18 Comments

Whew! it is a constant struggle to take in the reams of information even from a select few sources. Trust is a huge concern as there is so much that is biased. And even for a 75-year-old lady sitting in her barcalounger in the afternoon, it's a struggle to stop and digest what has been generously bestowed. Even my current reading, "Maps: College and Last Poems" by Wistawa Szymborska, is proving to be a feast that is to be eaten and chewed one at a time. It is said that it takes about fifteen minutes of concentrating on an idea to take it from short-term memory to long-term. Oy! There is so much wonderful stuff that falls by the wayside of ideas, poetry, stories, etc. I'll died of exhaustion. Your method of writing notes for your Zittelkasten is a good idea.

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Hi Sue! There was a Spanish philosopher, Ortega y Gasset, he used to say that wisdom is that bit of information that remains in your brain after you have read many books. I understand you perfectly, sometimes there are things in books that are too interesting to pass up, that's exactly why I use the Zettelkasten, to have a digital ‘memory’ that helps me to remember what is erased from my own memory. Wisdom is a very difficult thing to achieve...

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True. It is a lifelong struggle.

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Thank you for this post. It is absolutely true. I would add this. My therapist used to teach me which thoughts are mine and which are my parents' and even which thoughts originate in my anxiety. I know that opinions are more complicated than simple thoughts but the same process can be applied. I was surprised at first to learn that I can CHOOSE which opinions to label as mine. It was a funny process to dissect my mind and ask, "do I really think this?"

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Hello Barbora! It's really interesting what you say. It is indeed a good idea to label your thoughts, many of the things we believe because we take them for granted or because we have been convinced of them. We rarely form our own opinions. Knowing what is yours and what is not makes you realise how little we really reflect.

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Nice analysis thank you Alvaro. I have been thinking a while that I might be following writers on substack that confirm my own biases, amd I agree it is lazy to simply 'like' all posts. Not that I should go searching for nazi supporters, but to consciously think more deeply about how I might have subtle differences of opinion.

I hope you are not affected by the flooding.

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Hi Alan! First of all, thanks for your concern for me. Fortunately, my region of Spain has not been affected, it has rained a lot, but it has not caused any serious damage.

As for the Substack writers, it's good to read opposing views, as you know, debate is what encourages learning. The wider the market of opinions that come in to debate, the closer you are to the truth or to acting wisely.

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yes. dark web. i think it is smart we won't go there. good. j.

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oh alvaro-just occurred to me the discord communities can be "somewhat" considered underground. private servers, etc. ah, the wild west. do you have an opinion on visiting the so-called "dark web"? i never have. i don't think i will. keep going! ur fan, j.

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Dark web? What exactly do you mean, deep web? If that's it, I've never been there.

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thanks, alvaro. yes, substack and www.bsky.app seem to be the current favs for international readers (yes, educated classes by and large) and those in search of thought-leaders. j.

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Hi JayCee, I didn't know about that page you mentioned, I'll check it out. Thanks :)!

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alvaro-that link i gave did not work. it's https://bsky.social/about it's called "bluesky". it was started several years ago by the former owner of twitter. it's meant to serve as a new kind of twitter, and more. yes, check it out.

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Thanks for that!

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thank you, alvaro! excellent piece. *that's my considered opinion! <grin>.* alvaro-can you or anyone recommend a social platform (agora) where legitimate true debate is taking place, free of the cheapness of algorithms ? thanks again your excellent exposes. j.

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Hi JaCee! It's not really that simple.

The best thing I've been able to find in this regard is Substack. Outside of that, the best thing I could tell you is to join Discord communities where you can chat with people about your interests. I couldn't tell you a better option, sorry :S

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Absolutely love ❤️

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Thanks! :)

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