How Might One Live
Updated: Oct 12, 2022
Inventions are said to be born out of necessity. Although the COVID-19 pandemic was extremely challenging, it may have provided us with some insight into what is possible.
Take a look at Zoom, the most popular videoconferencing software. Prior to 2020, this technology was available, but we were forced to think differently when we had to stay at home. While it was possible all along, we didn't realize it until it became necessary. Our way of connecting and doing business has significantly changed. The research I've seen indicates that people are happier and more productive working remotely. Thus, it is a good lesson in broadening our perspective.
It was interesting to read a book about the French philosopher, Gilles Deleuze, that explained what it takes to explore how one might live. The philosophy of Deleuze is notoriously difficult to understand, but I can quickly summarize how we might use it in the context of my previous articles.
We don't always consider how we might live. How things have been or how they have been described often limits our perspective. We don't realize how this limits our ability to see opportunities such as remote work. Think of the innovators who created Uber and Airbnb. Our previous thinking and talking about things are completely different now.
You can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression by considering how you feel when you feel limited by constraining factors and need to express or create something. There is no doubt that those constraints exist, but sometimes the solution is a shift in perspective.
How do you feel if you have been blocked and you're suddenly able to find a new path forward? I can feel it in my body just by writing about it. Could you evoke those feelings simply by thinking of an example where you were blocked and then found a way forward?
Having the ability to express or create can have a profound impact on one's mental health. You get an adrenaline rush of freedom when you realize...oh, wow, I could have been living like this all along. It's the best antidote for stress and anxiety, the best defense against depression's agony.
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