4 Ways Ancient Chinese Philosophy Can Better Your Life
Summary
TLDRThis video script explores the paradox of modern life's discontent despite technological advancements. It challenges three prevailing myths: the illusion of freedom, the overreliance on rationality for ethical decisions, and the quest for an authentic self. Drawing on ancient Chinese philosophy, it suggests that cultivating emotions through rituals and embracing change can lead to a more empathetic and engaged life. The script advocates for a 'heart-mind' approach, balancing reason with emotional intelligence to navigate life's unpredictability and find energy through connection rather than domination.
Takeaways
- đ The world's current state of turmoil and complacency is discussed in a new book 'The Path,' which seeks wisdom from ancient Chinese philosophers to understand modern society's challenges.
- đ Three myths are debunked in the book: the myth of freedom, the myth of rational control over life's direction, and the myth of an authentic self waiting to be discovered.
- đĄ The book suggests that despite technological advancements, societal gaps and crises persist, challenging the notion of the 'freest humanity ever been'.
- đ€ Chinese philosophers propose that rather than relying on rationality alone, we should cultivate our emotional responses to navigate life's complexities.
- đ The concept of an unchanging 'authentic self' is challenged, advocating for recognizing our ever-changing nature with multiple desires and responses.
- đ Rituals and roles are highlighted as essential for constructing realities and refining our emotional responses, as exemplified by Confucius's perspective on propriety.
- đ± The idea of 'trained spontaneity' is introduced, encouraging us to act in the present moment while remaining open to change and growth.
- đ”ïž Mencius offers a third path between rational planning and gut instincts, focusing on honing our emotional sense to work in sync with our mind.
- đȘ The cultivation of 'heart-mind' is emphasized, which involves paying attention to emotional responses and setting goals to change them for the better.
- đ The script promotes the idea of harnessing energy through connection rather than domination, suggesting that engagement with the world can lead to a more spirited life.
- đ§ââïž The importance of emotional stability is discussed, with practices such as posture, deep breathing, and moderation in diet recommended for achieving it.
- đš The concept of 'flow' is introduced as a state of immersion in an activity, which can lead to satisfaction and active engagement with the world's uncertainties.
Q & A
What is the main theme of the book 'The Path' by two Harvard professors?
-The main theme of 'The Path' is to explore the modern human condition and seek wisdom from ancient Chinese philosophers to address the issues of misery and emotional susceptibility in our fast-paced world.
What are the three myths mentioned in the book that have led to an age of complacency and inaction?
-The three myths are: 1) The belief that we are the freest humanity has ever been, 2) The idea that we can determine the direction our lives take through rational thought and logic, and 3) The notion of an authentic self that can be discovered and will guide us to a good life.
How does the book suggest we are restricted and uncertain of alternatives despite having advanced technology?
-The book suggests that despite technological advancements, we are restricted and uncertain due to the growing gap between the rich and poor, environmental crises, and the failure of comprehensive ideologies like communism, neoliberalism, and narco monarchism.
What alternative approach do Chinese philosophers offer to the rational approach of determining ethical decisions?
-Chinese philosophers propose cultivating and training our emotions to react better in day-to-day life, rather than relying solely on rational thought and logic to determine ethical decisions.
How do Chinese philosophers view the concept of an authentic self?
-Chinese philosophers view the concept of an authentic self as limited. They argue that we should recognize ourselves as ever-changing with multiple desires and responses, which are developed by looking outward at the world rather than inward.
What is the significance of rituals according to Confucius and how can they help in constructing new realities?
-According to Confucius, rituals are significant as they help construct new realities by defining roles and responsibilities. They allow us to refine our responses through propriety, which is about better ways of responding, not controlling emotions.
How does Confucius suggest we transcend our behavioral patterns and toxic thoughts?
-Confucius suggests actively transcending behavioral patterns and toxic thoughts by committing to small rituals and practices that challenge our self-perception, such as greeting a grumpy cashier or reaching out to a neglected family member.
