🍃 Branches (key topics): Convenience Culture, Digital Garden, technology that combines organic and inorganic, Humanity versus Technology, memory, techno-spirituality
🍂 Roots (Status): #seedling

What is a 'second brain'

• A second brain is the term used by what seem to be predominantly internet humans who occupy the community focused on personal improvement and optimization. I say this with some notes of derision in my voice — for a lot time, I counted myself among said humans; and I learned, after a while of being well and truly depressed without quite realizing it, that my obsession with productivity was a symptom, not a cure.
• All that said, this — the Pitchpine Forest — is a second brain. Mine. So you understand that those hints of derision are, in fact, good-natured and a little self-deprecating.
• I still haven't answered the question in the heading. A second brain, as I understand it, is a place to collect and 'remember' ideas, quotes, and thoughts outside your literal, squishy flesh-brain.
• I'm of two minds (heh) about the idea— in the first place, as I alluded to above, it smacks of modern day techno-spirituality; the idea touted by all the Silicon Valley tech bros that one day we might ascend and merge with computers to form superior beings and, I don't know, float around knowing everything all the time, or something (someone should write an audio fiction horror podcast about that).
  • I'm not the biggest fan of this notion. I sorta like my weird little flesh-being existence. Seems like ascending to merge with technology would make it harder to literally touch grass.
  • Side note: Look more into this techno-spirituality I'm referring to, because I have a vibe of it in my brain (my real one) but no evidence (which is usually found here, in my second brain).
• The argument that is often voiced in opposition to the tech-bros and their neo-techno-spirituality is the idea that the more we outsource our own work and abilities, the less our brain has to do, the stupider we get. I take issue with this argument, too, because extending this argument further argues that any modern-day convenience is ultimately making life worse by not requiring us to do any work.
  • Now, in some cases, I do take issue with modern convenience. Because in some cases, I think the work / exertion / difficulty of a task is the point of the task. (cf Choosing to walk by Rayne Fisher-Quann).
• So where does that leave me on second brains? Well, I have one. I am enjoying using it. Thus far, it has returned and/or awakened my joy in the process of thinking, writing, researching. I've never really been able to have fun writing non-fiction, but this sure is letting me make an attempt at that.
• I have some topics relating to this that I'd like to research to help expand my thoughts. Will check back in on it later.