I’ve recently told a friend that I feel very lonely when I realize how few people in the world share values similar to mine. He asked me ‘what values’ and I couldn’t pack the answer into a concise telegram message. So here we are: a glimpse into my vision, feeling, and understanding of the world interface.

Disclaimer: values might change and it’s fine.

The default respect to everyone’s personal experience, background, and individuality. Deep internal respect to personal space, way of thinking, way of feeling, way to do things, occupations, hobbies, habits, choices, traumas, pains, dreams, beliefs. For colleagues, friends, partners, kids, families, employees, bosses, students, everyone. Just some basic respect for a human being you meet.

People having enough agency to choose how they will live and make it happen. Ability to question things, talk respectively to those completely different, building and maintaining institutions that ensure democracy is long lasting, considering needs, wants, and desires of different groups and layers, ability to change the society and institutions according to current needs of humans and general sentiments.

Taking responsibility for what we do, how we do, why we do, and all the consequences of our actions. Being able to act and respond to change things we do not like or do not feel right about, expressing unpopular opinions and oppose the vast majority, stand for things we believe in.

Fuck the games and manipulations. It is the easiest way to live because of control illusion and ego feeding, but it never leads to huge results, discoveries, and happiness. The main building element (of relations, tech companies, arts, and most other things) is genuine trust. Because only when people trust each other they can relax in the process they share. When people can relax – the amount of resources at their disposal goes up orders of magnitude, because no need to control, no fears, no doubts, just build and deliver cool shit. Sincerity is one of the coolest cheat codes in the modern world of optimizations, efficiency, and utility. Sincerity is impossible to oppose. There is no real need to hold the face – you can think of it as marketing to sell more stress. Tell whatever we think, whatever we feel, provide reasoning of why we do or don’t do particular things, be respectfully direct and gently honest.

Just god damn do what we told we would do. Answering a message, showing up for a birthday, paying on time, delivering outputs, etc. If we can’t do – we say we can’t do. If we are not sure – we say we are not sure. If we failed – we say that god damn we fucked everything up and it is our responsibility.

Most things in the world are not obvious, not black and white and on the surface (even though some things are exactly there). Being very open minded and deep thinking to understand how the world works, how to build things today that will fit the world in ten years. Thinking, questioning, considering, reconsidering, learning. Thinking again. Thinking again. Openly admitting we were wrong. Many times in a row if needed. Connecting the dots between the domains that should never be connected. Looking for answers in the most hopeless corners. Betting on the things that should never work out by all logical means.

Every action, word, thought and in fact even intention affects the world and people around. We will occasionally die and the world will still be here full of other human beings. We should think about what we will leave them.

Taking care of people around is nice. Checking on them, being sensitive and responsive to how they feel, what’s happening in their lives is nice. Doing things together is nice. Being kind and caring for no reason is nice. Being gentle and caring without expecting anything in return is the way for prospering society and the world all in all. Not everyone got in the lottery great loving family or socially and physically secure citizenship. Not everyone is great and lucky in building relationships and starting families. Taking care of each other without being ‘officially’ close people is the way to go.

Sharing what’s on our minds to give people a glimpse into who we are and why we do what we do. At the same time trying to understand who are the one we are talking to and why they do what they do. Then we’ll meet in the middle. Being open to talk to people we do not agree with. Being fearless to talk our own opinion while knowing that everyone in the room disagrees. Ability to talk even if scared that no one will understand and even if it might be painful.

In simple cases, logic works. In complex cases, logic fails. To create beautiful things (relationships, tech companies, formulas, arts, etc.) – we need to trust intuition and believe in the impossible. Every new era of industry, relationships, humanity, is not a step-by-step process. It’s a jump into the dark area out of faith. Relying on some internal feeling that this is the right thing to do and this is the right moment. I do not know how this works but it works. I tend to think that with high probability we just pull outstanding things out of more multi dimensional space (ref to the String Theory) where they are normal. But can’t know for sure. So tl’dr faith in impossible and trust the intuition.

Love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love. Live with an open heart. Being sensitive and responsive. Connecting to human being around and allowing human beings to connect to us. Not being afraid of pain and being hurted. It’s fine, we won’t die. Pain is part of the world. Loving. Touching. Hugging. Caring. Being gentle. Being kind. To friends, to relatives, to colleagues, to families, to neighbours, to peers, to bros, to pretty much everyone we meet every day. Not because it’s the right thing to do. But because it feels good.

Sometimes truth is subjective, but in most cases it’s not. Seeing and admitting the truth is often painful because people like thinking about themselves as very nice, polite, kind creatures with good intentions. Admitting truth often means admitting that we are jealous, mercantile, ego-driven animals. It’s not pleasant to think of ourselves like this. However, there are certain things that are impossible under the layer of illusions. For example, building game-changing innovations. Because to do it – one must see and feel the reality as is and be extremely responsive to it.

If something can be consumed – it doesn’t mean it should be consumed. The ‘trick’ is in choosing things that fit the most. A job that is ok but not really what I want is the dream job of someone else. If I take it now – they won’t have a chance. A boyfriend that is ok but not really the one I genuinely like is the dream boyfriend of someone else. If I take him now – the one who would be really happy to have him won’t have him. The same with everything else. The more the better is the consumeristic illusion hired to make people want more, stay depressed and chase ‘happiness’ all the way down. It doesn’t work.

At the end of the day we have little to zero control over the world. Even though we prefer to think that we do have control and impact things. But control is an illusion. How the world will evolve in the next second depends on trillions of factors most of those we can’t even imagine. Now if we agree that things can’t be controlled – let’s stop even trying to control it (waste of time, mood, and energy) – and just chill.

Despite all highly serious and proper words that I have seen above – the heart of this life is just joy. Physical joy, emotional joy, mental joy, soul joy, and any other joy you can come up with. Tons of small pleasures just because it feels good. Food, sleep, touching people, music, books, arts, poetry, sex, food, gorgeous food, sports, skin sensations, movies, parties, nature, whatever feels good, in the amounts that feel good, in the context that feel good.

With love, Lisa