What is Mencius' view on dealing with the unpredictability of the world?
-Mencius proposes cultivating an 'heart-mind' that works in sync with our mind, using reason to put plans into action while remaining open to emotional responses, allowing us to navigate the ever-changing world.
How does Mencius suggest we approach life's unpredictability and chaos?
-Mencius suggests viewing life as a farmer would, laying the ground for our interests and sides to grow organically, building possibilities with our mind and remaining open to them with our heart.
What is the concept of 'trained spontaneity' as proposed by Zhuangzi?
-Trained spontaneity, as proposed by Zhuangzi, is the idea of embracing the present moment and the constant change it brings, allowing us to engage more fully with the world and find satisfaction in the uncertainties of existence.
How can we cultivate emotional stability and energy according to the Chinese philosophers?
-We can cultivate emotional stability and energy by paying attention to our body's posture, practicing deep breathing, eating in moderation, and engaging in activities that bring flow, such as reading or playing an instrument.
Outlines
đ The Path of Ancient Wisdom
This paragraph delves into the modern world's paradox of freedom and dissatisfaction, contrasting technological advancements with growing socio-economic disparities and environmental crises. It introduces a new book by Harvard professors that seeks to address these issues through the lens of ancient Chinese philosophy. The book challenges three prevailing myths: the illusion of freedom, the overreliance on rationality in decision-making, and the search for an 'authentic self'. Instead, it proposes that we should cultivate our emotions and reactions through rituals and practice, as exemplified by the simple act of playing hide-and-seek, which is a ritual that fosters new realities and emotional development.
đ± Cultivating Empathy and Engagement
The second paragraph emphasizes the importance of small, daily rituals in shaping our lives, as suggested by Confucius. It encourages us to transcend limiting self-perceptions and engage more actively with the world. The text discusses the unpredictability of life and the futility of relying solely on rational planning models, proposing instead a balance between reason and emotion. Mencius' concept of the 'heart-mind' is introduced as a way to navigate life's uncertainties by aligning our emotional responses with our conscious goals. The paragraph suggests that by cultivating our heart-mind, we can remain open to life's possibilities and avoid being confined by fixed identities or plans.
đââïž Energizing Through Connection and Spontaneity
The final paragraph explores the idea of finding energy and vitality not through domination but through connection with the world. It discusses the transformative power of engaging in activities that bring us joy and a sense of flow, such as running or playing music, which can lead to a heightened awareness and connection with life. The text introduces the concept of 'trained spontaneity' as a way to reduce the constraints of conscious thought and to fully engage with the present moment. By embracing the flux of reality and practicing emotional stability, we can achieve a state of flow and find satisfaction in the uncertainties of existence, allowing us to push our limits and explore our potential.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄComplacency
đĄRational Creatures
đĄAncient Chinese Philosophers
đĄMyths
đĄTrolley Problem
đĄAuthentic Self
đĄRituals
đĄPropriety
đĄHeart-Mind
đĄFlow
đĄTrained Spontaneity
đĄSpirit
Highlights
The book 'The Path' by two Harvard professors explores the relevance of ancient Chinese philosophy in modern society.
Three prevalent myths about human freedom, rationality, and the authentic self are challenged in the book.
The myth of unprecedented human freedom is contrasted with growing inequality and environmental crises.
The failure of comprehensive ideologies like communism and neoliberalism is discussed as a sign of the age of complacency.
Chinese philosophers propose alternatives to rational problem-solving, focusing on emotional cultivation.
The trolley problem is cited as an example of rational scenarios that may not reflect real-life emotional responses.
Authentic self is considered limited; Chinese thinkers suggest recognizing the self as ever-changing.
The importance of rituals in constructing new realities and refining emotional responses is highlighted.
Confucius' view on the world as fragmented and the role of propriety in emotional cultivation is discussed.
