the wanderer

On How We Handle Life & Having A Calmer Mind

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"It's not so much what we pay attention to, it's the quality of attention. It's how we feel while doing it. If you need to spend the next hour looking for a font, you might as well enjoy it, because the truth is none of us know how much time we have in this life, and taking that fact to heart brings a kind of moral and emotional clarity and energy to the present."

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I thought this podcast was beautiful, and it gave me a sense of calm. For the past couple years I had been battling anxiety— and I'm aware a lot of us are, we just usually don't tell others about it—, about things like identity, what I want to do in life and in the world, and just dealing with life itself (day-to-day things of trying to be independent). I'm in a better place now, I've learnt to cope or handle uncertainties and unpleasant situations better but this would've been useful while I was in that terrible state (it came in waves). I listen to podcasts sometimes when I commute.

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Tip: Just look up everything, don't know how to do something? Look it up. Not sure of something? Look it up. Only know something from word of mouth other people or adults have been telling you? Do some research about it. Don't spread things you don't actually know with the confidence of someone who knows. We now live in an age where information is so easily shared, we just need to learn to navigate. Some things *need* extensive research, & take everything with a pinch of salt, check if sources for the article (news or otherwise) are reliable. Check out this Check Yourself with Lateral Reading: Crash Course Navigating Digital Information #3 video & How to Navigate Through The Internet post. They have useful tips. Good Luck. 

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Sam Harris is an American author, philosopher, neuroscientist, blogger and podcast host. In each podcast episode Sam has a guest on the show. For this episode Sam had Frank Ostaseski is a Buddhist teacher, international lecturer and a leading voice in end-of-life care. In 2004, he created the Metta Institute to provide innovative educational programs and professional trainings that foster compassionate, mindfulness-based care. In 2001, he was honoured by the Dalai Lama for his many years of compassionate service to the dying and their families.

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"It's not so much what we pay attention to, it's the quality of attention. It's how we feel while doing it. If you need to spend the next hour looking for a font, you might as well enjoy it, because the truth is none of us know how much time we have in this life, and taking that fact to heart brings a kind of moral and emotional clarity and energy to the present."

— Sam Harris