The difference between being smart and being rational

Should we ruminate on our past mistakes? Should we spend time to find out who was right in a technical and insignificant matter?

The stupid choices are clearly stupid. Yet, forcefully fighting them can be even more stupid. You may kill yourself in the way to verify you are not mistaken. This is what i call being rational.

Being smart is another thing altogether. Understanding that something is useless is naturally leading you to avoid it. This is normal and human. Is any person inn. His right mind willing to spend energy on bad adventures? Clearly not. 

The difference is in the naturalness of the process, and whether the is effort involved.  Being smart is usually much more natural, and does not involve inner fights. That is how it is roughly. 


Be smart. Effortlessly.

The habitual and the essential

When we eat something unhealthy we feel bad. Same with what we are not used to. But the distinctions is crucial. Because habituation can be changed, and is many times worthwhile. While more ingrained causes are less flexible.

Here is a strong deviation from the idea of "get used to it". Getting used to unhealthy stuff cannot make them healthy. Habituation power is mainly good habits that are not bad by themselves. Where the only problem is psychological.


The same idea applies to the positive. There should probably be more value in inherently positive experiences that inn those who are just made up to create the experience.


Analogy from the financial crises. Illiquid banks are useful to bailout. Yet bankrupt banks (zombie, like in japan) are better off to die, they are better off dying

We should play kids' games (when it is fun)

Geneva. Went today to the park, there is a swing that kids play. I went on it and had great fun.

I am wondering why do not people play these games once they grow up? does it stop being fun?
I suspect there is a stupid vanity in this is no longer to my level. As if a positive feeling by itself is not enouge a reason to play it.

If so it is indeed stupid, and the wise person will play it to old age (insofar that he enjoys it).

Another intrigiung possibility is physiological. This game is indeed shaking the body. For some people this shakeout is not fun once they grow up. The question is whether it is natural, or it is a certain kind of sickness, that we better grow up of. Play these games until your body is no onger so old.

there are probably more reasons that I do not know, and let me mess you up with more ideas. But I still hold that insofar that it is fun, we should do it and get rid of all the possible bulshit against having fun!

There is the idea of meainng. We want to have meaning in things we do. We want things to fit in what we think we are etc.

There is an identity thing. Works two directions. We do not feel inclined towards activities which do not onform to our identity, and we are afraid that playing kids games will put on us the unforgivable identity of kids (double stupidity. 1) losing fun for self image. 2) the imagination that playing reduces the qualities of grown ups we have. 3) The fantasy that the respected self definition is that of the serious and worked up abult.

With a ... hope of not sounding too grown up

interminnent fasting and selecting for the delicious

Interminnet fasting is supposed to be healthy.

A good trick to use it is by fasting according to food quality. If you fast when there is low wuality food, you got two rewards at once. You enjoy health benefits of fasting, and you also eat overall better food.

PS. research shows that for 48 hours eating vs. not eating has not discrenible effect on mood and cognitive performance. http://tinyurl.com/y55r5qq
(ppl did not know they got no calories, were supplied with a drink which they did not knew caloric content)

discomfort, pain and risk of pain

Pain is a signal that something is bad. Discomfort, however, is many times not enough of a reason to change our priorities.

It is the confusion between pain - negative, natual alarm - and discomfort that can bring life and activities to a halt.


Risk of pain is another story. Pain is usually not a death sentence. So non fatal pain is acceptable, but not good. Yet, taking a small risk to come to pain, is perfectly reasonable. Again, it is the confusion between pain and possible pain that can bring life to a halt.

When depressed do useful things

There are many things that are useful in their results but are on fun or worse.

When we are depressed and have no fun enjoying, we may take the opportunity to do useful things for tomorrow.

This way we catch two birds at once, we find a time for these utilitarian annoying activities + do something while depressed instead of ruminating.

Crooked filtering. enjoy everything. do not take pain in anything

The most stupid attitude I ever saw is not enjoying something because of "a reason"

Fun is almost always good. And thinking before enjoying something is absurd nonsense. (whether it is enjoying low quality music not so delicate jokes like the ones I am distributing, etc.).

Lookingn for better stuff, is another thing altogether. Yet denying pleasure is never a good idea.

The lack of filtering also related to the way we enjoy. SOmetimes we enjoy stuff in kinds of feeling we are not used to, or that are somehow categorized in mind and not great or not appropriate. Yet, I can never see these as reason to avoid experiencing fun.

The idea of filtering is to accept anything that feels good without any standard or gateway.



Opposite for negative feelings. I prefer never to feel bad. Therefore, if not feeling bad following a lose or a mistake, do not question it. Do not mend it!!

Richard Feynman, after his beloved died came to work and said "Arlene died, what's up with the project?"
If you have the slightest thought when hearing this story, check what is wrong with you.