Enrichment Archives


Assess Your Goals by Examining Your Surrogate Activities

Ted Kaczynski on Surrogate Activity

The term ‘surrogate activity’ was coined by the American mathematician and domestic terrorist Ted Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber, in his 35,000-word manifesto, Industrial Society and Its Future. It was his critique of modern civilization and society as it became during the late 20th century. He was noted not only for his opposition to technology, but also what he saw was pointlessness in modern living that the masses engaged in. Instead of living meaningful lives supporting each other as a society, they immerse themselves in surrogate activities to distract themselves from existential dread and keep them from partaking in things that may matter more in the long term.
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Get Out of Your Own Way

CM Punk, Ronda Rousey, Conor McGregor

After the recent news of a particular individual being given the boot out of a certain company, I had to write about not only that situation, but also what I think is the cause. It wasn’t just an organizational problem, but also a personal one. I’ve wanted to write about ego and how it can affect a person’s judgment and their ability to work well with others. The greatest trick your ego can pull is to convince you that you’re one and the same and that you need that ego to be who you are. That’s a path of self-destruction, and many never learn to get out of their own way. (more…)

Kayfabe in Politics and Media Manipulation

Eric Weinstein and Donald Trump

After getting word of videos about Eric Weinstein’s interpretation of kayfabe on Twitter, I found Frame Problems after a brief search and gave these three videos a watch. I found them interesting as they stretched the application of kayfabe to politics, economics, and mainstream media as far as they possibly can. I had always been interested in Eric Weinstein’s opinion of kayfabe being a crucial component of the cognitive toolbox. As a part of the pro wrestling industry, I wanted to take a closer look at this take on kayfabe and how understanding it can enhance how one interprets mainstream media and public consciousness. (more…)

The Stone and the Shape: Philosophy for Finding One’s Purpose

Dwarves in Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura

One of the most profound pieces of philosophy I’ve ever encountered comes from a computer game, which happens to be my all-time favorite. Arcanum takes the best of old Fallout, brings it into a steampunk setting, and douses it with tons of lore and philosophy that even games by FromSoftware would struggle to compete against. This particular moment in the game would continue to fascinate me even as an adult, which is why I wanted to share it here in this blog post. (more…)

Deliberate Practice and the Importance of Struggle

Deliberate Practice and Myelination

This was a really old draft that I sat on for about five years or so that was meant for a video, but I got lazy and never finished it. I should’ve made it a blog post first to workshop it, so I’m doing so now — better late than never. This follows up on my ramblings about “the revolving door”, which is about my observations of people’s warped perceptions about talent and skill. Let’s take a look at the learning process and the deliberate practice necessary to become proficient at anything under the sun. (more…)

I Had Cellulitis, Here’s What I Learned

Cellulitis

The thing about existing in this universe while housed in these squidgy mortal vessels is that illness can come at you when you least expect it. You could be born to go on as an invincible hobo who subsists on moonshine and sewer rats, or you could be born as a Habsburg. While modern medicine can help extend your lifespan, that depends on the affliction. But the x-factor when it comes to the wonders of modern medicine is that it’s hella expensive. I was reminded of that recently, adding to my regret that I haven’t gotten proper health insurance yet (I’ve been planning to get one sometime in 2023). (more…)

Cartuber Explains Postmodernism Better Than Jordan Peterson

Jordan Peterson

As of this writing, I’m going through this 3-hour epic on lobster enthusiast Jordan B. Peterson, Canada’s benzo-addled middle child. Mind you, I’m not 100% a JP hater as I like it whenever he plies his actual field of expertise. I even find his lectures and interviews insightful. However, he’s insufferable whenever he delves into subjects outside his scope. Whether we like it or not, he’s a leading thinker in today’s world due to his online influence. After years of teetering between respect, indifference, and skepticism for Dr. Peterson, here’s my blog post about him. (more…)

Don’t Drink G Fuel or Gamer Supps

One type of product I took particular interest in is the energy drink powder since I’m a fiend when it comes to stimulants. Being a lethargic and overweight dweeb who needs caffeine and nootropics to stay awake and be slightly productive means that products like G Fuel and Gamer Supps would certainly pique my interest. But soon enough, I realized that I can’t keep imbibing this stuff for the sake of both my health and my wallet. (more…)

Free College Guide at Your Own Pace

Free College

Whether you’re looking to become more useful at your job or simply broaden your horizons, you can easily find free education online. The problem is that there’s so much material just a click or tap away that it can be rather daunting to pick out which ones are worth getting into. It also doesn’t help that not everything online can be trusted, so you want to make sure that you get proper guidance. In this blog post, I put forth a way to meld the methods of old and new to give oneself (virtually) free education. (more…)

Focus on What’s Needed, Not What Looks Good

Retsu Unohana and Dennis Rodman

While watching random videos on YouTube out of boredom, I stumbled across this short scene from Bleach. The anime series has gotten a restart thanks to Tite Kubo finally putting the finishing touches to his long-neglected work. Part of that should be the long-awaited reveal of the kindly medic Retsu Unohana as the first Kenpachi, the deadliest swordsman ever. While she had been a killer of many in the past, she chose to be a healer in this timeline. Why? (more…)

Becoming a Better Commentator

Sonny Go: Pro Wrestling Commentator

Anyone who has given commentary a try, whether it’s talking over MMA fights and pro wrestling matches alone in your room (like I did) or recording boring let’s play videos or game replays that you then upload on YouTube for no one to watch, would know how hard it can be. You have to be able to talk fast, maintain high energy, and be both informative and entertaining at the same time. This is something I would like to get better at in 2022. (more…)

What is an Experience?

Orion

In a moment of semi-lucidity, I was pondering on what makes a story and why stories make information easier to digest for most people. Explanations tend to fly over most people’s heads, but they’re more willing to understand them if told in a relatable story. Let’s talk about what an experience is. After all, the tagline of this blog is “Exploring experience through digital adventure,” so let’s now do just that. (more…)