The concept of 'heart-mind' by Mencius, which integrates emotional sense with rational thought, is introduced.
Mencius suggests living with the awareness of an unpredictable world and the importance of gut instincts.
The idea of 'trained spontaneity' is presented as a way to engage actively with the world's constant change.
The story of Cook Ding illustrates the concept of finding satisfaction and spontaneity in everyday activities.
The modern pursuit of energy through connection rather than domination is explored.
The concept of 'spirit' as a life force that can transform one's engagement with the world is discussed.
Cultivating emotional stability through posture, breathing, and moderation is suggested for maintaining energy.
The state of 'flow' in activities is related to the idea of trained spontaneity and active world engagement.
The transcript concludes with the idea that conscious awareness can limit us, and the importance of focusing on the present.
Transcripts
things have been crazy lately the world
doesn't make sense
humans don't seem all that great how can
we after all these years living in
modern sophisticated societies as
rational creatures with infinite
opportunities still be so miserable and
emotionally susceptible to the world
around us a new book written by two
Harvard professors called the path
places this entire issue under the wise
gaze of ancient Chinese philosophers
perhaps their insights will give us some
sort of clue for living in such a
fast-paced world firstly according to
the book there are three myths that most
of us are led to believe as fact that
have created an age of complacency a
time of turmoil and inaction where no
answers seem useful and no issue appears
solvable
what are these myths for one we
generally believe that this is the
freest humanity has ever been certainly
we have new fangled devices that can do
amazing things like order Burger King on
the toilet or find our soulmate on the
toilet or basically do anything on the
toilet however at the same time the gap
between the rich and poor has
dramatically grown environmental and
humanitarian crises are on the upswing
and the koalas are going extinct
currently we appear restricted uncertain
of any alternatives as almost every
comprehensive ideology has failed us
from communism to neoliberalism to a
narco monarchism will historians look
back on us as the age of complacency the
Chinese philosophers do offer
alternatives but they are far from
comprehensive and explanatory doctrines
that's actually to their benefit the
second myth is the idea that we know how
to determine the direction our lives
take us after all we are rational we
invent hypothetical scenarios like the
trolley problem to use reason and logic
in order to figure out tough ethical
situations we're so smart and look at
all of the pages committed to solving
this very serious issue
Chinese thinkers didn't think there was
much use to this type of philosophy they
would argue that even if you ended up in
the trolley problem one day he likely
wouldn't become the Conte and logic
machine we'd all hoped to be you'd
probably be a teary eyed mess reverting
to emotions and instincts the Chinese
philosophers
from these intellectual games and
instead sought methods to cultivate and
train our emotions in order to react in
better ways throughout day-to-day life
thirdly most of us would like to believe
that there is some sort of authentic
self hidden beneath all that cheeto dust
that with the right motivational quote
or self-help book will emerge and guide
us to the good life hence we listen to
our inner selves and invest heavily in
finding who we are too many Chinese
thinkers this is incredibly limited
instead we should recognize ourselves as
ever-changing with a plethora of
contradictory desires responses and
dispositions even more they argue that
these internal things are actually
developed by looking outward by paying
attention to the world rather than
self-absorbed soul-searching
hence they are formed in practice and
with practice we can always become
better and here are some ways we can
start practicing a simple game of
hide-and-seek with your nephew doesn't
seem all that special you stick your
foot out so they can find you quickly
they find you and laugh rinse and repeat
however as Confucius would point out the
significance of this act emerges from
the divergence and roles that each of
you has undertaken this is a ritual
after all and rituals are the best we
have for constructing new realities
Confucius and many philosophers saw the
world as fragmented our feelings sway
back and forth changing on a whim
depended on if our bus was late or if we
found a five-dollar bill on the ground
things happen and we react and that
pretty much repeats until we die we are
slaves to our emotions however Confucius
believes we could refine our responses
through propriety what is propriety it
basically means better waits responded
note that this does not mean we overcome
