The second response is trickier. Of course not all of us are genius enough to grok and appreciate surprisal hidden in depths of the advanced math of quantum mechanics and stuff. But here's the thing: demystifying a subject to drain it of surprise is FAR easier than working in it
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I suspect this thread is gonna get you some DMs offering you psychedelics
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Psychedelics don’t really address this problem. They just make you care about it less. My limited experience plus observation of those who do a lot more suggests that (as with meditation) the effects are mostly wishful thinking. Unpopular opinion. You can’t cheat this problem.
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Have you read Pollan's How to Change Your Mind? He talks about the use of psychedelics to get unstuck from the middle-aged sense of having seen it all, and to clear the 'plaque' of experience from your brain. If not to regain surprise then at least to see things with fresh eyes
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Many people claim this. I’ve seen no evidence from their behavior that it’s actually true, and a good deal that it can make things worse.
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This thread c'est moi. This situation prompted me to start exploring Twitter in Fall 2017, followed by 18 months of getting in sync with modern times. The only place I have found significant traction is by converting my ordinary patterns of life into fun mastery challenges.
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Have always been a serious neophile. Participated in both SF alternative communities and high suburbanism for decades. Eventually, all approaches looked like escapes, either from simplicity, or into simplicity. These days, going for "ordinary life as performance art."
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This whole thread is amazing
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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Does surprise arise as we discover the universe or as we discover ourselves through our interactions with it? Or does the lack of surprise later in life come from our assumption that we can and do know ourselves? Perhaps it’s about relentlessly unlocking new aspects of self.
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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Done! We've saved this tweet to your Readwise library so that you can revisit/remember it

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