Two people fishing on a boat

Estimated read time: 1 mins 47 secs

Howdy friend,

I recently learned about a concept that kind of blew my mind.

It made me feel like Neo from the matrix, taking the red pill. And then BOOM, I see the world kind of differently now.

Not sure if you'll be mind blown, but let's give it a try.

Okay, so imagine two people on a boat fishing, and the weather is kind of rainy. One person says this fishing trip kind of sucks. The other says this fishing trip is the best!

They are both wrong. Or rather, what they are talking about are subjective truths and not objective truths.

So what does that even mean?

The computer I'm typing on, the floor beneath my feet, the law of gravity — these are examples of objective truths. They are facts that are tangible or can be verified using science.

On the other hand, there are subjective truths. They are your beliefs and opinions that are not tangible and hard to verify using science.

Here are some common things people believe that are subject truths. A lot of people believe there's God and there's an afterlife. I'm not saying these things are not true. I'm just saying we have a hard time proving that it is true.

I believe there's an invisible alien that looks like a HUGE gummy bear that only I can see. I can't prove you wrong, and you can't prove me wrong. That is the nature of subjective truths.

So what's the point of knowing the difference between subjective truths and objective truths?

If nothing we believe in is objectively true, then believe in things that are beneficial to you but not harmful to others, EVEN if they might not actually be true.

Derek Sivers is one of the happiest guys I know on the internet, and he is also the guy I learned about the concept of subjective truths and objective truths.

Derek spends a lot of time questioning his beliefs. He recognizes that what he believes in AND what others believe in might not be true. And he selectively picks the beliefs that help him to become the person he wants to be.

Here's a fun example: Derek Sivers believes that he is below average in terms of intelligence. This is definitely not true, but he said that it helps him make better decisions and keeps him humble — especially in a world where most people believe that they are above average in everything.

So question everything you believe in, choose your beliefs carefully, and check out this short clip.

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As always, thanks for reading!

-George 🐙