Sutter makes a case for ‘knowing yourself’ as a powerful antidote for unnecessary suffering. He challenges us all to value authenticity as a way to experience true freedom and fulfillment, and help us to not fall prey to the dangers of the pleasure trap.
When have you asked yourself, “Why am I doing this?” When have you ever stopped and really analyzed what you are doing? Too many people find themselves in a circle, an unhealthy circle, chasing after one thing until it is acquired, before immediately setting their sights on their next target. Sometimes we lose sight as to why we started chasing these things in the first place, and we continue to run and the circle just continues.
Would you be moving in this kind of a circle if you knew what you wanted? When you don’t start by deeply examining yourself, you could find yourself living a life of merely existing, until something comes along and makes you “happy.” This doesn’t sound like a true, genuine happiness, but more like a “pleasure trap,” and pleasures are wilting moments that come and go. Like shopping, we buy something and we feel good, for a moment, and just as quickly as it arrives, it is gone. The same good feeling we get when posting on social media, we feel good, we get likes, but just as quickly it is gone. It’s fickle.
When we are always running, moving, striving, chasing more, better, different - we can’t explore and examine what’s really going on inside us. If we can’t sit in our discomfort and ride out the waves, we learn nothing, and we miss out on so much life. In this sense, deep exploration starts by the opposite of how we think it does. It isn’t when we are moving, traveling, seeking, and looking outward; it is when we stop and find stillness, solitude, quietude, and idleness.
To find an authentic happiness that is truly ours and not the type of happiness that is dependent on external circumstances and conditions, we need to find these moments of quiet, and instead of running away from them, we need to embrace them.
17 minutes of thought-provoking and powerful philosophy, that is as engaging as it is relevant. Sutter finishes with practical tips to boost your wellbeing.
A must listen episode for anyone who enjoys enjoying their life.
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