Writing by Garrett Dailey

August 12, 2018

Pieces of Mind: Introduction to the Structure of Self (0.1)

In this article I’m going to attempt to outline a (prototypical) general structure of the Self, from a variety of angles and perspectives. This will be based on my own experience and understanding, as well as on the reading and research I have done in the past.

August 9, 2018

The Carnivore Diet, Cain, Abel, and JBP (Carnivore Challenge, Ch. III)

Hello again, friends, it has now been two weeks of meat on the Carnivore diet- halfway there. I don’t have too terribly much to report this time (still feeling great, getting up early, and full of energy), so this week I figured I would talk about something that’s been stuck in my head since last week.

August 5, 2018

Value In The Highest: Of Truth, Will, and Love

What is the highest value in life? What is the goal that we should pursue above all else? Many have attempted to answer this question- in fact, both philosophy and religion exists as attempts to solve the riddle. If you do not know your core values, you will live your life as a ship without a captain, adrift aimlessly in the seas of chance. If you are wrong about what you value, you will sail as a man with the wrong map. However, the man who knows his values can navigate even in the most terrible storm.

August 2, 2018

The Carnivore Challenge, Ch. II: A Week of Zero Carb

It has now been a week of the zero carb Carnivore Challenge for me- and I’m loving it. So far, I’ve been getting up early every day (to cook steaks or bacon and eggs), I’ve had more energy throughout the day, and my mood has improved significantly. Somehow, a perfectly uneventful week at work ended up being one of the best weeks I’ve had in a long time- and I’m certain that zero carb carnivory is the reason why.

July 29, 2018

Syzygy, Part I: The Emergence of the Modern Myth

There exists a mythological, archetypal symbol that is present in essentially every culture, but somehow this concept remains largely unknown. This archetype is known as the Syzygy, or the united opposites. You have certainly seen this symbol before in the Yin-Yang or the Star of David:

July 26, 2018

The Carnivore Challenge, I: 30 Days of Meat

For many years, Man has searched for the ideal diet. Some have tried only eating fruit. Others believed that vegetables were the way to go. However, there exist a select few who choose to stand alone, going against the grain(s)- we call these loose cannons who live on the edge of society: carnivore.

July 15, 2018

Sat: Truth, Reality, and the Sound of a Tree Falling

Have you ever heard the Sanskrit word “Sat” before? Hold that thought for a minute, let’s start with movie time-In the opening to the film Cloud Atlas, there is a discussion that goes on between two characters, Adam Ewing and the Reverend Horrox. They’re discussing the ways of the world and the writings of Ewing’s father, Haskell Moore, who has apparently written on the subject. Ewing mentions a certain part of the tract-

July 8, 2018

Finding Meaning: The Purpose of Life

Since the first mind achieved consciousness, the question has existed- “What is the meaning of life?” Philosophers, priests, ideologues, and politicians have all sought to provide an answer to this question, among many others. However, I believe that we are living in a time in which the old answers have fallen short. This is an era of nihilism and hedonism, and the world is reeling in purposelessness. Some seek to cling to the old, failed models, while others strive to envision a world that rejects the past. However, the time has come to realize that the secret to finding meaning does not begin in the world, but within ourselves.

July 5, 2018

10 Brutal Truths That You Must Accept

If you’re the kind of person who this site is meant for, then you’re the type who strives to seek the Truth. You love knowledge and know that by learning, you’ll become a better person. You know that it’s your responsibility to face your demons and change yourself before you try to change the world. If this doesn’t describe you, leave now- you aren’t going to be able to handle these 10 brutal truths.

June 29, 2018

The Allegory of the Cave: In the Pursuit of Truth

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave has managed to remain relevant for well over two millennia. The story comes from the philosopher’s most famous book, Republic. In it, the philosopher contemplates the nature of our perceptions and the limits that are placed on them by our environment. Generally, commentary on the allegory discusses either epistemology (how we come to know things) or politics, but we’re going to take a different approach to the tale. The Cave, in my belief, represents the most fundamental question- how can we lead others to the Truth?

