Essays and Thoughts
Note to Self Don't “get over” the imposter syndrome. There’s nothing there to avoid. Rather than getting rid of the imposter, welcome him into my life. It means that I'm coming out of the oft-too-comfortable shell of what I'm good at into what's new and exciting. A quick mental check Am I feeling like an … Continue reading Hi, Imposter
We’re almost all privileged. I certainly am. With privilege accompanies a certain guilt. The guilt that comes from the realization that I did nothing to earn what I have. I did not choose my parents, my times, my body. I didn’t even choose to be born. Why do I deserve such a good deal? What … Continue reading Dealing with Privilege
A mysterious question that has been bugging me for ages: How exactly do we think thoughts?—especially good ones? The unsatisfyingly default answer: "We direct our attention to whatever we want to think about, and with enough concentration, good thoughts manage to shoot out, kinda like how we squeeze out the last bit of toothpaste from … Continue reading How To Think
It's very easy to be interesting. You only have to speak the truth. It's very easy to be boring. You only have to try to seem interesting. We censor ourselves all the time when we speak. The censor tries to drag us into saying the everyday cliches. There's nothing wrong with the everyday. It's safe … Continue reading How to Make Yourself Interesting
One helpful mental model Don't choose the average. Do the really easy or the really hard. This is because things have non-linear payoffs. The hard gives you disproportionately more than the average. The easy, hardly less. Examples A) Choosing College Courses Choose either the easy, fun courses, or the hard behemoths. Don't do the mediocre, … Continue reading Be Consistently Inconsistent
We are all supremely lonely. Maturity is our coming to terms with this fact. It is when we realize that loneliness is necessary, just like birth pangs and death (and taxes). For it's within loneliness that we truly see ourselves, with our beauty and ugliness shining through the cracks that loneliness makes on our myriad … Continue reading Loneliness
A short piece that I wrote for a UChicago friend. She probably didn't expect the reply to be so long when she asked me "What is the meaning of life?" and "What is the meaning of love?" But you don't get what you want in life. You get what you need. "Well, I got an … Continue reading Meaning of Life. Reprisal.
Well, one of my UChicago friends asked me this. And here's my reply. I don't think she expected it to be this long. Nor do I believe instagram is designed for this kind of communication, but such is life. Answer to “What is the meaning of life?” and "What is the meaning of love?" I don't … Continue reading Art, the Antidote to Meaninglessness
If Aliens abduct me and ask me to give them one book, I'd choose the Urban Dictionary. Before my reasons, here are some of my favorite definitions: Awesome: Something Americans use to describe everything. Funny: When someone else gets hurt. Harvard: A well-known mental health facility located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Harvard -- Where only 10% of residents seriously consider suicide every year!) Filibuster： (1) To reject someone's friend request or group invite on Facebook … Continue reading Urban Dictionary
Beauty is not in the beholder nor the beholden. It is in the subject-object complex, where the two reciprocal rejoind each other in their expressivity and receptivity. It is the same for art. A work of art is not art. Only when a work of art enters humanity (with humans recognizing the mystery and meaningfulness … Continue reading Art Happens
Warren's Brain Dumps 