Nothing You Watch, Read, or Listen to is Insignificant
Three Point Essay #38 | You're the sum of your Influences
Here’s a three-pointer to open your mind.
I. The Pharaoh’s Secret
The ancient Egyptians must’ve had help from Aliens, right?
This being something people believe shows how incredible they were. How did they build the pyramids? How did they have such advanced mathematics and engineering? How did they create the hieroglyph system? How were they so brilliant, so long ago?
One of the Egyptians most revered gods was a falcon-headed deity named Horus. The eye of Horus is a symbol that you’ve probably seen before, maybe on the back shoulder of some strange girl at the gym or something.
The Egyptians worshiped Horus for many reasons, one being his symbolism for the capacity to pay attention. They worshiped the eyes. They knew the power of the eyes. They were aware the deep importance of where you direct your attention.
II. The Magic of the Eye
In today's age, with free access to unlimited information instantaneously, knowing the magic of the eye is especially crucial. Nothing you absorb into your mind is insignificant.
The people you follow on social, the accounts you're subscribed to on YouTube, the emails you receive every day, the podcasts you consume, the group chats you're in, the movies and TV shows you watch, the books and articles you read, all sums up to = you. It’s obvious that your environment and people around you affect you, hence the saying you're the average of the 5 people you hang out with the most. But you're also the average of the 5 people whose content you consume the most.
III. Programming Your Mind
There is this great saying that “code scripts machines. media scripts humans.” How are you being scripted? What are you using to write the program of your mind?
I like to program my mind with inputs of history, evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, basketball & fitness, investing, future technologies, entrepreneurship, and philosophy. (Some great podcasts with fascinating guests for these topics include: Lex Fridman Podcast, Modern Wisdom by Chris Williamson, The Joe Rogan Experience, Huberman Lab, The Tim Ferriss Show, Jocko Podcast, and The Game with Alex Hormozi).
In our age of information abundance, knowing what to ignore is as significant as knowing what to pay attention to. What to leave out of the script. What to not write into the program.
I tend to ignore: Daily news, TV shows, sports talking heads, political controversies, scammers, snapchat stories, celebrity gossip/drama, small mindedness, and people who spend their time criticizing other people but do little to improve themselves.
There’s no utility in seeing what your old friends are up to every day. There’s no good reason to watch mainstream news when it’s their job to make you angry and anxious. It doesn’t make sense to spend time listening to sports figures debate things that can never be settled (Alder’s Razor) It’s a bad idea to listen to negative, close-minded losers. etc. etc. etc.
Choose what you pay attention to carefully. You become it.
Another great article Jeff!
SOLID! ALSO,"LISTENING WITH THE THIRD EAR" BY THEODORE REICH