Notes on The Antidote

A theme began to emerge as Burkeman goes through Stoicism, Buddhist meditation, obsession with goals, self identity, sense of security, failure, and death.

1. We are disturbed by a pause in the endless chatters of our thoughts.
2. We are terrified of uncertainty and try to avoid it more strenuously than the thought of death.
3. We are terrified of insecurity and try to quash it more strenuously than the thought of death.
4. We are so afraid of failures that our brain filters them out when they happen.

The brain is basically fighting and fighting and fighting with reality all the time. It's kind of funny.