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Emmett Shear@eshear• 7 months ago

It seems to me agency is about noticing the ways that you have far more control over the world than you realized, and equanimity is noticing the ways that you need far less control over the world than you realized.

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Séan@saol_liath• 7 months ago

Replying to @eshear

@eshear What kinds of things were you able to convince yourself that you had control over?

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Emmett Shear@eshear• 7 months ago

Replying to @saol_liath

@saol_liath We all have control over all kinds of things. For example, you had control of your fingers when you typed that message.

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Optimal Word Combination@optimalstring• 7 months ago

Replying to @eshear

@eshear Being well-calibrated on this is a worthy use of time.

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A Digital Ergomorph 🌉⏩ 🇺🇸🦅@mathepi• 7 months ago

Replying to @eshear

@eshear You rediscovered Niebuhr's serenity prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”

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Emmett Shear@eshear• 7 months ago

Replying to @mathepi

@mathepi Everything everywhere is exactly the same. Tho I’d say I’m saying something slightly different, in that it’s focused on having accurate knowledge rather than serenity or courage.

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Optimistic Parser (e/opp)@TimParsa• 7 months ago

Replying to @eshear

@eshear Will & grace

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Emmett Shear@eshear• 7 months ago

Replying to @TimParsa

@TimParsa huh is that what that TV show was secretly about?

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Tim Babb@tr_babb• 7 months ago

Replying to @eshear

@eshear agency is putting more stuff inside your control loop

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Emmett Shear@eshear• 7 months ago

Replying to @tr_babb

@tr_babb Mmm, I think increased skill moves stuff inside your control loop. Agency is about having full understanding of what is already inside it.

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Seth Weidman@SethHWeidman• 7 months ago

Replying to @eshear

@eshear Wise!

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Cass@X0Radi• 7 months ago

Replying to @eshear

@eshear Most people would have more agency if they had more equanimity

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Emmett Shear@eshear• 7 months ago

Replying to @X0Radi

@X0Radi Very true. Equanimity can enable agency, by allowing us to experiment and learn about our capacities without needing to defend some fixed model of self. And curiously the reverse is true too, bc you can use your agency towards the end of gaining equanimity.

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darthur@darthur• 7 months ago

Replying to @eshear

@eshear looks like you are making progress. no need for me. good work.

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Emmett Shear@eshear• 7 months ago

Replying to @darthur

@darthur this seems like an example of a low agency attitude, where confidence in control is artificially lowered below the appropriate level for some ulterior reason

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Jeremie Pelletier@HostOfMeta• 7 months ago

Replying to @eshear

@eshear Equanimity is a new word to me, immediately ties to the act of "letting go". Also makes Adler's views clearer somehow. Agency = your tasks, Equanimity = other people's tasks. At least if reusing Courage to be Disliked terms. Like playing music, a large jump from control to flow.

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ꜱᴘᴀᴄᴇ ᴘᴜɴᴋ@_space_punk_• 7 months ago

Replying to @eshear

@eshear Banger

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精神本心慈悲領域 ❤️‍🔥 (13/1000文)@smallkewlhuman• 7 months ago

Replying to @eshear

@eshear sooo good. resonant. yes.

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Edward Ross@edwardross01• 7 months ago

Replying to @eshear

@eshear Disagree. Equanimity: when you realise how much you can re-adapt to suit the world and coast nicely. Agency: is when you realise how much you have to fight not to fit into the world. Both concept are internal delusions!

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Lucy R. Fisher@richmondie• 7 months ago

Replying to @eshear

@eshear Agency is deciding to do something and then doing it.

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Emrah Yalaz@emrahyalaz• 7 months ago

Replying to @eshear

@eshear Man-made and naturally given

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Flüff@fluffyskills• 7 months ago

Replying to @eshear

@eshear ...and the wisdom to tell the difference Classic principle, reframed in contemporary terms. Not bad for a strategy 🤷🏻‍♀️

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Emmett Shear@eshear• 7 months ago

Replying to @fluffyskills

@fluffyskills Ah, in this context I’m describing it as wisdom all three times. The wisdom to know what i can change, the wisdom to know what I can’t, the wisdom to distinguish the nuanced interweave of the two.

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Yolin@nilsengu• 7 months ago

Replying to @eshear

@eshear A lot of people might know what to do but still don’t do it. I think agency is more than just a knowledge problem, we need to bring in motivation + courage.

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Robert Bernhardt@ro_bernhardt• 7 months ago

Replying to @eshear

@eshear Hm, is it really control or rather influence? Influence would be that you realize you can do much more than you thought, but control as 100 % effectiveness seems unrealistic imo. Agency could be more like realizing making 10 attempts with 10 % probablity is also good

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Emmett Shear@eshear• 7 months ago

Replying to @ro_bernhardt

@ro_bernhardt What’s the difference between a degree of influence and a degree of control? There’s some sense that influence “caps out” lower, but I think they mean the same thing in the lower range.

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