The Bloomer: Heuristics to Follow

Heuristic: (Adjective) A heuristic or heuristic technique, is any approach to problem solving or self-discovery that employs a practical method that is not guaranteed to be optimal, perfect, or rational, but is nevertheless sufficient for reaching an immediate, short-term goal or approximation. Where finding an optimal solution is impossible or impractical, heuristic methods can be used to speed up the process of finding a satisfactory solution. Heuristics can be mental shortcuts that ease the cognitive load of making a decision.

One of the most important Heuristics I believe students (and anyone in general) should follow, is asking yourself if what you are thinking of going through with (or what you are presently doing) will make you more independent, or more dependent.  

When you have the choice between something that further makes you dependent on the system/society you live in, you further entangle yourself in its web.  When you wish to leave this (either by moving “inna woods” or leaving for another system, you lose everything you have strived to build within that system.  That system will not miss you.  You have allowed yourself to be overtaken by that system, and made yourself fully reliant on it.  you are it’s dependent.

In contrast, when your choice makes you more free (i.e. independent), you are prepping to leave that system of over reliance that has been built around you within that system.  You begin focusing on the question of “how can I make myself less dependent on others”.  When asking yourself this, you will undoubtedly ask yourself “who am I”.  That phrase (“who am I”) kills the ego if asked in earnest.  By finding out who you are, you will find out what you truly want out of life (odds are, this will be at odds with who you were becoming, and set you apart from this disconnected dichotomy of self where you pull at one side towards dependency on that easily broken system, and on the other side, fight for some semblance of independence/freedom).

By finding out what you want out of life, you will surely begin to see things you once didn’t pay much attention to – in a new light.  If this goal involves the need for a certain startup in capital, then you will do everything you can to get closer to your ultimate goal.  Sometimes, this heuristic might require becoming a little dependent on someone or something that will later help you to be more free.

One example of this is if you wish to buy acreage.  you don’t have a lot of money at the moment, so as painful as it might be at the time, you decide to sell a good portion of what you own, as it will help propel you to that next step in your journey.  Afterwards, you decide to move to an area with a very low cost of living.  This might not be an area you exactly wish to live in or be in, but if you follow this heuristic, it will make you less dependent in the long run, as you will take a good paying job there, though you will temporarily lose some of your freedoms.  You clearly do not want to live here, or work the job you just took, but that is what must be done to get to where you want to be – freedom.  Sometimes, doing what is right is painful.

Hopefully, by the end of it, you get what you want.  You start a family, have a bunch of children who will further your legacy, and you can then die happy, knowing that your children (despite having more obligations and work than you did growing up) will be more free, and that your legacy and namesake are safe.

Life is a marathon.  There are lots of water stops along the way. While these stops are important to replenish that which you have lost, they can quite easily become distractions, and you will end up spending the rest of your life at them. There are those who will call for you from behind who will demand you to slow down for them, so that they might catch up, and ultimately surpass you.  The one who slows himself down to help you catch up is the one who is your friend.  be around those who are willing to pause their progress, to help you gain a little of the freedoms you wish.