For years, the prolific writer and social critic Neil Postman gave a popular lecture at New York University entitled “How to Live the Rest of Your Life.” Based on the idea that modern culture was in decline, it offered 22 rules or maxims on how to survive until things improve.                    

bullet

PBixd1-image.png

563.png

For years, the prolific writer and social critic Neil Postman gave a popular lecture at New York University entitled “How to Live the Rest of Your Life.” Based on the idea that modern culture was in decline, it offered 22 rules or maxims on how to survive until things improve.

When Postman’s former assistant, Janet Sternberg, presented these maxims in a lecture to the New York Society for General Semantics in 2005, she clarified that taking them literally is unnecessary. They’re simply general principles that might improve your life.

When Postman’s former assistant, Janet Sternberg, presented these maxims in a lecture to the New York Society for General Semantics in 2005, she clarified that taking them literally is unnecessary. They’re simply general principles that might improve your life.                   

The 22 rules came to include five additional pieces of wisdom known as “Nystrom’s Nuggets,” named after Christine Nystrom, another cherished collaborator of Postman. The entire maxims are as follows…

The 22 rules came to include five additional pieces of wisdom known as “Nystrom’s Nuggets,” named after Christine Nystrom, another cherished collaborator of Postman. The entire maxims are as follows…                   

“Do not go to live in California.” People who move to California are the kind of fairweather friends who will give up everything (family, history, culture) in exchange for year-round sunshine. 😎

“Do not go to live in California.” People who move to California are the kind of fairweather friends who will give up everything (family, history, culture) in exchange for year-round sunshine. 😎                   

“Do not watch TV news shows or read any tabloid newspapers.” Life is hard enough without exposing yourself to amplified misery and danger. 😨

“Do not watch TV news shows or read any tabloid newspapers.” Life is hard enough without exposing yourself to amplified misery and danger. 😨                   

“Do not read any books by people who think of themselves as 'futurists'.” When someone starts talking about fiber optics, leave the room. People who are too focused on technology tend to know very little about human beings, therefore their predictions are always wrong. 🚫

“Do not read any books by people who think of themselves as 'futurists'.” When someone starts talking about fiber optics, leave the room. People who are too focused on technology tend to know very little about human beings, therefore their predictions are always wrong. 🚫                   

“Do not become a jogger. If you are one, stop immediately.” You can’t keep both your mind and body in perfect health. You must prioritize one over the other, so make it your mind. You can’t jog your way to enlightenment.🏃‍♀️

“Do not become a jogger. If you are one, stop immediately.” You can’t keep both your mind and body in perfect health. You must prioritize one over the other, so make it your mind. You can’t jog your way to enlightenment.🏃‍♀️                   

“If you are married, stay married.” Modern culture has distorted our expectations far beyond reality. The odds of a new partner being better than the one you have are slim. 👫

“If you are married, stay married.” Modern culture has distorted our expectations far beyond reality. The odds of a new partner being better than the one you have are slim. 👫                   

“If you are a man, get married as soon as possible. If you are a woman, you need not be in a hurry.” Marriage tends to have a civilizing effect on men in that it corrects their natural stupidity and grossness. Women don’t have the same problem. 🤣

“If you are a man, get married as soon as possible. If you are a woman, you need not be in a hurry.” Marriage tends to have a civilizing effect on men in that it corrects their natural stupidity and grossness. Women don’t have the same problem. 🤣                   

“Establish as many regular routines as possible.” Having predictable structures in your life will help you cope with constant change and cut the amount of decision-making you have to spend energy on. “Regularize the trivial to cope with the significant.” 📝

“Establish as many regular routines as possible.” Having predictable structures in your life will help you cope with constant change and cut the amount of decision-making you have to spend energy on. “Regularize the trivial to cope with the significant.” 📝                   

What not to do

“Avoid multiple and simultaneous changes in your personal life.” Change can be so stressful that it’s best not to combine too much of it at once (i.e. moving home, starting a new job). Keeping old stuff cultivates a sense of continuity and history, like a living museum. 🎫

“Avoid multiple and simultaneous changes in your personal life.” Change can be so stressful that it’s best not to combine too much of it at once (i.e. moving home, starting a new job). Keeping old stuff cultivates a sense of continuity and history, like a living museum. 🎫                   

