227 - the highs and the lows ⬆️⬇️⬅️➡️
Hey there, !
Is life about the middle ground? Or is it about the edges?
Something I've been thinking about across this newsletter and just life in general is whether it's better, as a life strategy, to go for the edges, or seek moderation in everything (yes, like the standard deviation meme again...but used differently LOL).
It probably depends, as always, on your own personal circumstances and what you want from life, but especially when you're a child, or someone trying to seek their way through the world, how would you know?
I always found it weird that the advice when you're young is along the lines of 'follow your dreams - just do what feels natural' like what DOES feel natural? I mean, eating a shit ton of icecream feels natural sometimes, but it's not a smart decision. When you're like 5 years old, do you really want to be practicing violin and studying for school all the time? Is that natural? How would you actually know - you're 5! or even when you're 18...and they ask you to try to decide what you want to go and do with your entire life?!
Anyway, below, I wanted to tease some of this out as if it was me - unformed thoughts, as always. Hoping through the writing to actually hash this out or make things clearer.
1. The case for the extremes
"Life is short, kids. It's fast, but it's slow, and at the end we all end up as stardust. None of ya are going to end up better or worse at the end of your lives, so you gotta live it to the fullest. It's like you're performing for a play, but you don't get to practice, you don't get your lines in advance ,and you only get one chance on stage.
"Remember Shakespeare? 'All the world's a stage, and and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts' - man had a way with words.
"Look, alright, think about it like this.
"You're gonna die someday, no which way about it. There's no way to bring anything (that we know of) from this life to the next one.
"On one hand, that sucks, 'cos everything you build and experience here is going to go away.
"On the other hand, everything you build and experience here is going to go away, so why not try literally everything that you can? What's the point in living a ho-hum existence where you do the same thing every day, over and over? There's things happening all the time, and you think that the next Netflix live action show is really going to be the thing you experience? Or that 20th reel on Instagram that you've doomscrolled? Oh sorry, 200th.
"There's so much more world out there to discover - sure, you can find a boring job in a boring company and lead a quiet, boring life, yearning for the rest of your days about the holiday you get once every year, eat the same stuff, drink the same wine - what's the point? Gather experiences, buy things, do stuff with your life so you make this the best damn life experience you can. Push yourself to your limit, and then go beyond - get the most out of your life that you can.
'To paraphrase our very own Robin Williams, "Carpe diem, boys and girls, seize the day."'
2. The case for moderation
"[Sigh] Yes, of course, my children, we want to make sure we're living life to the potential that you're able to achieve - but as with everything, moderation is key.
"What's moderation, you ask? Well, to have too much of one thing is not great, you know. Too much ice cream, you get sick. Too much fun, you get exhausted. Too much Tiktok, and you get really weird niche videos about dreams.
"You really just need to be able to have some downtime from your peak moments, but also make sure you're having your icecream as well as your vegies.
"I don't think that people really know what they're talkin' about when they say you gotta live life to the fullest. There are all those sayings that say you gotta live every minute, every hour, every day as if it's your last - or that you're wasting your time if you're not out experiencing everything you can all the time.
"But dude - that's hard.
"There's so much stuff happening in the world all the time - and if you keep trying to chase the high of doing everything all the time...it's tiring, and you're always going to be chasing the next high. Constantly, constantly, constantly trying to get to the next thing.
"There's just as much joy in doing the normal, everyday things, over and over, as there is in skydiving, or bungee jumping, or traveling to Antarctica on a whim. Having a good dinner with friends, trying out a new food, or falling in love - those are just as valuable experiences, no? Why aren't you gathering those experiences?
"At the same time, if you're doing literally nothing all the time - well, there would be no joy. No fun, no happiness, no variety (which I am told is the spice of life). You still need something to look forward to. You owe it to yourself to make sure you're doing things in your life that you love, and can fulfil you.
"Life's hard enough - find joy in the little things and you'll be sweet."
Whaddya think? Feel free to reply to the email with your thoughts!
Chat soon :)
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