This week we discuss why people do dumb things, how to enhance your sleep, the characteristics of art, and Jung’s perspective on our existence. Quite the buffet of topics I’d say. Hopefully, there is something you can apply to your life this week.
1) Persistently irrational
Why people do dumb things - from Seth Godin’s blog:
When people around you do something that makes no sense or is self-defeating, it might not be because they’re stupid.
It’s more likely that they don’t believe what you believe, don’t see what you see or don’t want what you want. It might be different measures of time, of status or desire. If we hope to understand behavior, and ultimately to change it, we need to see the stories behind it.
Because, in many ways, we’re all irrational sometimes.
2) Fundamentals of sleep
I've often heard that sleep is the ultimate performance-enhancing drug. Whether we're talking about mental, physical, or emotional health, few things have as significant an impact as getting proper sleep.
Andrew Huberman illustrates his fundamentals, which he calls QQRT:
Quantity: the total amount of sleep. The typical adult needs sleep 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. This ensures sufficient time for both deep sleep and REM sleep, so you wake up feeling refreshed and restored. Some people need less, others more, especially babies, teens, and those combating an illness or infection.
Quality: the continuity and structure of sleep. Frequent awakenings (even if you don’t remember) or fragmented sleep represent poor sleep quality.
Regularity: stick to a consistent sleep schedule. Consistently going to bed and waking up at the same time each day leads to improved overall sleep patterns and quality by anchoring your body's circadian rhythm, or internal clock.
Timing: align your sleep schedule with your natural chronotype (morning person, night owl, versus typical sleep-wake schedule). Chronotype is primarily determined by genetics, and yet your preferred sleep time will vary a bit across your lifespan. You can find your natural chronotype using the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ).
3) Characteristics of art
A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament. Its beauty comes from the fact that the author is what he is. It has nothing to do with the fact that other people want what they want. Indeed, the moment that an artist takes notice of what other people want, and tries to supply the demand, he ceases to be an artist, and becomes a dull or an amusing craftsman, an honest or a dishonest tradesman. He has no further claim to be considered as an artist.
-Oscar Wilde
4) Quote of the week
“The meaning of my existence is that life has addressed a question to me. Or, conversely, I myself am a question which is addressed to the world, and I must communicate my answer, otherwise, I am dependent upon the world’s answer.”
-Carl Jung
Thank you for your time and attention.
Kyle
A true artist is an outlier, beyond the traditional boundaries of society. Some can get a compulsion to do this. They are listening to a different drummer. At first, it shocks the audience, and then it becomes a stepping stone to further artist's innovation. A classic example is Igor Stravinski's Rite of Spring which was presented to the public as a symphony and ballet in 1913, choreography by the great dancer Nijinsky. The first audience was horrified and loudly objected. Now it is considered a brilliant masterpiece and is performed all over the world.