“Remember: It's more likely than not that as you get older you will get dumber.” There’s no arguing with the 2nd law of thermodynamics: in any isolated system, entropy (the amount of disorder) gradually increases, leading to a loss of energy and structure. This applies to you. ⚠️

“Remember: It's more likely than not that as you get older you will get dumber.” There’s no arguing with the 2nd law of thermodynamics: in any isolated system, entropy (the amount of disorder) gradually increases, leading to a loss of energy and structure. This applies to you. ⚠️                   @

“Keep your opinions to a minimum.” As much as you’re entitled to have an opinion, it’s unlikely that you’re qualified to have one on most things. Practice saying, “I don’t know enough about it to form an opinion.” It will feel liberating. 🙋🏻‍♀️

“Keep your opinions to a minimum.” As much as you’re entitled to have an opinion, it’s unlikely that you’re qualified to have one on most things. Practice saying, “I don’t know enough about it to form an opinion.” It will feel liberating. 🙋🏻‍♀️                   

“Carefully limit the information input you will allow.” Too much information can be as problematic as too little of it. Learn to switch off after seven or eight o’clock each night; it helps protect yourself from a neverending influx of data. (This is why TV reruns are popular.)🤕

“Carefully limit the information input you will allow.” Too much information can be as problematic as too little of it. Learn to switch off after seven or eight o’clock each night; it helps protect yourself from a neverending influx of data. (This is why TV reruns are popular.)🤕                   

“Seek significance in your work, friends, and family, where potency and output are still possible.” These are the areas where your thoughts and behavior matter most. Don’t overthink things you can’t do anything about. The idea is to get rid of useless info, not feel useless. 🤔

“Seek significance in your work, friends, and family, where potency and output are still possible.” These are the areas where your thoughts and behavior matter most. Don’t overthink things you can’t do anything about. The idea is to get rid of useless info, not feel useless. 🤔                   

Nystrom’s Nugget #1: Save the word “friend” for the kind of person who has seen you grow up, who has spent at least one night with you in a hospital or police station, and who would be willing to commit perjury for your benefit. Anyone else qualifies as an “acquaintance.” 🤝

Nystrom’s Nugget #1: Save the word “friend” for the kind of person who has seen you grow up, who has spent at least one night with you in a hospital or police station, and who would be willing to commit perjury for your benefit. Anyone else qualifies as an “acquaintance.” 🤝                   

“Read’s Law: Do not trust any group larger than a squad (about a dozen).” Bureaucracies chiefly serve to satisfy their own rules. We like to think institutions care about people but, really, they lack human traits like compassion or loyalty, and don't welcome individuality. 👮🏻‍

“Read’s Law: Do not trust any group larger than a squad (about a dozen).” Bureaucracies chiefly serve to satisfy their own rules. We like to think institutions care about people but, really, they lack human traits like compassion or loyalty, and don't welcome individuality. 👮🏻‍                   

“With exceptions to be noted further ahead, avoid whenever possible reading anything written after 1900.” There’s so much inspiring literature from older times (e.g. Mark Twain, Shakespeare) with moral substance – just what you need to survive “today’s technological circus.” 📖

“With exceptions to be noted further ahead, avoid whenever possible reading anything written after 1900.” There’s so much inspiring literature from older times (e.g. Mark Twain, Shakespeare) with moral substance – just what you need to survive “today’s technological circus.” 📖                   

“Confine yourself, wherever possible, to music written prior to 1850.” This will provide a soothing, clarifying effect that will help you make sense of the world. (Exceptions include Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Yip Harburg, Irving Berlin, Larry Hart, and Oscar Hammerstein.) 🎻

“Confine yourself, wherever possible, to music written prior to 1850.” This will provide a soothing, clarifying effect that will help you make sense of the world. (Exceptions include Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Yip Harburg, Irving Berlin, Larry Hart, and Oscar Hammerstein.) 🎻                   

Nystrom’s Nugget #2: Frequently reflect on your mortality. As Samuel Johnson once said, the prospect of death concentrates the mind wonderfully. ⚰️

Nystrom’s Nugget #2: Frequently reflect on your mortality. As Samuel Johnson once said, the prospect of death concentrates the mind wonderfully. ⚰️                   @

Embrace certain limitations

Nystrom’s Nugget #3: Every time you wake up, it’s worth remembering that you and your relatives are not about to be taken to a gas chamber. It’ll make bad weather and other inconveniences appear as just that: inconveniences. 😰