June 27, 2018

Westworld: The Maze of Consciousness

Be warned, this article contains spoilers for the fantastic HBO series Westworld. Having just finished the second season, I figured it would be the perfect time to break down some of the interesting perspectives on consciousness expressed in the show, including my personal favorite part of Westworld: The Maze. (This article is going to be more focused on using the perspectives in the show to examine real world phenomenon than being plot commentary.)

June 24, 2018

On Anger and Self-Control: Bad Drivers, Toddlers, and Holding Coals

I recently had a conversation with a friend about a rough situation between them and their relatives. Because of certain cruel and otherwise unpleasant actions on the behalf of the relatives, the person in question was unsure about how to handle an upcoming visit where they would be face to face. This person expressed the desire to confront the guilty party and attempt to make them feel bad about what they had done. While there is certainly a time and place for confrontation, and frankly, we should probably be more confrontational (or at least more comfortable with confrontation) than we generally are as people, I felt that this was not the right way to handle the conflict- it was time to take control of anger.

June 21, 2018

Heraclitus and Pareto: The 80/20 Law of Success

Interestingly enough, Heraclitus may have been on to something with his distribution of people- in statistics, there is something called the Pareto Principle (also called “the 80/20 rule” or “the law of the vital few”) that mirrors this almost perfectly. The principle is named an Italian economist named Vilfredo Pareto, who noted (in 1896) that 80 percent of the land in Italy was owned by 20 percent of the population. This principle can be plotted with a curve called a Power Law (or Pareto) distribution, which looks like this:

June 17, 2018

What’s Your Frame? How to Build a Strong Foundation

There are many uses for the word ‘frame.’ You can frame someone for a crime, you can put a picture in a frame, or you can frame a house- just to name a few. However, for our frame of reference, we’ll be using the psychological definition- the context in which we view our world.

June 14, 2018

The Chains Unseen: Lies, Ties, and Attachments

We are all, in one way or another, bound. There are many things that bind us- our relationships with others, our connections to things, and the thoughts we hold so dearly, to name a few. This is normal, and unless you’re a monk in a monastery, unavoidable- it’s just the nature of life. However, it’s very easy for our attachments to things to hold us back from doing the things we’d like to do- and that’s when it becomes time to start breaking chains.

June 10, 2018

Words of a Wanderer: Anthony Bourdain’s Best Quotes

As you probably already know by now, Anthony Bourdain is dead. The news broke my heart, because Bourdain was one of the only childhood heroes I ever had, next to Steve Jobs (also unfortunately dead) and Gregory House (fictional, and the show is over, so effectively dead as well.) I remember watching No Reservations when I would get home from school on the tiny silver CRT TV that I had in my room in California when I was no older than 10- (the first season, when he played paintball in Vegas.) Flash forward a decade or so and I’m watching pretty much every episode of Parts Unknown while fasting, and I still haven’t gotten sick of the guy.

June 7, 2018

Poppies, Crabs, and Prometheus: Why We Hate The Great

Legends tell of the Titan Prometheus (which means Forethought), who is sometimes said to have been the one who fashioned the race of Man from clay. In other versions, the Gods made all the creatures of the Earth, while Prometheus and his lesser-known brother Epimetheus (meaning Afterthought) were tasked with giving talents and skills to everything in the world. Epimetheus, being understandably shortsighted, gave out all the gifts like scales, fur, and feathers randomly, and when he had come to Man, had nothing left to give.

June 3, 2018

Your Team Sucks: The Dangers of Tribalism (and How to Avoid Them)

Here at M̶a̶s̶t̶e̶r̶S̶e̶l̶f̶ Aion Enterprises, we’re pretty open about being die-hard individualists. Self improvement, is, of course, a solo endeavor. I can only assume that you, dear reader, are of a similar mindset, since you’re here (reading dearly). However, it seems that society as a whole is tending towards the opposite of individualism– collectivism (and its more dangerous cousin, tribalism). Collectivism is here defined as a cultural proclivity to prioritize the group over the individuals that make up the group, and tribalism is the cultural proclivity to prioritize those with a shared group identity over those members of the outgroup.

