Marc Andreessen on a recent podcast with David Senra made a very provocative remark: \u201cYou should have zero levels of introspection. Just move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a long time now, I have had psychological therapy. Some of these people have asked me to \u201cthink about it.\u201d And here is an extremely successful person, being listened to by me\u2014someone who should be doing better\u2014and thinking, \u201cWell have I been wrong all along?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All this time\u2014I thought I may have been building self-awareness. And yet\u2014maybe what has been going on is the complete opposite of that. Introspection does not build self-awareness\u2014it builds self-delusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which leads me to the question\u2014\u00bfWhat exactly is introspection and how is it different from reflection? \u00bfShould we stop reflecting as well? \u00bfWhat then is extrospection? (If this even is a thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s go to the dictionary (in this case the Cambridge Dictionary)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Introspection:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
– examination of and attention to your own ideas, thoughts, and feelings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reflection: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
1) the image of something in a mirror or on any reflective surface<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2) the return of light, heat, sound, or energy from a surface<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3) a sign or result of something<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4) serious and careful thought:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wow\u2014they could not be more different. Introspection is about attention. Reflection\u2014is about energy, results and thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You would think that introspection would help you to think clearly\u2014yet, we do not even see thought as a verb in the definition. It is much more about looking at something and letting it sit. Letting it talk to you. Letting it fester. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reflection on the other hand is about action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We want to see something in the world. We want to bring something out into the world. Reflection is social.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have pre-supposed that we should stop introspecting. Let\u2019s first think about that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And to me\u2014it seems like we should. Introspection is passive\u2014and this life is clearly about action. It\u2019s about making the word flesh, and creating what the Gods channel through us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not so much about admiring that from within. We are vessels\u2014and we should ride the waves. It\u2019s not about stopping when the sirens ring. It\u2019s about tying yourself to the vessel and continuing. We don\u2019t stop and watch. We think things through. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Getting clarity on the difference allows us to see this: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Introspection is what happens when you don\u2019t really have someone to talk to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you can\u2019t leave it out on the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you can\u2019t externalize how you feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you don\u2019t have any friends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So don\u2019t introspect. Reflect with friends. It\u2019s good to go into a \u201cHall of Mirrors\u201d at time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mirror neurons\u2014or the neurons that fire when you do something with someone else\u2014are responsible for helping you understand others. They are what fire when we learn from someone. And if you are prescient enough to step outside the \u201cHall of Mirrors\u201d every once in a while\u2014the \u201cMirrors\u201d will be different enough that you begin to see how the shape of the mirror can become an Optical Illusion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You begin to see the world in a place of fantasy. You begin to put on glasses\u2014and from here on out\u2014your fatness, your skinniness, your shortness and your tallness\u2014though they may be grounded in reality, they may also be grounded in illusion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You begin to look for the reality\u2014not by feeling, but my measuring. Science happens when you go outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can\u2019t feel yourself through an experiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go out and touch stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well\u2014science kind of is. But science is systematic. Extrospection is more organic\u2014happening here, now all the time. And an extrospector is someone who notices. Notices the world around them\u2014and has the potential to do something because of that. And then\u2014they also notice you\u2014and they might be able to help you understand how you feel, clarify what you think, and become a part of your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When introspecting\u2014you become self-absorbed, when extrospecting, you are here to serve others. And service is useful. Service makes you useful. You become important to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So don\u2019t introspect. Reflect. And Reflect puts your light into the world. So we can all see it. Enjoy it. And allows us to not lose ourself in the darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh\u2014and one more thing\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have to say it in Spanish\u2014because it comes from an emotional core:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nLas amistades multiplican los gozos y dividen los dolores.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Friends double our joys and halve our sorrows.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Share with friends. Don\u2019t introspect. And if someone is introspecting\u2014loop them out. The world will have all the feedback they need. When you stay inwards\u2014there is nothing to feed on\u2014you will only starve your existential self.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Marc Andreessen on a recent podcast with David Senra made a very provocative remark: \u201cYou should have zero levels of introspection. Just move forward.\u201d For a long time now, I have had psychological therapy. Some of these people have asked me to \u201cthink about it.\u201d And here is an extremely successful person, being listened to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbl.do\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbl.do\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbl.do\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbl.do\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbl.do\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bbl.do\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37,"href":"https:\/\/bbl.do\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35\/revisions\/37"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbl.do\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbl.do\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbl.do\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}