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Interesting takes by levels.io on lex fridman in the context of being a diginal nomad: “Freedom doesn’t make you happy, constraints do” -levels “I am free thats why i am lost” - kafka Freedom is pretty great, but constraints (family, kids, relationships) keep us locked in and focused. Thats how i interpreted it at least.

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At a fundamental level, one aspect of happiness can be described as a feeling of relief or contentment. This suggests that happiness often accompanies or follows periods of challenge, effort, or even suffering. So to feel happy, we sometimes need to, for example, set up constraints or make a sacrifice first. One cannot exist without the other; otherwise, it would even be difficult to differentiate between the two. Realization of that has given me much more strength to overcome difficulties.
freedom cope #constraints #freedomsux lex is trapped in a romantic comedy world.
jb55's avatar jb55
Interesting takes by levels.io on lex fridman in the context of being a diginal nomad: “Freedom doesn’t make you happy, constraints do” -levels “I am free thats why i am lost” - kafka Freedom is pretty great, but constraints (family, kids, relationships) keep us locked in and focused. Thats how i interpreted it at least.
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Interesting observation. I’ve seen friends and family suffering from depression, anxiety, uncertainty etc. and they’re either people without a spouse / kids / set idea on what they want to do with life. Point is we need something (meaningful) to anchor ourselves to reality or else the brain just goes absolutely crazy
bullshit creating family don't take away your freedom as you FREEWILLINGLY DECIDE to start one
jb55's avatar jb55
Interesting takes by levels.io on lex fridman in the context of being a diginal nomad: “Freedom doesn’t make you happy, constraints do” -levels “I am free thats why i am lost” - kafka Freedom is pretty great, but constraints (family, kids, relationships) keep us locked in and focused. Thats how i interpreted it at least.
View quoted note →
Constraints are what get us up, in the morning. They're what give our lives purpose. Freedom is given to us, so that we have the tools to fulfill our purpose. Knowing what your purpose is, is energizing and gives you mental clarity. That's why "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" are tied together. Happiness is when you achieve your goals and fulfill your purpose, and look back in satisfaction.
I see these takes too often for comfort, frequently directly associated with some kind of institutional orthodoxy. Human self awareness already contains all vital constraints, anything else can dynamically arise and cease in context, and certainly needs no superimposed ideology of self limitation, or self humiliation.
This is the correct natural understanding of freedom, which is itself sadly misunderstood by most, making it seem profound when it is understood in this way. Freedom drives all, and is superior to all, even if your natural perspective deceives you.
jb55's avatar jb55
Interesting takes by levels.io on lex fridman in the context of being a diginal nomad: “Freedom doesn’t make you happy, constraints do” -levels “I am free thats why i am lost” - kafka Freedom is pretty great, but constraints (family, kids, relationships) keep us locked in and focused. Thats how i interpreted it at least.
View quoted note →
Freedom is the ability to choose which constraints apply to your life in order to achieve your own goals, rather than goals imposed by others. It's about self-imposed discipline - training your mind to decide the depth and breadth of your life experiences.
In Buddhism, taking “refuge” is finding freedom from what will never make you happy. To the outside world, it seems like constraints. But to the student, it’s a form of freedom. My guess is that there is a form of this in every spiritual tradition.
This is also something that many dont understand about art. But I remember there was a day in film school with one of my favorite professors and we spent the entire class talking about it. Freedom in creativity leads to indecision and feeling overwhelmed. When you leave yourself too many options, you don't have direction. Which is why its often best to be given a very restrictive prompt, or to just start writing **something,** because as soon as you put down any idea, you've constrained your world, you introduce a problem and an environment, and now you have to find your way out of it. In other words., restriction and limitation are actually the mother of creativity.
My kids and my family are not my constraints, they are my reason for breaking through all my self imposed limitations 💯 If I demonstrate by travelling as a family, that it isn't hard, I won't pass that bs belief on to my kids. I also am fortunate to travel on a good passport- so recognise international travel isn't as straightforward for everyone. Travel is my freedom. The key is actually in challenging our own beliefs- our beliefs are the biggest constraints. Freedom is often created from within ✨