May 31, 2018

“Be Better”: Life Lessons from Kratos, God of War

As you may have guessed from the title of the article, I recently finished playing Santa Monica Studio’s new God of War game. If you haven’t played it, go do so. If you don’t have a PS4, go get one- just for this game. It’s fantastic in every way and you will enjoy it. However, because this is a self-improvement site and not a gaming blog, I’ll stop the fanboying and actually write something productive.

May 27, 2018

Thoughts on the Thoughts of Others: Opinions, Conformity, and Individualism

To be clear, I want to acknowledge the irony of my using that particular quote as an article opener. That being said, Oscar is right, in this instance. Far too many in this world never actually become real- they remain reflections of friends, shadows of family, and imitations of those they would strive to impress.

May 20, 2018

FasterSelf, VIII: Intermittent Fasting and (not even slightly) Furious

Since my last article, I have been experimenting with intermittent fasting- and it’s awesome so far. My work schedule (as of the time of my writing this) is three 12 hour shifts and four days off, then four 12 hour shifts and three days off, and so on. Because of that, I figured that I would fast on all of my work days. I started this on the three day work week, and it went fine. I did break my fast a bit early on the third day, just so that I would be able to eat a properly sized dinner. However, I don’t think you get the kind of major stomach shrinkage with IF that you do in a longer fast.

May 15, 2018

Of Confidence and Arrogance

I often find myself thinking about the difference between confidence and arrogance. Where exactly does the line lie? On the surface, you may think that it’s a simple distinction, but that’s the trick of it- the closer you look, the more the two seem to blur into each other. We’ll start by trying to define the two:

May 10, 2018

Talking Body: 5 Easy Body Language Secrets For Beginners

I am a firm believer that a good understanding and awareness of body language is probably the closest we can come to actually reading the minds of those around you. It’s a pretty common statement that 55% of communication is body language, 38% is tone, and 7% is verbal- while that’s not exactly the case all the time, it’s still important to acknowledge just how much of our interactions come down to body language. Without further ado, here are five easy body language secrets that you can use in your everyday life:

May 6, 2018

FasterSelf, VII: The After Fast

As I write this, it’s been a week since I broke my fast (with apple juice and watermelon.) I was afraid that the fast may not have been what was causing me to feel so sluggish, but it seems that it was. While the first day of breaking a fast sucks a lot, by the next day I felt perfectly fine and back to my normal levels of energy and motivation. It’s unfortunate, but that’s just the way it played out.

May 3, 2018

Leave It Better: A Simple Philosophy to Change Your Life

Now that I’ve finished glancing off wistfully into the distance, there is one big takeaway that I’ve been thinking about for the past few weeks- ‘leave no trace.’ Generally, if you’re going to a proper rave and it’s not in a warehouse (or the 90’s, for that matter,) it’s somewhere in the middle of nowhere, out in the woods that are down a dirt road from a tiny farm. Because of the location, and also because of the- let’s say, interesting- clientele, they’re very strict about not littering or ruining the environment, hence ‘leave no trace.’ It’s a great motto, and unfortunately, one that isn’t always followed- damn hippies.

April 29, 2018

FasterSelf, VI: The Fate of the Fast

Today is Day 35 of the fast. For those of you who have made it this far, I appreciate your commitment. However, I have some sad news. You may remember from the first article that I linked to Dr. Jason Fung’s Golden Rule of Fasting. Well, unfortunately, it has come into play. Over the last week, I have begun to feel more and more unlike what I should be feeling like whilst fasting. I’ve been tired, I’m losing motivation, and I’ve started to notice my mood decreasing below pre-fast levels. In other words, not great.

April 25, 2018

Master of the House: Clean Your Room (And Then Some)

Today we’re going to talk about how to clean your room, tablecloths and the importance of keeping a tidy house (or dorm, apartment, etc.) Believe it or not, there are a surprising number of people who have spoken on the subject of cleanliness being one of the keys to success:

April 22, 2018

FasterSelf, V: Fast(ing) Five

Welcome back to another edition of FasterSelf. As I write this, I’m on day 28 of my fast- it’s been a whole February since I started. I won’t lie to you, dear reader, I am currently drinking one of these damnable sparkling waters again. I know, I know, I should be ashamed of myself, and I would be, if they weren’t so good. Sue me.

