A post for my future self when I inevitably get really into Scientology.
2019 Ben was really into Stoicism. 2023 Ben flirted with Buddhism. My current self is into small tidbits of advice I hold onto much looser. Like picking up a shell at the beach. Something you carry in your pocket for a while, empty out onto your dresser when it’s finally time to put your shorts in the wash and leave there for three months until you pick up again.
Part of the attractiveness of belief systems is that they demand less thinking. Here is a pre-formed list of instructions for how to be that you can simply take on board. That they’re a complete thing, though, is both a positive and a negative.
Here’s a convoluted analogy that will crumble and burn as I stretch it too far. Following a belief system is a bit like buying a pre-fabricated house [1]. Buying a pre-fabricated one means you don’t have to worry too much about how it’s all going to fit together. Sure, there is still some hammering to do but the broad structure and outline of what the house will look like is available for you to picture in your head before you’ve even picked up a hammer.
But what if the layout of the house isn’t what you need? What if what you really want is an en suite bathroom? Or for all the countertops to be higher that normal? Instead, what if you built the house yourself? And (here’s where the analogy falls flat on its face), what if you could switch around the layout of your house as it suits you?
Instead of collecting belief systems, collect pieces of advice. Hold them loosely, so you can drop them when they’re no longer useful and you can pick up others that are.
Picking up tidbits of advice forces you to consider how they fit into your current worldwide. By not taking them as read since they’re part of a belief system, you’re forced to be more critical in judging their value and assimilating them into the other advice you’re currently holding onto. What works for you right now doesn’t have to work a year from now. If it does, great. If not, there are plenty more shells to pick up on the beach.
I know nothing about building houses. ↩︎
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