[keiferski]

This is pretty trite if you stop to think about it. “Everything in your life that you experience has an effect on your experience of life.”

We all exist in the world, not apart from it, and no amount of exclusion or creation of “sterile spaces” will change that.

[gizmo]

Expressions like "eat your vegetables" and "life is short" are also trite. But the purpose of folk wisdom isn't to shock and awe with fresh insights. The purpose is to remind people of what they already know to be true. That way we steer our behavior more towards the kind of life we want to live.

[bloomingeek]

Your reply is simple, yet profound. Answers to the question of "why" must be understood.

Before retiring, I trained new hires, the age gaps were sometimes very interesting. The younger they were, the more they wanted to know. (obviously their experience level was pretty low.) I used adages to bring a point home when explaining a difficult concept. It worked every time.

[randomcarbloke]

the comments under this post exemplify: "one person's profound is another's trite"

[keiferski]

Maybe "trite" wasn't the right word. More like a tautology.

I guess you could call it "folk wisdom" but it seems more like a restating of the obvious to me.

[InSteady]

Firstly, I'd argue it's only a tautology when you phrase it in a particular way (and take some knowledge about how the brain works as "given"). The point isn't that the effect happens at all, it's about the degree to which even small instances influence who we are.

But more importantly, we are creatures of habit before we are creatures of intellect. Stating things like "you are the sum of your experiences" isn't necessarily to reveal new and profound information, it is to emphasize a fact of existence that can easily become overlooked or underappreciated. Especially as we get on in the years and more and more of our behavior is on autopilot. There is value in reminding people to look for potential blindspots and providing some motivation a more careful consideration of the aspects of your life that have become unconscious even if the message comes in a trite or tautological package.

It's like people who have been stuck for the past 5 years spending 2+ hours every day scrolling a social media feeds littered with bad news, snapshots of arguments, and fake representations of the world but can't make a connection between this maladaptive behavior and the growing sense of cynicism and existential malaise that's impacting their happiness. Sometimes it is helpful to hear this kind of stuff (assuming it actually gets through) even though it should be obvious.

[jasode]

>We all exist in the world, not apart from it, and no amount of exclusion or creation of “sterile spaces” will change that.

The surrounding reality in the world doesn't change but the gp was talking about deliberate curation of that reality.

Maybe another example using advertising to help highlight the difference:

- block ads during web surfing with PiHole and uBlock. <-- the curation perspective of gp y04nn's, "I am more meticulous when choosing what I do and don't do, there is no going back.

- no amount of blocking ads will change the fact that ads exist in the world <-- your perspective

Yes, you're correct that "ads still exist" but browsing the web without it is still a nicer experience.

[keiferski]

I just don’t think it’s a good life strategy to obsess over every single piece of media that you may inadvertently consume. Use an ad blocker and avoid outright garbage, sure, but that wasn’t the vibe I got from the parent comment. Constructing this sort of sterile world always ends badly when you’re forced to deal with things from outside it.

As a general life strategy, I think it’s always better to “filter” rather than “block.”

[a_bonobo]

I don't think it is trite: you need to remind yourself that the information you ingest will have an effect on you. If you're deeply informed about an ongoing violent conflict it will have a negative effect on your mental health as you'll watch a lot of violence.

I've been practising information hygiene for a while - if I can't change anything about problem X and it does not affect me or my family, should I be deeply informed about it? - and it has done wonders for my mental health.

[b112]

Indeed. Although as with anything, moderation is key. Not too much, or too little. Listening to 4 hours a day of Tiktok or Youtube boneheads, probably isn't all that good for the average person.

(I'm not referring to intellectual videos, but instead just "some random person" that has amassed 10M followers because they .. well I don't know what they do, except market themselves well. Then start blathering on about literally the dumbest blather ever.

For example, taking medical advice from some guy living in a van, or taking scientific advice from some dude who doesn't even understand ... anything.

Populism to the extreme. Lookit me, I'm purdy, ergo my opinion on everything supersedes everyone.)

[4ggr0]

Well, why should I listen to a random person commenting on HN? ;D

[FrustratedMonky]

Having watched a lot of educational and scientific videos, I'm beginning to think there are diminishing returns, and they can be just as addictive and non-valuable.

Filling the day with any video's seems to have downsides.

[pixl97]

I mean, then take ops advice one more step

>moderation is key. Not too much, or too little

Watching videos all day, even 'good' videos isn't moderation. Your physical body, therefore your mind suffers from lack of exercise.

[helboi4]

Hard agree. I have really tried to make sure I spend most of my time reading high quality material these days. I realised my brain being saturated with a lot of drivel was actually having a notable impact on me. Much more than I expected.

[johnisgood]

Not if you approach it through epigenetics. :)