How to be a Chill Guy, the definition of 'All-in', and the Arrival of Aliens
Issue #3: When you're a little late for publishing a bi-weekly newsletter, but truly I'm just a chill guy and shit happens.
Welcome to Issue #3 of the Adept Archive newsletter, I apologize for being late for this edition. I’ve been kind of swamped with school lately and haven’t really got the opportunity to ‘consume’ as much as I’ve wanted. In the next couple of months, I’m striving to put my best foot forward in creating as much as I can, I feel the creative juices flowing so I’m excited to get into it. In essence, “strike while the iron is hot.”
In case you haven’t seen this already, a new meme has taken over the social media landscape by storm and it’s none other than this “chill guy.” Its the modern male equivalent to the popular girl phrase of “I’m just a girl,” essentially excusing actions and behaviours in a fun and lighthearted way.
Being “chill” really stems from your ability to not let external events and factors affect you. It’s not about what happens to you, it’s about how you react.
While being stuck in traffic isn’t a great scenario, make the most out of the extra-time and put on a podcast/audiobook. If you get rudely yelled at in public by someone, maybe that person is having one of the worst day of their lives, you wouldn’t really know (I’m not saying it justifies their behaviour, but everyone has bad days).
Anyways… consider yourself informed. You’re welcome.
I read Matthew McConaughey’s Greenlights memoir a couple years ago and its still one of the best books I’ve read to-date. Truthfully, at the time, I didn’t know much about the guy nor did I know he was the movie star of Interstellar (which I watched recently and its now in my top 5 movies of all time). All of this being said, I’m certainly a fan of his work and who he is as a person.
In this episode of Modern Wisdom, Matthew McConaughey sheds light on his unwavering positive mindset, how success builds from your daily consistencies, and what it truly means to go “all-in” your life’s work.
These type of YouTube videos are slowly becoming one of my favourite pastimes. At least to me, it feels like there’s a new wave of content creators and YouTubers that are striving to ‘make their mark’ in this world through short films and storytelling, many exemplifying the harsh realities of contemporary society (aka, it’s real shit).
I’ve never heard of Brandon Nembhard’s channel before but after watching the first couple minutes of this video, I can see the amount of effort and creative aptitude that was required to film this masterpiece. And a side note, apparently this video was published to promote his latest EP. So he’s an artist and filmmaker now? Damn.
The film Arrival (2016) explores the popular science-fiction trope of 'aliens visiting Earth,’ illuminating a modern way of how humanity would respond to such a crisis.
The story follows Dr Louise Banks, a linguistics professor thats appointed by the US military to talk to the aliens and decipher their ultimate purpose for visiting. As anticipated, there’s a language & communication barrier that isn’t easy to interpret, nor is it conventional in reference to humanity’s thinking modalities.
Adapted from Ted Chiang’s short story called Story of Your Life, the movie perfectly depicts the overwhelm and chaos that’d be ensued throughout civilization: global state of emergencies, diplomatic warfare, and humanity (unsurprisingly) at odds with each other.
In my opinion, you don’t have to be completely enamoured with the sci-fi genre or extraterrestrials to appreciate the depths of the film.
Essay: “We need raw awe” via aeon written by Kirk Schneider
“… our life on screens prevents us from experiencing the mysteries and transformative wonder of life.”
The mass incorporation of digital screens in our everyday life is seamlessly leading us towards a more detrimental society. How many times has this been re-iterated, remastered, and retold in narratives, movies, and books, yet each medium relays the exact same message?
It’s almost as if we’re technologically advancing too quickly for our own good. By the time the population reaches a certain understanding of one piece of novel technology, the next one is already developed and reaching the next techno-enthusiast. This mainly pertains to the prevalence of A.I. technology (i.e., Elon Musks’ conversational robots). But as someone that’s not very involved in the tech-space, I know there’s something else that’s already upon the horizon.
This essay investigates how modern technology diminishes life’s awe-inspiring moments and experiences, begging the question of whether we’re able to cultivate wonderment and purpose in the first place.