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>What's external and what's internal? Where do your desires come from? Your hopes? Some people think they are the masters of their mind, that what they feel come from them, but what about the influence of their parents, their friends, the movies they watch, the books they read, advertising, music, social media?

How about thinking about it with common sense, as opposed to trying to find some perfect rational answer that squares the circle?

There will always be external influences, but we still call most of them "internal" if they gently shaped who we are, as opposed to us chasing after them like junkies and getting overwhelmed by propaganda (ads, unattenable images of success/body/status in the media, unhealthy peer pressure, and so on), or beating us to submission to them (e.g. like parents insisting on instilling their own youthful dreams or desires of becoming X or Y to a kid).

Especially if we mostly care for the trappings (being Elon Musk rich, and having Elon Musk lifestyle), and not the process (making stuff).




'How about thinking about it with common sense'

Common sence is a mythl

Thoughts think themselves, you are an empty vessel and they arrive in your mind by magic, and you have no real idea where they come from. All you do is react to them in one way or the other


This is the core of cognitive behavioral therapy.

Your thoughts don’t come out of nowhere. They are based on your own set of beliefs, usually shaped by experiences.

Change your beliefs and you can change your thoughts.


Yes, the above approach is exactly what I advocate we should avoid.

"you are an empty vessel and they arrive in your mind by magic"

Whatever: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analysis_paralysis


But you're right! All our truths were invented by someone else(s), down to the language we use to write these replies.




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