https://www.outsideonline.com/2143711/hiking-obsessed-nature-lover-behind-tycho
Tycho is one of my favorite musical artists of all time.
Often when I go on longer trail runs, I start my warm-up at the beginning of an album and finish my cool-down at the end.
Please read the above article. Knowing that my dude would not only appreciate the act of listening to his beats while enjoying nature, but may perhaps have had that express intention in mind makes the enjoyment all the greater.
I get a real kick out of diving in to the things I enjoy headfirst and learning as much as I can about them. This extends to music, hobbies, philosophies, physical conditioning, etc. I'm highly encouraging of others to deeply explore what they enjoy, understand why they enjoy it, and find a deeper sense of personal satisfaction and development through that.
To be honest, I got to this point in the post and wasn't quite sure where I was trying to go with it. You may be in the same boat.
I suppose the takeaway is that I enjoy running and music, and like when two good things can coincide.
Discussing the general concept with a good friend of mine who also takes great pleasure in fully exploring that which gets him fired up, he coined the phrase "richness of a healthy obsession".
In a time which everything seems intrinsically fleeting and fast-paced, it can be fulfilling to stop and gain a full measure of something. I said that was perhaps a tad too "meta". He replied that "maybe we don't get meta enough". Completely fair.
Anyway, listen to Tycho and go for a run.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg9gjQnSCAw
Monday, February 5, 2018
Be The Chill
I have a new phrase that I'm trying to live by:
Be the chill that you wish to see in the world.
This is 50/50 serious/joking.
I have a theory that we, as humans in an increasingly connected world, tend to fall ever more in to an emotional echo chamber. Over the last maybe 7 years or so I have felt like the societal trend has been towards a very sarcastic, cynical, and honestly downright negative vibe.
Despite a vast abundance of positive stories and amazing accomplishments of our fellow man, we have a tendency to focus very heavily on the negative and perpetuate a generally bleak outlook for the future. There is actually scientific basis for why this occurs naturally, and why we tend to retain or seek out information that would be classified as negative over the more uplifting. In my opinion, for all the good the internet is capable of, it serves to perpetuate this and makes us feel much more connected to the bad than previous generations might have.
My call to action is not necessarily to ignore the negative in the world, but more so to not allow it to extend beyond its inherent boundaries. Make the attempt to limit how much a story or the opinions/actions of another affect your mood from day to day. Focus on the important things, and little moments that you can be thankful for. Help somebody else out, or provide some random uplifting words. You have a lot of control over the tone you set.
Eventually, perhaps the bulk of social media posts will stop foretelling our imminent destruction.
Be the chill that you wish to see in the world.
This is 50/50 serious/joking.
I have a theory that we, as humans in an increasingly connected world, tend to fall ever more in to an emotional echo chamber. Over the last maybe 7 years or so I have felt like the societal trend has been towards a very sarcastic, cynical, and honestly downright negative vibe.
Despite a vast abundance of positive stories and amazing accomplishments of our fellow man, we have a tendency to focus very heavily on the negative and perpetuate a generally bleak outlook for the future. There is actually scientific basis for why this occurs naturally, and why we tend to retain or seek out information that would be classified as negative over the more uplifting. In my opinion, for all the good the internet is capable of, it serves to perpetuate this and makes us feel much more connected to the bad than previous generations might have.
My call to action is not necessarily to ignore the negative in the world, but more so to not allow it to extend beyond its inherent boundaries. Make the attempt to limit how much a story or the opinions/actions of another affect your mood from day to day. Focus on the important things, and little moments that you can be thankful for. Help somebody else out, or provide some random uplifting words. You have a lot of control over the tone you set.
Eventually, perhaps the bulk of social media posts will stop foretelling our imminent destruction.
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