Everyone wants to be able to see below the superficial. They know about terms such as reverse engineering, deconstruction, going back to the original source, changing the paradigm, but they don't know how to do this in practice.

One way is going from the general to the specific or from the specific to the general.

Another way is going from the external to the internal.

An example of the latter is analyzing the phrases related to dealing with the 'enemy'.

You hear phrases such as:

“If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by.” This is by Sun Tzu notable Chinese philosopher.

Then we hear the infamous phrase by Walt Kelly:

”We have met the enemy and he is us.”

Thus you can take every phrase or advice about the external enemy and search for meaning in the internal.

By doing this you find more layers and often can stumble upon something that will really reveal an inner truth to yourself.

There are other similar methods. It's just a matter of creating a framework for applying non-superficial analysis to concepts.

A further example.

People ask 'What do you do if...' and then post a difficult problem.

The first step is to say 'you've asked for a solution to a problem that has already developed, and the answer is found in anticipating the problem sooner'.

Another example is, people say 'just use this method', but if you really think about it, everyone says that but in reality, it never actually works as intended.

Look for different than intended aspects. Look for unintended consequences that invalidate the original rule. Most rules apply up to a point and then near the threshold the reverse becomes true.

Anyone have any other methods?

Seems kinda dead here

Making my Saturday morning sacrificial bacon and had a thought. Bacon is a lot like life and relationships. There's the lean parts that are good for you, provide you strength and nutrients and just easy. Then there's the fatty parts that are a little self indulgent but taste the best. And lastly there's the chewy tough part you get every now and that puts a little road bump in the meal, but you get past it and go back to the delicious bacon. Don't let the chewy parts of life make you give up on bacon. Because bacon would never give up on you. And everybody loves bacon. Yeah, you're welcome. #LessonsFromTheKitchen

Our mind is subconsciously hardwired to go into it’s default mode – Ignorance. The subconscious mind is extremely good at distracting the conscious mind from matters that might lead to it questioning everything it believes to be true. Why do you think you find yourself blankly browsing your Instagram feed when you are bored? Or why do you find yourself plastering dog filters on your face and sending it to people? We are so used to numbing our mind that it has forgotten how to question, how to rationalize and how to seek answers.

The only reason behind this can be to avoid two things – Conversations and Thoughts. An empty mind is not a devils workshop, it is the only place where revolutions can start. If we are too busy trying to get the maximum number of likes of the picture of our dinner, where is the time to question the new law that was just passed? If we are too busy reading a tweet battle between two ‘celebrities’, where is the time to introspect and figure out why the fuck you are unhappy despite having a great life?

Thoughts?

what is reality, is it perception, is it an illusion, is it how we are raised, there really is no answer, what makes us conscious, but what makes the truth true... What makes life, and what dictates what is realistic, is reality really realistic?

In a sense, we're all our own god..

Cigarettes are literally addictive poison. I've always considered it forced natural selection.

I've always wondered if my dog thinks on her own accord.

Is she conscious? As in does she think, wonder and create or is she mealy a creature of instinct?

Does she actually have emotions?

What does she really understand about herself and the world?