Hi IC,
idlecuriosity wrote:I have no idea if this approximates the intended meaning of the original poster's inquiry
Yes it does, thanks. I'll give some comments on what you wrote. I'm going to refer to the general approach as "fake it to make it* and if that's too general a description then please tell me.
idlecuriosity wrote:It's a little daft but I like to 'play pretend.' Yes, that's right. If you simply rehearse a skill or practice and start by pretending you can do that thing and imitate the muscle memory required crudely, it will beget you a foundation for learning it. From there you can sort of 'scribble out' a rough idea of the structure and concept of what you're trying to learn by honing them in isolation. If you just get in the habit of doing a thing and take it easy you can be surprised by how sturdy the beginnings you lay can be
This seems very useful, especially when the "it" that you are "faking" is 100% appropriate - in other words, when "it" is not going to be discombobulating in other, less integrating ways. If it's the wrong "it" though, more discombobulation may well follow.
idlecuriosity wrote:But a big basis of my idea is that I try to boil and distill things down to nuggets of information that can be memorized in small sentences.
Yes definitely agree with this - though maybe not memorisation. An example that I've come across here recently and have somewhat been holding in mind is the idea that "evil is truth out of season". It's been very useful. I'm probably just quibbling with a word here and that's not at all important for these purposes.
idlecuriosity wrote:And I fear most people will only ever harbour a semblance of the solidarity the minds here postulate one day achieving and instead substitute their ego with a big follower count or base squalor, if they manage even that, which of course renders them susceptible when they lose traction.
Oh yes, agree with this. And reminders about how the ego can appropriate everything else are always timely and helpful. And as for cream of the crop, yes point taken. I'd regard myself as homogenised milk in many areas rather than cream of the crop at anything in particular. Also, I don't think you'll find many people here who encouraging taking their conclusions at face value - quite the opposite.
As for Harris, yes you've touched on a contentious and fascinating topic - the role he and others plays in our psyches and the real world consequences of it all. For my part, I am beginning to regard him as a very fuzzy gestalt that appears, recedes and the comes back again, even fuzzier - I'm definitely not cream of that particular crop though so that might be a useless description for you.
Your post also reminded of something that's been on my mind - the need to find a space, with others, where I can be totally spontaneous. It may even be urgent for me but fun too. A "safe space".
Again, thanks for your post.