I meme-dunked on philosophy in my previous entry, tracing the motivational trajectory of the modern “philosopher,” with their barbaric ways of thinking and cancerous questioning of everything. Despite my meme-dunking, I love philosophy, even the charlatan kind. It has become an acquired taste.
As someone who is probably more of a stoic Taoist, and aspires to anti-fragile wayfaring, your MVP resonates. From a Chuang-Tzu / Liu-I-Ming inspired place, I'd like to recommend adding another layer to the MVP - a 'minimally variable practice'. By that I mean a physical, daily (if possible) practice that is what you can reliably, in almost all places and states of mind, hang your internal work on. For me, that's simple taichi and the 'Heart Work' movements from my late Grandmaster Dr John Kells. But it could be anything with the required depth: movement, walking, song, but crucially, it needs to be embodied. You can't just think yourself into right mind. Everything Iain McGilchrist and I have talked about over the last decade about his work, and all I read in the Taoist Classics, backs that up. To paraphrase Epictetus - 'Sayin' it and doin' it are two different things.'
I have written before here on Substack about my similar distrust for the peddlers of TOEs. Half a lifetime of experience watching such people eventually implode or explode through lack of embodied reality and real community, I wouldn't trust a Grand Unified Theory - of anything. I'll stick with my rather less grandiose, but daily tested and constantly, gently, evolving Generative Unified Practice.
Great to come back from morning practice outdoors and read your piece, right before I call Dougald, too. Greetings from chilly Dorset.
And here I am outsourcing my philosophy-doing to you while simultaneously demonstrating my eagerness for more of your scrumptious “TOE” in both financial and salient investments...🥲
As someone who is probably more of a stoic Taoist, and aspires to anti-fragile wayfaring, your MVP resonates. From a Chuang-Tzu / Liu-I-Ming inspired place, I'd like to recommend adding another layer to the MVP - a 'minimally variable practice'. By that I mean a physical, daily (if possible) practice that is what you can reliably, in almost all places and states of mind, hang your internal work on. For me, that's simple taichi and the 'Heart Work' movements from my late Grandmaster Dr John Kells. But it could be anything with the required depth: movement, walking, song, but crucially, it needs to be embodied. You can't just think yourself into right mind. Everything Iain McGilchrist and I have talked about over the last decade about his work, and all I read in the Taoist Classics, backs that up. To paraphrase Epictetus - 'Sayin' it and doin' it are two different things.'
I have written before here on Substack about my similar distrust for the peddlers of TOEs. Half a lifetime of experience watching such people eventually implode or explode through lack of embodied reality and real community, I wouldn't trust a Grand Unified Theory - of anything. I'll stick with my rather less grandiose, but daily tested and constantly, gently, evolving Generative Unified Practice.
Great to come back from morning practice outdoors and read your piece, right before I call Dougald, too. Greetings from chilly Dorset.
Stoic Taoism!! A syncretic east/west pair whose time has come.
And here I am outsourcing my philosophy-doing to you while simultaneously demonstrating my eagerness for more of your scrumptious “TOE” in both financial and salient investments...🥲
😂