or control our emotions we have to feel
emotion it makes us human it said
Confucius argues we should cultivate our
emotions by internalizing over time
better responses how through rituals
know this also does not mean you have to
start lighting candles and summoning
things in Latin you already participate
in rituals when you greet your friend
you say hey how's it going and they
respond great how about you
this is weirdly necessary if you think
about it if you just started the
conversation there would be
something abrupt to it something
uncomfortable in this moment you briefly
connect with each other and then
continue however briefly you create a
new reality let's think about the
hide-and-seek game again well it shifts
our rules as we've said the child
usually vulnerable it gets to be the
all-powerful seeker you the competent
adult in eyes of the child at least get
to be the bumbling idiot with this foot
showing each in turn gets to develop a
more complex and nuanced side of
themself perhaps if we left our
commitment to being authentic through
these small rituals we can live a far
more empathetic open and engaged life
confucius tells us to let go of our true
self after all that self is the one that
keeps the running dialogue if I'm
neurotic so I'll probably ruin this
relationship or I'm shy so I won't speak
up note your behavioral patterns these
little toxic thoughts and actively
transcend them say hi to the grumpy
cashier ask them out called a family
member you always neglect don't define
yourself we tend to think that in order
to change the world we need to do big
things
Confucius although not against this
argument with nonetheless asked us to
pay attention to the day-to-day above
all else there's no system that can tell
us exactly how to live but we can
through small changes in our behavior
learn to live in this very messy world
unfortunately this messy world can be
pretty well messy we save up for a new
car only to have to shovel into our
savings due to unforeseen medical
expenses we planned a romantic
anniversary date with our beloved and
get dumped
certainly we consciously know that
nothing is certain but nonetheless we
always plan as if the future is
predictable we rely on certain stable
factors our family our career the
absence of a nuclear war mencius a
Confucian scholar might help us with
dealing with such a mess Mencius asks us
to imagine the world as one that we
can't really count on how would we live
in it certainly we can't use the
rational choice model a common method in
today's age this model suggests that we
can use
and logic to prepare for anything and
everything in order to counter the chaos
of such a world
for example we consist emmitt eyes the
process by which we become a lawyer
mapping out the exact route from
high-school graduation to retirement by
sitting down and meticulously analyzing
exactly how one goes about becoming a
lawyer however this model obviously
misses out on the fact that we are
emotional what if we woke up 20 years
from the day we set out to be a lawyer
with our lawyer job or lawyer house our
lawyer wife and our lawyer student debt
and stopped feeling like we wanted to be
a lawyer maybe it would be better to go
with our gut instincts then we could
follow our unconscious desires like a
child always living in the moment we
could eat ice cream for days on end
pursue a million different hobbies that
pique our interests at one time or
another and never really settle on
anything in particular this isn't all
that satisfactory either
mencius proposes a third path in which
you constantly honed your emotional
sense so that it works in sync with your
mind in other words you use each
previously-mentioned bottle to its
advantage
we need reason to put plans into action
and focus on what's important likewise
we live in a constantly changing world
and will need a motion to navigate us
through it soon after adopting this
approach we see each of our decisions as
spun in various trajectories that can go
on in multiple directions we realize
that neglecting to kiss our wife this
one time in the doorway after work may
open up a possible world in which such a
possibility could vanish for eternity
this idea is what mencius calls the
heart mind we can cultivate our heart
mind by paying attention to our
emotional responses and then setting
goals that would strive to change them
for the better note that this is not
Buddhist mindfulness in which we see our
emotions go by and accept them in order
to achieve some sort of inner peace
instead this is a striving towards a
more active engagement with the world
how does this relate to making plans in
a world as chaotic as our own how could
the man dead set on being a lawyer avoid
his fate Mencius asks us to imagine
oneself as a farmer your goal is to lay
the ground for
Arius interests and sides of yourself to
grow organically we build possibilities
with our mind and then remain open to
them with our heart in the sense the
