue my 30-mins/day study with another fascinating human: David Bohm.
“The psychological question is more important than any of the others because if the psychological question is not cleared up, the rest is dangerous (e.g. technological advancements).” — David Bohm
🤯 Mind Expanding
Reality is all about Perspective
7 mins | Big Think (YouTube)
This short video features Daniel Schmachtenberger talking about perspectives and reality. His example reminded me of the visuals below.
PS: I just wrapped up another new Premium post that will be published this week: “How Many Perspectives Can You Take?”
Pair with: The Blind Men and The Elephant: A Short Story about Perspective
“Reality itself is trans-perspectival—it can’t be captured in any perspective. So, multiple perspectives have to be taken—all of which will have some part of the reality … The ability to take multiple perspectives—to see the truth in them and seam them together into something that isn’t a perspective (a trans-perspective capacity to hold the relationships between many perspectives in a way that can inform our choice-making)—is fundamental to navigating reality well.” — Daniel Schmachtenberger
Bonus: Maybe you’ve seen this image showing the difference between partial perspectives and truth?
Well…we can go even further:
💭 Deep Thought
The sweet spot of life: to not fear death, but also not want to die.
“People living deeply have no fear of death.” — Anaïs Nin
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life.” — Attributed to Mark Twain
“Has it ever struck you that those who most fear to die are the ones who most fear to live? That in running away from death we are running away from life?” — Anthony de Mello (The Way to Love)
“To be alive is the biggest fear humans have. Death is not the biggest fear we have; our biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive—the risk to be alive and express what we really are. Just being ourselves is the biggest fear of humans.” — Don Miguel Ruiz (The Four Agreements)
“The Master holds nothing back from life; therefore he is ready for death, as a man is ready for sleep after a good day’s work.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching)
Pair with:
- 15 Deep Insights about Death to Understand the Meaning of Life & Live Fully Alive
- 🔒 Is Death the Best Invention of Life?
💬 Wise Words
The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions.
— Oliver Wendell Holmes
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Have an alive week!
Kyle Kowalski
Founder, Sloww
