The hottest Self Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Faith & Spirituality Topics

confidence

bookbear express • 445 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Confidence Love Self
  1. Finding something you're good at can boost confidence.
  2. Feeling loved and accepted, especially during tough times, can also help build confidence.
  3. Having supportive people who believe in you and care about you can contribute to a stronger sense of self.

Everything is Dominance Hierarchies

Muslim Musings • 6 HN points • 18 Apr 24
📖 Philosophy Existence Self Purpose Ethics
  1. Our chosen career path often stems from a desire to feel important and special by excelling in a specific skill or domain.
  2. Life involves climbing dominance hierarchies that we unknowingly conform to, with associated myths that justify our participation.
  3. The pursuit of importance within dominance hierarchies is universal, regardless of the specific career or skill, leading individuals to invest in climbing these structures.

triumph of the diagnostic?

undefended / undefeated • 393 implied HN points • 05 Nov 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Disability Mental health Humanity Self
  1. Design for disability aims to broaden accessibility and recognition of full personhood, beyond medical labels.
  2. There is a concerning trend of medicalization, with more diagnoses and treatments for various conditions.
  3. The paradox of medicalization raises questions about the nature of everyday suffering and the need for both biomedical and existential approaches.
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To see clearly with universal indifference

Meaningful Particulars • 65 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
📖 Philosophy Self Reality Love Justice Morality
  1. The ego, while well-meaning, often leads to negative emotions like fear, anxiety, and criticism by exaggerating threats that no longer exist.
  2. Eastern traditions suggest silencing the ego by giving up worldly desires, while Western traditions propose 'unselfing' to gain a clearer understanding of reality.
  3. Artists, unlike the Buddhist advice to detach, become deeply involved in their work, showing that greater participation and attachment to reality can lead to a clearer perspective beyond the self.

Second-handers

The Voyage • 39 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
📖 Philosophy Identity Morality Self
  1. There are two types of people: first-handers and second-handers.
  2. First-handers desire greatness for themselves, while second-handers desire greatness for the approval of others.
  3. First-handers stay true to themselves, while second-handers seek validation from society.

In Defense of Repression II

Litverse • 279 implied HN points • 06 Feb 23
📖 Philosophy Psychology Existentialism Psychoanalysis Anthropology Self
  1. Repression could be a tool for building a new self by accepting and integrating past pain, according to Marcel Proust's Impressionist painter Elstir.
  2. Ernest Becker theorizes that repression is crucial not just for personal growth but also for maintaining societal agreement on fundamental truths, preventing a future with conflicting values.
  3. Projection, seen as a defense mechanism by Freud, is viewed optimistically by Becker, who believes it fulfills human narcissism and helps find purpose by prioritizing the outer world as part of the inner self.

Models of Humans

10-year Horizon • 157 implied HN points • 24 Apr 23
📖 Philosophy Mind Consciousness Self Reality Existence
  1. Learning often involves modeling others' behaviors, beliefs, and ways of thinking. We unconsciously create mental models of people we admire or learn from.
  2. Our brains and AI models share similarities in how they learn and adapt, going through training phases to recognize patterns and predict outcomes.
  3. Exploring and understanding our inner sub-personalities through techniques like Internal Family Systems can help us manage relationships with these models for personal growth.

Learning to see better by learning to unsee | #15

pole • 78 implied HN points • 03 Apr 23
📖 Philosophy Perception Existence Learning Mind Self
  1. In the journey of learning and growth, it's important to embrace the process and not get too caught up in setbacks.
  2. Sometimes, the key to understanding and creativity lies in viewing the world from different perspectives and challenging existing perceptions.
  3. Learning to unsee and approach situations with a fresh perspective can lead to deeper insights and personal growth.

On Differentiation

Autoscriptorium • 59 implied HN points • 09 Apr 23
📖 Philosophy Self Consciousness Identity
  1. Understanding differentiation of self is complex and challenging, with the concept of a unified consciousness being debated in modern philosophy.
  2. In certain environments, individuals may suppress their ego and hide their true selves for self-preservation, sometimes avoiding standing out to maintain a sense of security.
  3. The existence of one's 'I' is questioned in a world where many people shape the surroundings, leaving individuals to ponder the significance of their own identity.

The happiness series — What makes us happy?

10x your mind • 79 implied HN points • 20 Oct 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Happiness Self
  1. Achieving the flow state involves becoming fully engrossed in an activity, disconnecting from the outside world, and losing track of time and place.
  2. Feeling one with oneself is essential for attaining the flow state, and it involves letting go of self-doubt and enjoying the experience without limitations.
  3. Having a certain level of expertise, a clear goal, and feedback are prerequisites for entering the flow state, while self-growth through constant improvement leads to more rewarding experiences.

Boring but not necessarily meaningless

Internal exile • 7 implied HN points • 05 May 23
🎭️ Culture Social media Authenticity Capitalism Technology Self
  1. BeReal's new feature 'RealPeople' showcases famous individuals doing ordinary things to seem relatable.
  2. The concept of authenticity in social media often masks deeper contradictions and socioeconomic tensions.
  3. BeReal and similar platforms strive to commodify and sell the idea of authenticity, contributing to a culture of self-simulation and inauthenticity.

The Stoic Virtues are like the four limbs of the body.

Wayne's Earth • 0 implied HN points • 03 May 23
📖 Philosophy Ethics Morality Self
  1. The Stoic virtues - wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance - serve as guiding principles for living a fulfilling life with purpose and meaning.
  2. Wisdom involves understanding oneself, making wise decisions, and exploring one's true potential both internally and externally.
  3. Courage is the ability to face fear, act rightly in adversity, and remain optimistic, while justice requires treating others fairly and taking responsibility for our actions.