heart mind allows us to become who we
are by permitting us to maintain a
responsive 'ti towards our ever-changing
interests instead of declaring I can be
anything I want to be we say with
greater humility I don't know yet what I
can become the world is not stable but
the silver lining in this is that it
opens us up to a world of limitless
possibilities well how are we supposed
to have the energy to live in such a
world certainly after work or school you
feel pretty bogged down life becomes
this dull routine of sleep eat work and
whatever debauchery you prefer add
infinitive even thinking about that is
tiring
wouldn't it be great to be full of
energy or in other words spirit one
modern method of feeling spirited is by
asserting yourself by dominating your
environment this goes back to the
Incheon Superman where power creates
happiness being noticed or influential
means being truly on top of your game
however what if we could become full of
energy through connecting rather than
dominating think about going for a
morning run or if you've already given
up on your New Year's resolutions just
imagine it as you run you gather energy
and sometimes enough gives you a
runner's high suddenly you see things
more vividly and you feel more connected
with the world
similarly think about doing something
artistic such as playing music you
almost lose yourself energized merely by
the self determined act of plucking each
chord you feel alive this form of energy
can be seen as energies of divinity as
if some sort of a life force has hit you
over the head and reminded you about
just how cool it is to be alive think
back to the idea of being full of
spirits spirits traditionally are seen
as being fully and vibrantly alive they
see the world around them so clearly
that they can even transform it think of
the most charming person you know they
filled a room with positive energy they
have a zest for life they make you
excited and you focus on them how do
they do this
they pay attention to their surroundings
how do we harness this idea of being a
spirit for one we need to lessen our
dependence on external events both good
and bad
as stated before each day is a series of
wins and losses smiles and tears of
course all of these emotions are just
mental reactions to external things not
necessarily something happening outside
of your control
hence the Chinese text in word training
invites us to cultivate emotional
stability firstly we really need to pay
attention to our body's posture and all
secondly we should practice deep
breathing thirdly we need to eat in
moderation this sounds incredibly boring
but also recall those days when you
slouched on the couch for hours ate too
many Oreos and mindlessly surf the
internet chances are emotionally things
might have been a little chaotic
however when we experience flow the
state of absolute immersion in an
activity through joy whether through
reading a book or playing an instrument
we feel an emotional focus that draws us
into a world of constant change and flux
swung seesaw the world as in this
constant flux and argued that reality
was a ceaseless dance of shifts and
changes accepting this fixed spontaneity
was crucial in living and engaged in
energetic existence songs he advocated
for trained spontaneity he illustrates
this with the example of the cook ding
whereas a good cook would change his
knife annually since he uses it to cut
and an okay cook would change it monthly
since they use it to chop cook ding has
a knife just as sharp as the day he
bought it 19 years ago how cook ding
would slowly and surely cut the meat
over and over every day each time he cut
he paid close attention to each gap each
point of thickness flowing with the
process until he could cut meat at the
perfect spot every time by doing so he
found satisfaction and spontaneity and
the simple activity that made up his
everyday life this of course mirrors
positive psychologies idea of flow the
perceived state that one enters when
they are immersed in an activity that's
meaningfully challenging and interesting
by embracing flow the individual finds
satisfaction the uncertainties of
existence using their present awareness
to actively engage in their world
trained spontaneity is already something
we know how to do remember how you first
had to learn how to ride a bike every
motion was processed consciously and you
probably fell however after many summers
of slurpy driven bike rides you barely
think about biking the process has
become spontaneous at this point you've
may have begun to experiment with biking
maybe you learn tricks or tried to see
how fast you could go you became loose
pushing your limits when we are
conscious we limit ourselves with
worries predictions and mundane thoughts
train spontaneity is an attempt to
reduce this by focusing on the present
doing so energizes us and allows us to
engage more fully with the world
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