Naval bombs 3
Naval on Farnam Street (a), picking up from where we left off:
Ravikant: I’ve also come to believe in the complete and utter insignificance of the self, and I think that helps a lot. For example, if you thought you were the most important thing in the universe, then you would have to bend the entire universe to your will. If you’re the most important thing in the universe, then how could it not conform to your desires? If it doesn’t conform to your desires, something is wrong.
However, if you view yourself as a bacteria or an amoeba or if you view all of your works as writing on water or building castles in the sand, then you have no expectation from how life should actually be. Life is just the way it is. Then you accept that and you have no cause to be happy or unhappy. Those things almost don’t apply.
What you’re left with in that neutral state is not neutrality. I think people think, “Oh, that would be a very bland existence.”
No, this is the existence that little children live. If you look at little children, on balance, they’re generally pretty happy because they are really immersed into the environment and the moment without any thought of how it should be given their personal preferences and desires. I think the neutral state is actually a perfection state. One can be very happy as long as one isn’t too caught up in their own heads.
I'm not sure he's right about little kids being happy on balance, but I like the point regardless.