Plus Small Ways To Make A Difference  â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â¡ï¸ Enlightening Bolts ð Today is Yesterday's Dream: I'm capturing my thoughts on the ways wonder can fade into the background to bring invisible beauty back into the light. Here's an entry on your under-appreciated accomplishments. [Read it here.]()â ð A Collection Insights on Self Love: Various stories on how to cultivate self-acceptance and compassion. [See them here](). ð¤ 103 Bits of Advice I Wish I Had Known: A collection of Kevin Kelly's insights at age 70. [Read it here.]()â ð Image of The Week â Check out this mesmerizing earth mandala art on Venice beach by Californian artist Andreas Markus Hoenigschmid. â¤ï¸ Small Ways To Make A Difference We all have tremendous opportunities every day to make a difference in the lives of those we love. Sometimes the simplest of these options can be easy to miss so I've made a quick list. Gratitude Text: Send a quick message sharing something you appreciate. Takes 2 minutes and could make their week. An Invitation: Ask a friend to join you for a fun outing. Grab a meal. Go on a hike. Or come up with an activity they might uniquely enjoy. Send the message that you want to spend time with them. Deep listening: Give them the gift of genuinely listening to them. So often people aren't pay attention to what is being said and instead are only waiting to respond. Hear them out. Feel for them. This can be genuinely life-changing. Let them change: Give them the space to change. Sometimes we want people to remain their familiar selves but this can stifle their growth. Give them the space to become. âTo love someone long-term is to attend a thousand funerals of the people they used to be.â Do these simple things to water your interpersonal garden and nourish the social bonds that make your life meaningful. ð Our Complex Humanity Dive into this fascinating passage from Stewart Brand about our relationship to different time scales: âThe mathematician and physicist Freeman Dyson makes a related observation about human society: The destiny of our species is shaped by the imperatives of survival on six distinct time scales. To survive means to compete successfully on all six time scales. But the unit of survival is different at each of the six time scales. On a time scale of years, the unit is the individual. On a time scale of decades, the unit is the family. On a time scale of centuries, the unit is the tribe or nation. On a time scale of millennia, the unit is the culture. On a time scale of tens of millennia, the unit is the species. On a time scale of eons, the unit is the whole web of life on our planet. Every human being is the product of adaptation to the demands of all six time scales. That is why conflicting loyalties are deep in our nature. In order to survive, we have needed to be loyal to ourselves, to our families, to our tribes, to our cultures, to our species, to our planet. If our psychological impulses are complicated, it is because they were shaped by complicated and conflicting demands.â ð¤ Learn This Word Querencia: The place where oneâs strength is drawn from; where one feels at home; the place where you are your most authentic self. â³ From The Archives A hand-picked classic HighExistence article. â[Eudaimonia: A Short Guide to Human Flourishing]()â Everyone wants happiness. Nobody wants suffering. Buddhists feel tremendous empathy by seeing everyone in this light. The Buddha himself sought after the cure of suffering and finally found the happiness that is free from conditions. In the same way the lovers of wisdom, the philosophers from ancient Greece, tried to seek out the highest human good and a way to embody it. The buddha called it âbeing awakeâ, seeing reality as it as and acting accordingly. The genius from ancient times that were in love with Sophia called it eudaimonia: the happiness that stems from human flourishing. What is eudaimonia? Eudaimonia is often translated as happiness or genuine happiness. A somewhat better translation would be human flourishing, the way to reach the perfect life in so far as perfection is attainable by humanity. Something not to be found in outer means but, according to Plotinus, something found within the human spirit, itself. Socrates thought all human beings wanted eudaimonia more than anything else and that virtue was both the seed and the fruit. Virtues such as self-control, courage, justice, piety and wisdom guaranteed a good and happy life. He contrasted eudaimonia with the life that seeks after honour (modern fame) and pleasure (modern hedonism) because that does nothing for the state of ones soul and thus can never lead to the âincomparably more importantâ eudaimonia. Epicurus went even further down this road and said hedonism was the most ethical way of life since pleasure was intrinsically good and pain intrinsically bad. This is different from the way we currently think about hedonism because he thought virtue would bring the most pleasure and so, naturally, everyone would try to be the most virtuous, while nowadays virtue is often viewed as weak or archaic. only distances us from our pain and difficult personal issues, but also from our own authentic spirituality, stranding us in a metaphysical limbo, a zone of exaggerated gentleness, niceness, and superficiality.â â[Continue Reading]()â â
Badass Habits The next issue of our premium newsletter [Stairway To Wisdom](=) is coming out on Friday. We'll be diving into Bad Ass Habits by Jenn Sincero. Here's a taste of what's inside: "Realize that becoming the kind of person who does what you're setting out to do is an act of self-love and respect, that forming this habit means you believe in yourself, and that you're doing what it takes to give your awesome self everything you desire and deserve." Click the button below to sign up and access 70+ book breakdowns and 23 back issues of this premium newsletter. 70+ Book Breakdowns A library of insights & actions steps from brilliant books sent in a growth-inducing weekly newsletter. [Learn More Here]( ð¬ Endnote We hope you enjoyed this issue of Down The Rabbit Hole. Feel free to reply and tell us what you think. Want to help us spread the word? We love sharing these gems of wisdom and wonder with you each week. If you love receiving them and want to help us spread the word, here is one quick way you can do that: Forward this email to one friend. That's it. It will take 5 seconds and will help us spread the good vibes and reach more people. We appreciate you. With Wonder, Mike Slavin & The HighExistence Team P.S. Did a friend forward you this email? Read previous issues and sign-up to receive future issues here: [(â â â Mike Slavin â[Say Hi On Twitter!](=)â â â[Unsubscribe]( | [Update your profile]( | 40 E. Main St. #1137, Newark, DE 19711 [Built with ConvertKit](=)