Letter to Ansh — On difficult choices

Dear Ansh

I turned 38 yesterday and you are over four years old. Having you around is the best gift one can ask for and I am very grateful for it.

The purpose of these letters is to write down a few words that can serve as a set of practical inputs in the event I am not around for any reason.

To some extent they are also a mechanism for myself to reflect, so as much as I write to you I also write to myself.

You should know that Ayn Rand and Socrates are my heroes. The absolute clarity of thought that is often visible in their writings is often terrifying, intimidating and yet liberating all at the same time.

There are a lot of people who have excelled in life in their chosen endeavours. It is often said that we are a product of our belief systems. This in my experience is completely accurate.

I will add on to that our outcomes in life, how successful are a direct outcome of our mental models (which is another word for what we perceive the world to be).

A mental model is like a map. We use it to navigate the world. If our map is not correct then we cannot get from where are to where we want to be.

A belief system that accurately represents how the world works hence becomes critical to navigate life.

The Universe really does not care about what you believe in, you can choose to deny reality by declaring yourself to be an exception or claiming to be a group of special people ordained by God. Or you can claim persecution from a specific person or group of persons which is the reason why you are in the state you are.

It does not matter, the Universe does not care what you think and does not change its rules based on your feelings or what others feel about what you do.

Its rules remain ironclad and if you are to achieve the outcomes you want you must work by first understanding what the rules are.

The unfortunate reality again is these rules are generally not written down and are only discovered over time.

What you really need is a framework using which you can discover the rules, form the map, a mental model using which you can navigate the world.

The closer your mental model to what the world really works like, the better your outcomes in life are.

The pursuit of truth hence is not only a moral matter, but also the best way of achieving success. See the world for what it is in an objective manner and adjust your actions accordingly.

Hence the choice of your mental model becomes very important.

A mental model can be your personal philosophy that you come up with), or something someone else told you (religion, mentors etc). What is important that it involves a process that withstands the test of logic. You must be able to recursively ask why to any assumption and always find a logical answer.

If you are not able to do that then likely there is a flaw in your reasoning or your data is incorrect.

Or you have come to a conclusion that is difficult to acknowledge as it goes against what you have been told or have been believing till date.

Denying reality will however not change reality and the sooner you face up to it the better it will be for you.

Often time you will face choices that are difficult, with both involving a degree of pain. Always make the choice that aligns towards what leaves you in a position that is closer to the truth. Anything else will never work as you will progressively be left with more difficult choices downstream.

I tend to believe that a long, healthy life is the best chance we as humans have to realize our best selves. A mental model that aligns with how the Universe really operates is an essential tool in the path to self realization.

Your loving father

Moresh