Why Vritti
The purpose of this website is to appreciate what we have, so we can use it to its full potential. With TrickTape, this relates to material goods. With Vritti, it relates to ourselves.
If you’re like me, parts of your day are not well spent…social media and channel surfing are the classic culprits because they’re fun – but often hollow. A well-produced distraction luring us away from the good we could be doing. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with giving our brains a rest or being entertained. But there’s a balance, and it’s easy to forget that time is never coming back.
My goal with this blog is to be a good use of your time.
It’s a stage to shine light on topics not often discussed in day-to-day life that I believe deserve a little more attention. Subjects will range from psychology, philosophy, spirituality, nature, finance, skating (of course), health/exercise, fiction…something for everyone.
I started something like this with a good friend (who also helped start TrickTape) in my early 20’s with the same motives, but in the back of my head it never felt right. I couldn’t shake the thought, “Who am I to be giving life advice or exploring these heavy topics?” Not to say you can’t be young and have things figured out, but it’s a tad narcissistic, and extremely irresponsible if done improperly.
But, at some point, you gotta take the plunge.
My personal lens is built into these posts, but my intent is never to say, “This is how you should live your life.” That kind of talk is reserved for gurus and douchebags. Instead it’s, “This works for me, maybe it’ll work for you.”
That said, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Opposite of clickbait, there’s genuine advice that inspires and motivates, but in reality, is only a quick hit leaving you wanting more instead of doing more. Does the self-help industry really want you to leave the nest and take your views with you?
Think of it like this: if you followed all the “morning routine” content out there, you’d have just enough time to go to bed.
For that reason, posts will be bite-sized, hitting on one major theme to get the ol’ noggin’ churning, and hopefully spark enough interest for you to explore on your own. I’m a big believer in experiential knowledge. If you come across something that feels right, don’t hesitate to try it out for a few weeks. Evaluate and adjust from there.
Circling back to my original point (appreciating what we have and fully utilizing it), we’re all gifted an incredible mind/body…it’s more powerful than we give it credit, particularly the subconscious. I believe we have a responsibility to grow and develop ourselves, and that starts with the information we consume and how we spend our time.
One way is by reading good books, which will be a focus for Vritti. I’ll be discussing books that are particularly meaningful to me – they’ve shaped how I think and who I am for the better. But above all, it’s important to read books that are meaningful to you.
If you’re not a fan of reading, I ask you to take a look at the benefits of reading and give it a go.
First up is The Screwtape Letters. There’s no particular reason for starting with Screwtape, other than it’s a very clever but dark novel about a high-ranking demon advising his nephew, Wormwood (aka intern-demon who can’t do anything right), as he attempts to tempt his first soul into hell.
Before I scare off any non-religious folk, I don’t think religious/spiritual works need to be taken literally or even believed in for them to have value. Texts that are written well speak to underlying principles and universal truths, and to their credit, the authors dedicated the better part of their lives wrestling with these ideas. This is certainly the case with Lewis (an atheist through his 20’s) and he makes philosophical, not theological, arguments through spectacular illustrations we can all relate to.
The Screwtape Letters is a relatively easy read (big font on small pages, my personal favorite). But don’t let that fool you – it’s profound with a lot happening between the lines, so don’t go too fast…it’s also written from an inverted perspective, which is fun.
The Benefits of Reading The Screwtape Letters
In closing, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes:
And yet each of us can carry the torch of knowledge but part of the way, until another takes it from him. Could we but accept this in an impersonal way – could we but grasp the fact that we are not the personal creators of our truths, but only their exponents who thus make articulate the psychic needs of our day – then much of the poison and bitterness might be spared and we should be able to perceive the profound and superpersonal continuity of the human mind.
C.G.J.
Best,
Devon
