"People get really caught up in their own trips"
About this Quote
A reminder that consciousness is a maze of private narratives. Everyone moves through the day wearing a headset only they can hear: the playlist of fears, ambitions, loyalties, grievances, fantasies. A “trip” is the story your mind tells while it shepherds you from task to task. Some are ecstatic, ego trips, victory laps, love rushes. Others are claustrophobic, anxiety spirals, revenge plots, catastrophizing. Getting caught up means mistaking that soundtrack for the whole world.
Most misunderstandings are less about malice and more about narrative collisions. The coworker isn’t necessarily dismissive; they might be fighting a fire you can’t see. The driver isn’t out to insult you; they’re lost in a loop of deadlines and debt. Online, these trips harden into identities. Feeds curate stimuli that flatter our preexisting arcs, and suddenly the private storyline looks like objective reality. Confirmation and attention conspire; the spotlight in our head convinces us it’s the sun.
There’s creative power here too. Focused absorption is how art happens, how research gets finished, how movements start. The hazard is tunnel vision: when the trip refuses updates from the outside. Then the ego becomes a tour guide that never lets the bus stop.
Antidotes are surprisingly ordinary. Curiosity loosens the straps. Ask what plot the other person thinks they’re in. Notice your own narration style, do you cast yourself as hero, victim, fixer, judge? Try a different genre for a day. Humor helps; it pops the bubble without puncturing dignity. So does slowness: a beat of silence before reply, a breath before certainty. Travel, art, service, a hard workout, a long walk, each jars the story, revealing a wider frame.
Compassion flows naturally once you see trips everywhere. You don’t have to validate every itinerary, and boundaries still matter. But the grip softens. You can recognize the ride you’re on, hold it lightly, and meet others at the edge of theirs. From there, reality becomes less of a courtroom and more of a conversation.
Most misunderstandings are less about malice and more about narrative collisions. The coworker isn’t necessarily dismissive; they might be fighting a fire you can’t see. The driver isn’t out to insult you; they’re lost in a loop of deadlines and debt. Online, these trips harden into identities. Feeds curate stimuli that flatter our preexisting arcs, and suddenly the private storyline looks like objective reality. Confirmation and attention conspire; the spotlight in our head convinces us it’s the sun.
There’s creative power here too. Focused absorption is how art happens, how research gets finished, how movements start. The hazard is tunnel vision: when the trip refuses updates from the outside. Then the ego becomes a tour guide that never lets the bus stop.
Antidotes are surprisingly ordinary. Curiosity loosens the straps. Ask what plot the other person thinks they’re in. Notice your own narration style, do you cast yourself as hero, victim, fixer, judge? Try a different genre for a day. Humor helps; it pops the bubble without puncturing dignity. So does slowness: a beat of silence before reply, a breath before certainty. Travel, art, service, a hard workout, a long walk, each jars the story, revealing a wider frame.
Compassion flows naturally once you see trips everywhere. You don’t have to validate every itinerary, and boundaries still matter. But the grip softens. You can recognize the ride you’re on, hold it lightly, and meet others at the edge of theirs. From there, reality becomes less of a courtroom and more of a conversation.
Quote Details
| Topic | Deep |
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