BLAST FROM THE PAST FRIDAYS 1
5 Mind-Blowing, Life-Changing, Bits of Self-Help Wisdom You Won’t Find on Medium
Let’s find inspiration from some of the greatest humans in history, instead of genuflecting at the feet of bloggers
Disclaimer: sorry for the ridiculous clickbait headline, but this article was inspired by a ridiculous clickbait headline.
Have you ever laughed at something a friend said in jest only to realize later the joke contained wisdom?
As the self-proclaimed resident quasi-pseudo-Buddhist expert in these parts, I’ve written many times to correct errors in popular self-help articles. You know, like pointing out that the Laws of Attraction don’t get a seat at the same dinner table with evolution, gravity, and relativity.
Today, instead, let us honor Medium’s one and only self-proclaimed Tribune, my good friend Gutbloom, who wrote a post that contained the following passage:
I haven’t even devoted enough thought to the topic to make a listicle, but by saying, “Why YOU should be watching the NBA,” I move this common dreck into the realm of self-help, life-hacks, and advice. The headline extends to you the tantalizing possibility that perhaps your life could be improved by reading this post.“The truth is that the post is about me, and nobody ever improved their life by doing what I do.”
“The truth is that the post is about me, and nobody ever improved their life by doing what I do.” — Gutbloom
First, let me point out that my friend’s dreck is far more entertaining and enlightening than 99% of the self-help, life-hack, and advice articles that are showered with money and applause.
Secondly, and more importantly, there is a pearl of deep wisdom in that last sentence, which served as the inspiration for this article. I’m just going to add in the unspoken details:
Almost all writing in the self-help/life-hack genre (regardless of its quality or the writer’s real motives) is “a post about me, and [nobody — or maybe a couple of you, or millions of people, fill in the blank] improved their life by doing what I do.”
The fact is, there are lots of examples where following the personal truth of a highly evolved human being can can make the world a better place.
(1) Moses: “Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.”
(2) Jesus: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
Ron Popeil: “But wait, there’s more!”
But often we ignore the wisdom because we doubt the messenger…
(3) Your parents: “Do as I say, not as I do.”
(4) Your teachers: “Read the book.”
(5) Dennis Kucinich, Ron Paul, Bernie Sanders, Robert Byrd, 145 Democrats, 2 Independents, and 5 Republicans: “Don’t give Dubya the power to invade Iraq.”
Unfortunately, America has learned to trust messengers who preach foolishness that leads us to ruin…
Your friend: “Dude, this is so cool, you just gotta try it… everybody’s doin’ it.”
Don Draper: “Lucky Strike… it’s toasted.”
Agent Orange: “Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it…. I am your voice.”
A moment of reflection.
One of my favorite Buddhist koans is “If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him.”
When you are on the path to enlightenment, you can not stop questioning, or blindly follow your favorite teacher as a substitute for your struggle to find Truth. But the internet is filled with “life-changing wisdom” that constantly demands our attention and money. How should we proceed when we are pulled in such opposite directions?
The Answer is coming.
But first, a word from our sponsors.
Now back to the story.
Don’t prospect for gold when you can sell shovels, booze, and unnamed forms of diversion to your fellow prospectors.
In your quest for illumination (preferably from crystal chandeliers, the skylight in your yacht, or evening bonfires made from one hundred dollar bills), you too can profit from the mental and spiritual laziness of your countrymen.