April 19, 2018

Prisms and the Refracted Self

Have you noticed that you act differently around different people? You’re not alone- this is pretty normal, and everyone does it at some point. It’s pretty obvious that you’d act differently with your friends than you would with a stranger, or with your family as opposed to your coworkers. It’s just what people do. However, do you know your self when you’re alone?

April 15, 2018

FasterSelf, IV: Fast(ing) and Furious

At the time of writing this episode, I am on the 21st day of my fast. Currently, I’m celebrating having hit the 20-day mark by enjoying a San Pellegrino sparkling water. While I don’t normally enjoy these hipsteresqe beverages, this is a pleasant change from my daily cup of saltwater and the endless quantities of distilled water that I’ve been drinking. As such, I’ll put away my pride for the next 16.9 ounces and enjoy this overpriced bottle of pretension as discreetly as I can by the window of this Starbucks.

April 8, 2018

FasterSelf, III: 3 Fast(ing) 5 Furious

As I write this, I have been fasting for exactly two weeks. Last week I wasn’t off to the greatest of starts- I had some pretty significant abdominal cramping and an upset stomach, but it turned out that that was easily fixed by switching to room temperature distilled water.

April 1, 2018

FasterSelf, II: Keto-kyo Drift

As of the time of writing this, it is Saturday, March 31- day seven of my fast.The best part about finishing this week is that the worst part is over. From here on out, it will get progressively easier for the next two weeks, assuming that my experience mirrors that of my first fast. We shall see.

March 23, 2018

FasterSelf, I: The Fasting and The Furious

If you were expecting an article about how to run faster, you’re out of luck. Go for a run. If you were expecting an article about The Fast and the Furious, well, stick around. At the very least, I’m going to make some (by some I mean as many as humanly possible) F&F puns. If you don’t like the sound of that, you’re out of luck. Go for a run… in the rain- because puns are great. If, on the other hand, you somehow guessed that this was the beginning of a series about fasting- damn, you’re good. Give yourself a pat on the back, you majestic beast, you.

March 23, 2018

The Value of Self-Education

Imagine, if you will, two people. One of them has just received a degree in Business Management from a prestigious university, the other dropped out the day before graduation. Both people went to the same school, had similar grades, and learned a comparable amount. Where’s the difference?

March 17, 2018

One Year of Practice

One year ago, I bought a cheap nylon guitar from Second and Charles to practice on. This actually was the third guitar I ever owned, but I had never even learned a single chord before that day. The first one was a steel-stringed acoustic that I got as a Christmas present from my grandparents years before. Admittedly, I would have appreciated much more now than I did then. Ah, what a fool I was.

March 15, 2018

Nietzsche's Demon and the Face of Eternity

“What, if some day or night a demon were to steal after you into your loneliest loneliness and say to you: ‘This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more’ … Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth and curse the demon who spoke thus? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment when you would have answered him: ‘You are a god and never have I heard anything more divine.’”

March 8, 2018

The 10 Day Challenge (How to Build your Willpower the Easy Way)

I’ve spent lots of time in my life trying to make new habits- and I’ll tell you from experience, I’ve failed more often than not. Willpower runs out. It’s easy to start something, in fact, I’ve probably started more times than I can count. However, for a long time, starting was all I managed to do. Maybe you know the feeling? After years of trying and failing, I finally managed to get something done- a little more than a year and a half ago, I did a 40 day water fast. Crazy as that may sound, it was a big moment for me, because I realized that I could do whatever I put my mind to. Or not. After that fast, I tried a number of times to do another one and failed, over and over again. Why? I couldn’t figure it out.

February 23, 2018

Defeating the Three Demons of Failure

Have you ever tried to make a change in your life? Maybe you had a New Year’s Resolution, or maybe you’ve just wanted to do something different. I certainly have, more times than I can count. However, when I’ve tried to make big changes, more often than not, I’m motivated for a week and suddenly I run out of willpower or I’m not interested any more. Maybe you can relate? It took me a long time to figure out why- it’s because of the Three Demons of Failure. If you’re going to change, you better know the secrets to defeating them.

