HETTY

Tag: Wisdom

  • The World Needs Misfits

    What advice would you give to your teenage self?

    Oh, I would have to make a list of the things I would tell my younger self. But I’ll start with changing the mindset about loneliness. Being alone can be an advantage in some ways , and I developed in such a way that I can tolerate isolation better than others. Maybe not try so hard to make friends and date. It will happen in time with less pressure.

    Save money as much as possible. I fell for the materialistic creed, and thought that I would always be fairly comfortable financially. There were definitely lean times in my life, and there may be more in the future. So try to be more frugal.

    Study engineering in university. I wouldn’t say that I have a talent in engineering, more like a general interest that could have developed further with formal schooling. Maybe I could have worked as in robotics, materials science, or even in artificial intelligence. There’s more opportunities for engineers than the other fields I studied.

    Don’t smoke or toke, no matter how stressed or upset you get. I developed bad habits in my late teens and twenties, mainly cuz I don’t cope with stress well. I didn’t know that those habits would cause more stress and difficulty over time, plus I would be able to save money if I didn’t develop those habits. I didn’t fully understand how a mind could be addicted to substances.

    Read more science and philosophy. I read a lot, but the stuff I was reading as a teenager is different than what I read now. I would recommend Bertrand Russell, Arthur Schopenhaur, Albert Camus, and maybe some other ones, since their works would help me understand the world better, and help me cope with problems I would have throughout my life. I could have developed a different mentality.

    Walk more, and be more creative. I still love music, but I can barely play. I could have developed my music skill more, maybe using studio software. And walking and biking seem to exercise that I can tolerate. Paint, draw, and write, maybe some opportunities would come up.

  • The Observer

    If there were a biography about you, what would the title be?

    I had to think about this prompt question for awhile, but The Observer is probably the best title for a biography I could come up with. Maybe if I’m ever worthy of someone writing my biography, the author can think of a better one. But it’s a safe yet honest title.

    I’m not famous or infamous (yet), and as much as I’d like to be remarkable somehow, I’m likely unremarkable in every way. I have a certain skill set that’s probably outdated in the 21st century, but what I do best no matter what is observe.

    I’m an introvert, although I sometimes wish that I wasn’t. I can be quiet, and passive to a fault. And I’m alone most of the time, although I do attempt to be social. However, I observe people and see mostly mundane behavior, although there were moments where I saw violent or unusual behavior from a distance.

    I observe animals, wild or domesticated, doing their own things, I observe the daily life of cities and towns, cars passing, people walking, sometimes with pets, children, or companions. I detect stimuli through whatever functional senses I have left. I see debris and garbage around, and I’ll pick it up and dump it if I’m in the mood. And I observe whatever scenery I’m around when I’m outside. I’ll observe nature do its thing, but I have been in various environments and climates. Deserts, temperate forests, mountainous regions, larger cities, beaches, tropical areas, and green fields.

    Oh, I’ve been on the outskirts of historical events or situations at times, but not as any of the main “actors”. Again, just observing the good, bad, and neutral among people, places and things.

    Sometimes I’ll write about it or photo/video record it. So far, it hasn’t led to anything special or lucrative. And based on prior evidence, I doubt that it lead to anything special in the future. I could be wrong though. Here’s hoping!

  • 17 Bertrand Russell Quotes

    17 Bertrand Russell Quotes

    Here are some of the best and most thought-provoking quotes by the philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell:

    1. “The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.”

    2. “To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already three parts dead.”

    3. “The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge.”

    4. “Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.”

    5. “War does not determine who is right — only who is left.”

    6. “The secret of happiness is this: let your interests be as wide as possible, and let your reactions to the things and persons that interest you be as far as possible friendly rather than hostile.”

    7. “Science is what you know, philosophy is what you don’t know.”

    9. “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.”

    10. “The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”

    11. “Men are born ignorant, not stupid; they are made stupid by education.”

    12. “The secret to happiness is to face the fact that the world is horrible.”

    13. “No one gossips about other people’s secret virtues.”

    14. “The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation.”

    15. “To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.”

    16. “Religion is something left over from the infancy of our intelligence, it will fade away as we adopt reason and science as our guidelines.”

    17. “One is often told that it is a very wrong thing to attack religion, because religion makes men virtuous. So I am told; I have not noticed it.”