Joseph Maynor

This is why I couldn't stand engineering and switched majors to philosophy in college. I work in law, but I've studied many areas of law to get a big picture so when I need to use law I know from the top down how it works and relates with law in general. But once I have this schema, my memory and learning is strong. But if you ask me to memorize a list of random things, I hate that. I need to find a way to have a bigger picture reason or model to learn something effectively. Same thing when I was learning math. I would read advanced math books to find out why algebra was important to learn. So, basically if I want to learn something I have to spend some time first feeling motivated to learn it, and secondly understanding the why and big picture of it. Ditto for when I was learning how to play Jazz, I read dozens of theory books just to feel motivated to learn how to improvise. I needed that big picture more for the motivation (inspiration), because those books really didn't help me play better Jazz trumpet. Mostly due to finding my own voice/style.

When it comes to self help work or any kind of project, I have to have a big picture understanding before I develop motivation to take action. It's hard for me to just do tasks when I can't see why I'm doing them or haven't clarified the link to my own systems for doing self help or any project really. I need that top down sense of understanding, and then I can take massive action because I know exactly why I'm doing every single thing. So sometimes I have a block in motivation if I haven't gone through this process, which in itself is a project and takes a lot of organization. It's like having to do twice the amount of work. Most people can just take action and don't even worry about this clarifying issue. I need organization (orderliness) to precede industriousness.

Generally, my instinct is spot on but the presentation of it could be refined. Sometimes a raw insight isn't ready for prime time, so that's where -- like you say -- minding the gap between feeling and presentation is a good habit and practice. It's good to develop more or less of a habit of this, I agree. It's actually hard for me to put this into practice because I place a lot of trust in my reactions actually. They're just not always as socially calibrated as they might have been if I used more detachment and reason. But my reactions are key to me finding out how I feel about something deep down.

Sometimes I trust reactivity more than non-reactivity actually, but I'm a very intuitive person. There is insight in reactivity, but I agree with you it's good to be careful and not careless with reactivity -- because it can ruin your life if you let your impulses run wild without some degree of strategic insight into what you're doing.

What do you do now for a living if you don't mind my asking?

Yes. Thinking of others as below comes off as immature to me. It does come off as a cope because who cares. It just shows a need for comparison to others, which is something you shake off as you age.

To follow anything is kinda dodgy. But following your inspiration to create to me is solid much more so than following your passion. And you're not always going to have the same clarity here. It comes and goes.

If you're not defending your life purpose, what is the point of having one? Look at how much preparation chefs use that boggle the mind to create their purpose.

I loved the one last year too, saw both in the theater. I recommend both. I still haven't seen the first 2. To answer your question, upon reflection and sitting with it for a couple of days, I think it is better than the 2025 release, but it could just be my taste. The end links back to the first two which can be confusing if seen as a standalone work, that's my only criticism. That was a bit wonky or catering because you don't want to assume everyone watched every one. But that said, it's still very good IMO. They're trying to link but when that distracts from the standalone it makes it seem like a cliffhanger ending. I feel like every movie should stand on its own, this is not soap opera. But watch it yourself, don't let my analysis or bias compromise your takeaway. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28_Days_Later_(film_series)

What do you suggest he do instead?

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

I look at all books as models only. What's I'm interested in is what I can use from books in my own systems to improve how I create. So first I start with my systems (my current bag of tricks for creating) and then use interfacing with information (books and communication more generally) as a way to improve my own palate for creating.

How would you describe Absolute Love?

The Amateur

I love this book for basics of music theory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jazz_Theory_Book

I found that I have to work on keeping myself fulfilled or happy to maintain passion, or else it will come and go. I have a 12 Areas of Fulfillment Model for myself which includes the following areas that I work on every week: Relationships, Philosophy, Web Development, Trumpet, Self-Help, Life Purpose, Chess, Law, Finances, Health, Fun, Downtime. For each one of these I have a short to do list. I don't obsess over this model either because then it starts to feel like a burden which defeats the purpose. The purpose is to maintain consistent fulfillment, happiness, passion, abundant mood, etc.

How would you describe Absolute Love?

The puzzle is how do we get you to do a better job at bringing in money. Finances is like health, it's not rocket science, it requires a grounded mentality that takes daily action. It's complicated to make this change, but it is possible. It could require a change in a chapter of how you're treating your life.

In my experience women tend to have a deeper integration of Love than men. It depends on what we mean by awakening.