Marx, Zhuangzi & Psychology Marx + Zhuangzi · Everyone is inherently whole

The Self and Psychology Series

A Mental Energy Ledger: Living Within Your Means and Investing for Value

AI coding has felt so good lately that I have unwittingly overdrawn my mental energy. AI coding greatly lowers the mental energy required to program, making it easier to overdraw that energy.
I. Whenever my mental energy recovers a little, I always spend it freely, without realizing it.
I enjoy having plenty of mental energy and squander it, borrowing against tomorrow.
II. Overdrawing my mental energy without noticing
is also a sign of insufficient connection with myself.
I need to keep my mental energy at a sufficient level, never letting it fall below the waterline. Otherwise, I will keep running aground, just as I have in the past.
I habitually ignore the signs of insufficient mental energy. I have grown accustomed to being disciplined by the outside world, forcing myself, and tying myself in knots.
III. “Keeping the Reserves Full: Maintaining Abundant Mental Energy Comes First.”
An empty room gives rise to light.
“Rest Is at the Heart of Daoist Philosophy”: “The Secret of Caring for Life,” Cook Ding carving up an ox, acting without exertion.
To love myself, the first thing to learn is how to keep my mental energy abundant.
The question of taking time off
Taking time off is important. Freedom lies in finding leisure amid busyness and preserving stillness amid commotion.
A thought: everyone should give themselves at least two days off a week. Take one day off when mental energy is high, and one when it is low.
IV. Mental energy calls for value investing

  1. Daoist philosophy calls for acting without exertion; applying force is already a misstep. “From the Perspective of Connection, Why Is Striving Already a Mistake, and Applying Force Already a Misstep?”
  2. Socializing is the clearest example: simply choose whom to connect with, without forcing anything or holding expectations. The same applies to work, body, and mind.
  3. The number of decisions a person can make, in a lifetime or in a day, is limited. That is why we need metacognition and meta-decision-making.
    V. Human dialectics
    Intrinsic nature versus karmic obstructions is the fundamental human dialectic. Connection versus entanglement, and mental energy, are its more materialist aspects.
    “The Most Fundamental Psychological Model”