VentralVex

  Image Source:  The Harvard Crimson (The acceptance rates only decline from 2021 onwards, by the way.)  Undergraduate admissions in the United States has grown increasingly complex and competitive in the last decade. This one process encompasses a multibillion dollar college consulting industry, significantly influences the future of society, and governs the lives of millions of high school children. I don’t intend to discuss the college admissions process in its entirety, but I do have some advice to share with children apprehensive about the whole ordeal (as they should be).  Having finished submitting all of my college applications in my senior year, I’ve reflected on these last four years of my life. I’ve experienced triumph, tribulation, happiness, sadness, exasperation, disillusionment, enlightenment, and a bevy of other ineffable emotions. Even if I’m not accepted to all of my reach schools, I’m proud of how I’ve spent the last four years of my life. I made p...

Image Source Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, the protagonist of the Classroom of the Elite ( COTE ) light novels and anime, has a cult. He has spawned heated debates on internet forums, videos espousing his philosophies, power scaling edits, and guides for people trying to emulate him. To his worshippers, Ayanokoji represents charisma, intelligence, and power. They admire his displays of power, which include flashy mind games and monologues about society. It’s perfectly fine to obsess over a fictional character or to learn from them, but I worry Koji-stans (those who deify Ayanokoji) fail to view him objectively. This is especially problematic when COTE ’s demographic is young men. Many Koji-stans idolize Kiyotaka’s introverted behavior, social alienation, and lack of empathy. The appeal of Ayanokoji is that many COTE fans can relate to his more superficial characteristics. For example, his peers often underestimate him. Koji-stans may misconstrue their meager social presence as social underestim...

Anyone who knows me or has read my writing knows that I love existential philosophy. I preach about it regularly. In our increasingly complicated world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and lose a sense of purpose in life. Existentialism is more important now than ever. I consider myself to be abnormal in some ways. Most of us can arbitrarily label ourselves as “abnormal” in some sense of the word, because the idea of normality itself is somewhat arbitrary. Therefore, we each have an idiosyncratic relationship with existentialism.  For as long as I can remember, I have tried to perceive reality as objectively as possible. As a result, I had an obstinately cynical and mundane outlook on life. I was trapped in an education system that failed me. I’ve always loved to learn new things, but school didn’t cut it for me; it was a terribly boring place where I’d listen to my teachers lecture concepts I could easily understand by reading a textbook and subsequently complete tedious chores call...

  The Boondocks  and Political Apathy In March, I endeavored to educate myself politically. I read Morning Brew’s newsletter almost daily, perused political science publications, and began watching several current affairs channels (I’ve listed many of these resources under “recommendations”). I never cared much about current affairs. I was depressed by the global political climate. I genuinely wish for the best in humanity and with almost every news article I read, I’m increasingly disillusioned with the incompetence of government leadership. Since childhood, observing the failings of authority figures and having my opinions dismissed for my lack of experience was infuriating. Sure, it’s interesting that Trump has been indicted for alleged hush money payments, but what does it matter? I thought to myself. As my dissatisfaction with the world grew, I closed my heart to these struggles, to the opportunities I had to help others. The anime Erased , Mushoku Tensei , and Oregairu ...

It’s been a long time since I last posted an article. When I originally started this blog, I planned to post daily articles. However, I soon realized that it conflicted with my vision of what I wanted this blog to be. At the time, I was obsessed with Mark Manson’s blog after discovering his book, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck —a witty, life-changing book that showed me the potential of the self-help genre I had become so disillusioned and jaded by. My first articles were written in a similar style to Manson’s work and loosely classified as self-help articles. I’m proud of those articles but decided that this blog should not focus exclusively on the self-help genre and be a medium for me to share insightful, meaningful ideas with the world. I want to continue writing about topics I’m passionate about, without tarnishing my ideas with sensational marketing labels. I don’t care if my blog doesn’t achieve the status of Tim Ferriss's or Mark Manson’s blogs. I refuse to post about ...

It’s almost trite to hear business tycoons express pride in their dissenting opinions. I’m looking at all of you who are moved by stories of people who "persisted in the face of criticism." I agree that perseverance is important, but it should be thought of as tenacity instead.  Tenacity is not persistence Persistence means repeating the same action. Tenacity means adhering to your pursuits. Persistence is trying to fit a square peg through a round hole. Tenacity is knowing when to avert your focus, move on, or change strategies. Persistence can be helpful when channeled correctly, but it is key to identify when it becomes detrimental doggedness.  Tenacity has a direction Both perseverance and tenacity don’t guarantee success—nothing can. But unlike perseverance, tenacity has a direction. Don’t expect to become a billionaire by working hellish hours, but do expect to discover more productivity when there is a plan to follow. That plan is part of tenacity.  Tenacity do...

Image Source What would you do tomorrow if it was your last day alive? I want you to think about it seriously.  Your last day likely involves a list of your favorite activities, some parting words, and an overall magnificent time. Living a day like your last makes it more meaningful, more enjoyable, and more liberating. After all, you have to make your final moments of life count, right? Contrast this with what you would do tomorrow if it was your last day, unbeknownst to you . I bet you would be less happy, engage in humdrum activities most of the day, and not even consider the value of your relationships. Sorry to be harsh, but that’s fairly realistic.  It’s because restrictions, such as scarcity and urgency, create value. Deadlines, for example, propel people to work quickly. Put a deadline on your life, and you will feel the same urgency. Furthermore, the last day you’re alive is the last time you can experience everything . No more fun times with family and friends. No mo...

Image Source: Shutterstock Xavier Reynolds is a 12-year-old entrepreneur and founder of Trisocure LLC, a synthetic data firm based in Nashville, Tennessee. After being born with Down syndrome, Reynolds was found to grasp subjects in advanced math and science rapidly as a toddler. He later founded Trisocure at age 10 to create artificial genetic data in order to contribute to genetic research. He has since published two books, which have sold over 100,000 copies and been translated into 20 languages. What an impressive kid, right? I dreamt him up in a few minutes to spite all of you who have low self-esteem. Yes, I’m that mean. Notice that my description sounds uncomfortably familiar to countless others who are successful. The issue with these descriptions is that, in trying to provide personal backgrounds and glorify people, they are disingenuous. I’m not saying that they’re all a sham and I get that picturesque depictions of people entice audiences, but there are blatant problems with...

Image Source There’s no ‘I’ in team. Hard work always pays off. Follow your passion. We’ve all heard of platitudes and-if you’re like me-they’re exasperating. At first glance, these aphorisms "feel" true as they convey a priori logic with brevity and wit. The problem, however, is that people are deceived into believing these statements because of the form of their delivery and the titans who endorse them.  Consider the idea that there’s no ‘I’ in team, for example. The spelling of the word "team" has nothing to do with sportsmanship. Literally nothing. But the message that individuals can not prioritize themselves in a team is valuable. Even so, this message is still remiss. What about people who are prioritizing the team at their own expense? What about talented but docile new recruits who are reluctant to speak up because they fear bad ideas? It’s irresponsible to assert that anything is always true, and it’s absolutely ridiculous to embellish these statements in ...