we all have the same Dukkam

Every day, I realize that I was an idiot the day before, even in instances where objective truth is easy to discern, such as in medicine or physics. The illusory passage of time allows the brain to make changes in its network, making me feel like I was foolish in the past. For example, the other day, I learned about how electricity travels, and I immediately thought about how foolish I was before. I even questioned the quality of education that my physics teacher received. In the early 2000s, I was very confident in my knowledge of stroke rehabilitation, and when I wrote my book, I felt that I was very close to the truth. However, now I realize how naive I was. It's not that my basic premise was wrong, but there is so much more to explore before I can confidently close the book.

One way of looking at our problems is that we all believe our issues are unique. Whether it's a physical ailment like back pain or a personal struggle like family or money issues, we tend to think that our situation is different from others.

In the medical field, patients often believe that their pain is unique and requires a specific treatment. However, even though there may be some outliers, most cases of back pain have average patterns and can be treated in similar ways.

Similarly, in our personal lives, we tend to think our problems are unique. However, Freud believed that most issues stemmed from sex, while J.K. may say that it's our perception of self. Intelligent people understand that our problems are generally the same, and they either fall into the median or have similar underlying causes.

Our perception of self plays a significant role in the problems we face. The self emerges when we are in a particular context, but it's just a collection of memories and other constructs that have developed over time. To change the self, we need to peel away the layers like an onion, which can be a painful process. But, ultimately, it's necessary to overcome our problems.

Depression is a common issue that many people face, and the symptoms can include self-pity and loss of confidence. Although the causes may differ, the underlying problem is often a narcissistic focus on the self.

Changing ourselves is challenging because our biology resists change. It takes months of practice to alter our habits, and our brains may even resist change because it helped us survive in the past.

In the end, we're all human, and our problems are generally the same. The solutions may seem insane, but they're often similar, and we can learn from others who have faced similar challenges.