Nystrom’s Nugget #3: Every time you wake up, it’s worth remembering that you and your relatives are not about to be taken to a gas chamber. It’ll make bad weather and other inconveniences appear as just that: inconveniences. 😰                   @

“Weingartner’s Law: 95% of everything is nonsense.” Don’t let anything make you gloomy. And don’t define yourself as anything with an “-ist” at the end of it. This will help you evade easy categorization and retain a sense of humor. 🤷🏽‍♀️

“Weingartner’s Law: 95% of everything is nonsense.” Don’t let anything make you gloomy. And don’t define yourself as anything with an “-ist” at the end of it. This will help you evade easy categorization and retain a sense of humor. 🤷🏽‍♀️                   @

“Truman’s Law: Under no circumstances ever vote for a Republican.” Being rich exempts you from this rule. 😬

“Truman’s Law: Under no circumstances ever vote for a Republican.” Being rich exempts you from this rule. 😬                   @

Nystrom’s Nugget #4: Appreciate your parents, your elderly relatives and any senior citizen you happen to meet. They may not necessarily be more intelligent than you, but they will have endured more hardship than you, by default. That’s something you can learn from. 👴🏾

Nystrom’s Nugget #4: Appreciate your parents, your elderly relatives and any senior citizen you happen to meet. They may not necessarily be more intelligent than you, but they will have endured more hardship than you, by default. That’s something you can learn from. 👴🏾                   @

“Take religion more seriously.” It’s one of the only social institutions with any continuity and addresses the biggest questions conceivable to humankind. “Science asks how, but religion asks why.” 🙏🏻

“Take religion more seriously.” It’s one of the only social institutions with any continuity and addresses the biggest questions conceivable to humankind. “Science asks how, but religion asks why.” 🙏🏻                   @

“Divest yourself of your belief in the magical powers of numbers.” Quantification has its limits. Attempting to define human affairs (like intelligence) by numbers is a folly on par with superstition. 🧙‍♀️

“Divest yourself of your belief in the magical powers of numbers.” Quantification has its limits. Attempting to define human affairs (like intelligence) by numbers is a folly on par with superstition. 🧙‍♀️                   @

“Once a year, read a book by authors like George Orwell, EB White, or Bertrand Russell.” These are exceptions to the “nothing after 1900” rule. Their works illustrate the merits of succinct writing. Be wary of writers adored by professors. Explore ones they can’t stand instead. ✍

“Once a year, read a book by authors like George Orwell, EB White, or Bertrand Russell.” These are exceptions to the “nothing after 1900” rule. Their works illustrate the merits of succinct writing. Be wary of writers adored by professors. Explore ones they can’t stand instead. ✍                   @

Nystrom’s Nugget #5: Candor is overrated. Don’t assume that you’re wise enough to know the truth. Your idea of speaking objectively may cause others pain. “Honesty is the first refuge of the scoundrel.” 🤗

Nystrom’s Nugget #5: Candor is overrated. Don’t assume that you’re wise enough to know the truth. Your idea of speaking objectively may cause others pain. “Honesty is the first refuge of the scoundrel.” 🤗                   @

“Santha Rama Rau’s Law: Patriotism is a squalid emotion.” The nation-state is an economic concept, not a cultural one. People are most caring when they’re committed to a tribe. Being emotionally invested in a nation-state, therefore, runs counter to that dynamic. 🏳

“Santha Rama Rau’s Law: Patriotism is a squalid emotion.” The nation-state is an economic concept, not a cultural one. People are most caring when they’re committed to a tribe. Being emotionally invested in a nation-state, therefore, runs counter to that dynamic. 🏳                   @

“Josephson’s Law: New is rotten.” But “big” and “fast” are just as bad. 🚀

“Josephson’s Law: New is rotten.” But “big” and “fast” are just as bad. 🚀                   @

Cultivate some perspective

Neil Postman's Advice on How to Live the Rest of Your Life

Meaningful Life

Neil Postman’s (highly subjective) rules for a meaningful life

Success 🏆

Mindset 🧑‍🔧

Habits ⏰

Humor 😅

Serialized

Career guidance and wellness tips. ☀️ Self-love club 🤱🏼 Boy-mom 🖌 Blogger navigating my way through the great unknowns.