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BugsJustFindMe 4 minutes ago [-]
> It’s oddly difficult to do nothing, and while you’re doing nothing, it’s oddly difficult to feel at ease.
I don't have difficulty with this. Doing nothing, thinking nothing, and simultaneously feeling perfectly at ease just comes naturally. If you struggle with this and you were wondering, it really is very nice, and I wish I could share it.
hackeman300 8 minutes ago [-]
I kept waiting for the punchline of the author turning out not to be a human after describing in detail what it thinks of the human experience. The text has all the hallmarks of AI writing at least
gregfjohnson 52 minutes ago [-]
Been doing this for 20 minutes in the morning for a few decades now. It has had an impact. I am a rather “high gain” person emotionally. I now tend to notice emotions and observe them, which helps when they threaten to suck me into a self-perpetuating ruminative vortex. Also, it has made me gentler, and an easier person to be around. I’m now well aware that whatever disturbances occur, there will be echoes and resonances tomorrow morning during my sit! Now for a moment of honesty: this is a religious practice for me. A prayer that “landed” for me: “Lord, I ask to be a conduit of grace.”
tbrownaw 32 minutes ago [-]
I guess I could imagine this being tricky if you're stuck in a city apartment with no yard and no park nearby ...
mkagenius 26 minutes ago [-]
You can close your eyes. Tricky if it's noisy - but then that's an issue in itself.
ngvrnd 18 minutes ago [-]
I know what the author means, but I don't share the experience.
tim-projects 50 minutes ago [-]
1. Don't do anything
2. Be content
The second rule conflicts with the first making this impossible.
Any experienced meditator knows that to 'be content' isn't a passive action. You have to think to do it.
If you truly practice no thought, there is no 'content' to be.
dozerly 29 minutes ago [-]
Maybe they mean something closer to “do nothing and try not to be miserable”
hackernud3s 46 minutes ago [-]
I don't understand the hero image of hipsters sipping espresso in a cafe.
Is that an example of how to exist? How not to exist? I can see an argument for either one lol.
gwintrob 10 minutes ago [-]
Great post. The author sounds like he loves life. Not a lot of BS to it.
1 hours ago [-]
annshress 1 hours ago [-]
Not really sure how to feel about this post. I guess I will try still..
applfanboysbgon 2 hours ago [-]
> When you stop doing everything and just exist, you almost feel like you’re dying.
It sounds like the author drinks too much caffeine. This definitely isn't unusual in rat race culture, but it's also by no means the universal human experience.
sublinear 1 hours ago [-]
> This is a crazy thing to notice after having been alive so many years — that your existence itself is so much to bear. There’s always something wrong, even when everything’s fine. It’s as if you can only bear the present moment when you’re trying change it into something else.
I am not a professional and I'm not trying to be dismissive here, but I'm pretty sure you're just describing general anxiety.
Nobody truly has a hard time "doing nothing for 3 minutes" if they time it right. Morning and night tend to be when it's easiest for me, but others may differ. You should instead investigate what makes that time of day different from the rest of it. That's where the answers really are. You can and should adjust the flow of your day to make it happen naturally and unconsciously.
> This is a form of meditation, but I almost want to avoid that word because it makes people get nervous and overcomplicate it. Just think of this practice as existing without fear, for a few seconds at a time. Minimum effective dose is one half-breath.
This is already way too complicated. Nothing at this level of detail needs to be described. We already know what "nothing" is. Being too deliberate has a way of pushing the emotions elsewhere until they come back to bite you. The goal of trying to make this possible on-demand is unrealistic at best, or a self-help trap to keep people buying advice at worst.
I found myself "meditating" all the time on accident when I took on less and gave myself more time to do things. When you need a break, you need a break. The most important part for me was letting go of trying to impose control over this. I very strongly disagree with the notion of deliberate meditation. It's not a matter of "doing it right". It's just bullshit. The state of mind and results are identical when you stop listening to anyone's advice and just let it happen.
onemoresoop 55 minutes ago [-]
> I very strongly disagree with the notion of deliberate meditation. It's not a matter of "doing it right". It's just bullshit. The state of mind and results are identical when you stop listening to anyone's advice and just let it happen.
You assume others have had your experience and learnings from it. That’s clearly not possible so how else would you put it for them? Maybe you should contribute your own experience. But don’t expect everybody will allign to it 100%.
jdw64 2 hours ago [-]
I'm just trying to Exit.
ryeguy_24 1 hours ago [-]
If you are stuck in vim, it's :q. If you are stuck in life, stay with us, we want you to stay.
rossant 30 minutes ago [-]
I came here to say this. You beat me to it.
aakresearch 1 hours ago [-]
Who's "we"?
pizzathyme 2 hours ago [-]
Don't give up, friend. People care for you. If no one else, this person online does! I hope you are able to find help.
md224 1 hours ago [-]
it's possible that he was making a joke about exiting a startup
but I appreciate your comment regardless
aakresearch 1 hours ago [-]
Today there is no guarantee that that sequence of characters, or the one it was produced in reply to, or, indeed, this very one you are reading right now did not come from a bot. There is a lot of "care" being performed and not much left to just exist.
hankbond 1 hours ago [-]
This is hacker news so there's a good chance they mean "have a successful acquisition of their business", in which case I hope they can Exit.
I don't have difficulty with this. Doing nothing, thinking nothing, and simultaneously feeling perfectly at ease just comes naturally. If you struggle with this and you were wondering, it really is very nice, and I wish I could share it.
The second rule conflicts with the first making this impossible.
Any experienced meditator knows that to 'be content' isn't a passive action. You have to think to do it.
If you truly practice no thought, there is no 'content' to be.
Is that an example of how to exist? How not to exist? I can see an argument for either one lol.
It sounds like the author drinks too much caffeine. This definitely isn't unusual in rat race culture, but it's also by no means the universal human experience.
I am not a professional and I'm not trying to be dismissive here, but I'm pretty sure you're just describing general anxiety.
Nobody truly has a hard time "doing nothing for 3 minutes" if they time it right. Morning and night tend to be when it's easiest for me, but others may differ. You should instead investigate what makes that time of day different from the rest of it. That's where the answers really are. You can and should adjust the flow of your day to make it happen naturally and unconsciously.
> This is a form of meditation, but I almost want to avoid that word because it makes people get nervous and overcomplicate it. Just think of this practice as existing without fear, for a few seconds at a time. Minimum effective dose is one half-breath.
This is already way too complicated. Nothing at this level of detail needs to be described. We already know what "nothing" is. Being too deliberate has a way of pushing the emotions elsewhere until they come back to bite you. The goal of trying to make this possible on-demand is unrealistic at best, or a self-help trap to keep people buying advice at worst.
I found myself "meditating" all the time on accident when I took on less and gave myself more time to do things. When you need a break, you need a break. The most important part for me was letting go of trying to impose control over this. I very strongly disagree with the notion of deliberate meditation. It's not a matter of "doing it right". It's just bullshit. The state of mind and results are identical when you stop listening to anyone's advice and just let it happen.
You assume others have had your experience and learnings from it. That’s clearly not possible so how else would you put it for them? Maybe you should contribute your own experience. But don’t expect everybody will allign to it 100%.
but I appreciate your comment regardless