How-to Live

We live in an age of information overload. We are constantly bombarded with advice, wisdom and how-to’s and it’s tempting to latch onto these promises when you’re feeling lost or lack. But I must warn you:

Wisdom is not truth.

Wisdom is only an approximation, as experienced by others and usually formed through consensus alone. That’s what makes it so seductive - even if the emperor has no clothes.

Wisdom falls short of truth for three reasons:

1. Individual Uniqueness: You are not a carbon copy of anyone else. Your experiences, your DNA, your quarks [sic] - are all uniquely you and provide a complete and unique perspective - this is your gift, this is your life.
2. Fragility of Language: We use language to communicate information, feelings, and ideas. We’re slowly improving signal fidelity but our ability to share an experience or emotion through the senses is so lacking that we celebrate the technologists and artists who can.
3. Self-Interest: Everyone has an agenda. Be wary of the advice you receive because someone else is likely benefitting (yes, including me).

So if we can’t rely on wisdom, what is left?

The truth within. You must think for yourself.

For the same reasons above, we have to trust ourselves in the pursuit of truth.

1. Individual Uniqueness: Trust your experiences and their unique intersection with your abilities.
2. Fragility of Language: Trust your intuition. Gut feelings are often truths we cannot articulate.
3. Self-Interest: Trust yourself as your own best advocate. No one else can truly know what’s best for you.

Does this mean that you should ignore all advice? Of course not. Wisdom, for all its flaws, can be a starting point, a hypothesis to test against your own experiences. Engage with wisdom critically. Question it. Test it. See how it fits with your reality. And most importantly, be willing to discard it if it doesn’t serve you. 

The best and wisest did not follow blindly - they observed, questioned and experimented. They thought for themselves.

So, my dear ones, as you navigate this world awash with information, remember: Wisdom is a tool, not a truth. Use it, but don’t be used by it. Your unique perspective, your gut feeling, your personal experiences - these are your true north.

Think for yourself. Question everything. Even this advice.

XO