Your contemplation on the blog deeply resonates with me, especially as a Thai person who is introverted. Expressing myself has been a challenge.
Your commitment to self-introspection (the importance of self-awareness and addressing biases and blind spots) is inspiring. For me, having a supportive partner makes a significant difference. It is creating a space where we can have open and easy conversation without judgment. I will definitely turn on my headlights and navigate the path with clarity. Thank you for sharing this insightful perspective.
It warms my heart immensely to welcome a fellow Thai - especially a friend IRL! I can imagine the additional challenge of an introvert when it comes to self-expression. Although lately, I've been viewing 'introversion' slightly differently. Having known you, I find similarities in how you and my husband communicate and I'm beginning to think you both fall under 'ambivert' - in the middle of the spectrum between introversion and extraversion. Someone who can engage in a flexible pattern of talking and listening.
And I absolutely agree with your comment about having a supportive partner - especially a partner who brings the best sides of you, without tolerating the worst sides of you. I can honestly say that I could not be the person I am today without the no-judgement support from Neeti all these years.
I came across this quote recently - "In a society that profits from your self doubt, liking yourself is a rebellious act". It's so relatable yet so grim at the same time. You're absolutely right that it's worth it. The duality of things is that our capitalistic society has made it much harder (e.g. distractions, escapism, competition), and at the same time, much easier (e.g. accessible knowledge and tools) to achieve better understanding of ourselves. I am so glad you enjoyed the writing!
Another excellent piece, crucial to understanding ourselves and why we act the way we act. Some random comments that come to mind:
While I’m not the biggest fan of Sigmund Freud, he was spot on when talking about the “three humiliations of humanity”:
the first was *cosmological* (when we learned that the Earth is not the center of the Universe), the second was *biological* (when we learned that we weren’t created by a god but evolved from the same common ancestors as all other animals), and the third was *psychological* (when we learned that we are not even “masters in our own house,” so to speak, but that the subconscious mind mostly pulls the strings).
[On a related note, Daniel Quinn added another humiliation, the *ecological* one (we are subject to the same laws that govern all other life forms, so we can’t escape suffering, disease & death, we can’t grow our population & society indefinitely, etc.).]
You’ve probably heard the metaphor depicting the subconscious mind as ‘the president’ and the conscious mind as being his ‘press secretary’ – the press secretary doesn’t *make* the decisions (they were already made by the president behind closed doors), but merely justifies them for an ‘audience of critical journalists.’
At risk of overwhelming you with yet another recommendation of a truly voluminous monster of a book, I’ve recently started reading “Determined – A Science of Life without Free Will” by Robert Sapolsky, and I have the feeling it will be similarly profound as McGilchrist’s work has been in explaining the (human) world. You’d greatly enjoy his arguments and views, even if you might not agree with everything he says.
Your contemplation on the blog deeply resonates with me, especially as a Thai person who is introverted. Expressing myself has been a challenge.
Your commitment to self-introspection (the importance of self-awareness and addressing biases and blind spots) is inspiring. For me, having a supportive partner makes a significant difference. It is creating a space where we can have open and easy conversation without judgment. I will definitely turn on my headlights and navigate the path with clarity. Thank you for sharing this insightful perspective.
It warms my heart immensely to welcome a fellow Thai - especially a friend IRL! I can imagine the additional challenge of an introvert when it comes to self-expression. Although lately, I've been viewing 'introversion' slightly differently. Having known you, I find similarities in how you and my husband communicate and I'm beginning to think you both fall under 'ambivert' - in the middle of the spectrum between introversion and extraversion. Someone who can engage in a flexible pattern of talking and listening.
And I absolutely agree with your comment about having a supportive partner - especially a partner who brings the best sides of you, without tolerating the worst sides of you. I can honestly say that I could not be the person I am today without the no-judgement support from Neeti all these years.
👏 Understanding ourselves, our bodies and minds, is perhaps the most worthwhile endeavor out there. It takes work, but it's so worth it.
I came across this quote recently - "In a society that profits from your self doubt, liking yourself is a rebellious act". It's so relatable yet so grim at the same time. You're absolutely right that it's worth it. The duality of things is that our capitalistic society has made it much harder (e.g. distractions, escapism, competition), and at the same time, much easier (e.g. accessible knowledge and tools) to achieve better understanding of ourselves. I am so glad you enjoyed the writing!
Another excellent piece, crucial to understanding ourselves and why we act the way we act. Some random comments that come to mind:
While I’m not the biggest fan of Sigmund Freud, he was spot on when talking about the “three humiliations of humanity”:
the first was *cosmological* (when we learned that the Earth is not the center of the Universe), the second was *biological* (when we learned that we weren’t created by a god but evolved from the same common ancestors as all other animals), and the third was *psychological* (when we learned that we are not even “masters in our own house,” so to speak, but that the subconscious mind mostly pulls the strings).
[On a related note, Daniel Quinn added another humiliation, the *ecological* one (we are subject to the same laws that govern all other life forms, so we can’t escape suffering, disease & death, we can’t grow our population & society indefinitely, etc.).]
You’ve probably heard the metaphor depicting the subconscious mind as ‘the president’ and the conscious mind as being his ‘press secretary’ – the press secretary doesn’t *make* the decisions (they were already made by the president behind closed doors), but merely justifies them for an ‘audience of critical journalists.’
At risk of overwhelming you with yet another recommendation of a truly voluminous monster of a book, I’ve recently started reading “Determined – A Science of Life without Free Will” by Robert Sapolsky, and I have the feeling it will be similarly profound as McGilchrist’s work has been in explaining the (human) world. You’d greatly enjoy his arguments and views, even if you might not agree with everything he says.
For a good introduction to his work, he did a very good interview with Nate for The Great Simplification: https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/88-robert-sapolsky