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Anne Hsu

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Two Ways To Reduce Unhappiness That Comes From Distorted Views of Reality

[reposted from my substack] Once a man painted a picture of a fearsome beast. The creature began haunting his thoughts and dreams, causing him great distress. The beast became so real in his mind that his fears threatened to consume him. The above is a parable I heard at a...

Jun 8, 2023•3

Anne Hsu

Anne Hsu — LessWrong

Anne Hsu

Message

Two Ways To Reduce Unhappiness That Comes From Distorted Views of Reality

Jun 8, 2023•3

Anne Hsu

Two Ways To Reduce Unhappiness That Comes From Distorted Views of Reality

Anne Hsu

[reposted from my substack]

Once a man painted a picture of a fearsome beast. The creature began haunting his thoughts and dreams, causing him great distress. The beast became so real in his mind that his fears threatened to consume him. The above is a parable I heard at a mindfulness retreat conveying the idea that much of our suffering is based on subjective beliefs that are not grounded in reality. How much of our unhappiness is based on what we imagine rather than what is?

We experience emotional pain in response to unmet wants and needs. The esteemed psychologist Abraham Maslow had set out a hierarchy of needs, which are safety, security, connection,... (read 2030 more words →)