Arman's Antics (#018)
From the week of January 17-24, 2023
Hi friend,
Coming to you live from Austin, Texas. Here’s your weekly dose of Arman’s Antics. A week’s worth of finds that could be useful to you. Mind sharing this with a friend?
Welcome to the five new subscribers receiving this for the first time (176 total). I don’t take your time or attention for granted.
Essay I wrote last week
Don’t just do something, stand there (#036). We have become addicted to productivity but I argue that running around like a chicken with your head cut off is not the best path forward. Counterintuitively, you could be more productive by doing less. All you need is a little intentional boredom.
What I finished rereading
The Way to Love by Anthony de Mello. This was the last book he wrote before passing in 1987. I used to think his book Awareness was my favorite but this one may have captured that spot.
His writing rubbed some people the wrong way with it’s directness and no-nonsense approach. That’s exactly why I keep returning to it.
From Goodreads: …he implores his readers with his usual pithiness to break through illusion, the great obstacle to love. "Love springs from awareness," de Mello insists, saying that it is only when we see others as they are that we can begin to really love.
Freestyle I’m listening to
I’ve loved rap since elementary school. Plenty of older, wiser adults told me I would grow out of that phase. That has yet to happen…
This J. Cole freestyle may be my favorite of all time. And my fiancé can attest to the fact that I spend more time than seems reasonable watching freestyles on YouTube. As of writing it has 22M+ views since it was posted May 12, 2021. I’ve easily accounted for 22k of those.
I used to be a J. Cole fan but after hearing this, I’m an air conditioner now.
Comedian I’m watching
Tim Dillon: A Real Hero. His Netflix special is a rant about fast food, living in Texas, Disney adults and the reason no one should be called a hero.
My friend Scott introduced me to him about a year ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. He is the perfect combination of intelligent and sarcastic that gets me going every time.
What follows tells you everything you need to know about him, he used to sell subprime mortgages up until they collapsed the economy. And believes he will again one day. Comedy is just a temporary break from his true calling.
Random thought
We are not meant to be consumers of endless recent content. Some of the best content is hundreds or even thousands of years old. David Perell calls this the Never-ending now.
That’s all the antics I’ve got for you this week. Keep an eye on your inbox for my weekly essay that drops every Thursday. Til then, do what brings you joy without worrying about what others will think.
A terrific tuesday to you and yours!
Cheers,
Arman
PS - another great substack you should check out is Rick Lewis’s courage writer.
I love reading and responding to your insightful comments. Comments are below.
"I used to be a J. Cole fan but after hearing this, I’m an air conditioner now."
This made me snort-laugh 😂