February 23, 2018

Real Talk, III: The Logos and The Sacred Word

This is the phrase that opens the fourth canonical gospel, that of John. The ‘Word’ is the accepted translation of the Greek word ‘λόγος’ (logos,) which, aside from word, can be translated to mean ‘reason’ or ‘cause,’ and forms the basis for the word ‘logic.’ Remember this, we’ll come back to it in a bit.

February 15, 2018

Organize or Die: 5 Steps to Get It Together

For most of my life, I have been the least amount of organized that one could imagine a person being. I used to struggle to get any work done, and when I did, it was almost always at the last minute, or even late. Maybe you can relate? However, sometime between the beginning of MasterSelf and now, I have learned the value of organization and decided to get it together.

February 14, 2018

Real Talk, II: The Magic of Words

In this edition of Real Talk, we’re going to be getting into words, your brain, and the fact that semantics are much more important than you’ve ever known. Sounds crazy? Maybe- but stick around and you might just learn something.

February 9, 2018

8 Movies That Will Change Your Perspective On Life

I present to you a list of eight movies that will change your perspective on life. Each film on the list is visually and thematically unlike most that you have probably seen, and each offers a unique perspective on their respective themes. I’ll note what the particular theme of each film is, but it will be up to you to watch them and discover how the filmmakers have chosen to express that theme yourself.

February 9, 2018

Real Talk, I: Are You Failing To Communicate

Have you ever gotten into an argument with someone? I’m sure you have. Because of my charming personality, I used to get in arguments with people all the time. More often than not, I (and you, too) probably walked away from those arguments thinking, “If only they understood what I was saying, they’d agree with me!” I have some bad news for you- if someone doesn’t understand what you’re saying, it’s your fault. You’re failing to communicate.

February 1, 2018

Ripples In The Infinite Pond: Indra's Net

In Hinduism, there is a deity who goes by the name of Indra (hence Indra’s Net). He’s the king of heaven, the other gods (called Deva/Devi for masculine or feminine, respectively), and also of lightning, thunder, storms, and rain. While not exactly the same, he’s kind of like Zeus or Odin.

January 26, 2018

F*** Your Self-Esteem

I don’t care how great you think you are, I don’t care how many people have told you you can do anything in life, and I don’t care what kind of trophies you have. At the end of the day, none of that matters. If you live your life doing things to feel good about yourself, you’re wrong. If you go after what other people think about you, you’re wrong. And if you think that the price of the car you drive, the size of your house, the name of your school, whatever external thing you use to measure yourself to others, matters- guess what? You’re wrong.

January 26, 2018

The Wisdom of Solomon: You, Your Self, and Mind

One of the more interesting theories regarding the structure of the mind I have heard recently is the idea that what we think of as our singular mind is actually the interaction of a number of competing brain systems or “micropersonalities.” This struck a chord with me, because of the model that I believe best explains consciousness.

January 13, 2018

How To Save The World

I used to love the show ‘Heroes’ years ago. The first season was probably the best single season of a TV show ever made, everything after that was terrible. If you also watched the show, you might remember the line, “Save the cheerleader, save the world.” I was thinking about how nice it would be if it were that simple. Unfortunately, like the seasons of ‘Heroes’ that came after the first, the world is far too convoluted to be understood by any one person.

December 22, 2017

In the Desert, Ch. V

It’s been a while since I wrote Ch. IV, I know. I’m sorry, you deserve better. There is a good reason for that however- I am no longer in the desert. Okay, come on. Try not to gasp like that, it’s unbecoming.*Cue flashback music and fade effect.*

December 3, 2017

4 Ways To Deal With Criticism

On the road to self-mastery, you are bound to encounter a few haters. Sometimes criticism can just be the result of thoughtless, inconsiderate opinions. On the other hand, many people will claim to be encouraging but, in reality, they only want to see you fail. As you improve yourself and your life, the people around you may become envious of your newfound success. They may even seek to tear you down. On that note, here are 4 ways to deal with criticism-

December 3, 2017

5 Easy Tricks To Avoid Enlightenment

Enlightenment can be a scary thing. Who wants to have “full comprehension of a situation” anyway? Sounds way too serious. In that vein, here’s a simple guide to make sure you never “wake up” and have to “deal with cause, effect, and the nature of suffering.” That doesn’t even sound like fun.